Volunteer In Oda

Our Philosophy on Volunteerism

Volunteerism is a selfless act and is considered the utmost of giving in ancient and modern times. The only way to experience is by doing and we believe that by immersing yourself in a new culture and community you will grow and learn to your highest potential. 

We believe that volunteers must come with an attitude of learning and gratitude. While you may be providing services and teaching the community what you know, you will also gain invaluable experience and understanding from the people of the community. 

We invite everyone who is interested to support our work to join us across our 4 main areas of impact. 

  • Education - teach in the local government school, work with teachers on capacity building, support our education department’s strategy, and coordinate youth programming events.

  • Health - Support clinic operations, work alongside our doctors and nurses, implement public health initiatives, and educate the community on important health information.

  • Social Entrepreneurship - Work on our agriculture farm, teach and learn permaculture philosophy, supporting business strategy and livelihood development for our community members.

  • Community Support - Create community events and training such as leadership training, microfinance and organizational training, work with the women’s cooperative, provide labor skills to community projects, support menstrual hygiene management programming.

We also encourage volunteers to come even if they do not have a specialization or area of interest. You are welcome to come and learn and find a fit upon your arrival!

Hear from a recent volunteer!

“My experience at Oda was honestly one that I will never forget. Breath-taking views, wonderfully interesting and complex people and real compelling work that was creating a change in the community around me were just a fraction of the reasons that I grew at Oda. To anyone thinking of working with the team, take the leap and see where your time can take you. “” - Naveed, Volunteer August 2022 from Washington & Lee University

Some work from our recent & current volunteers

Sarmila is supporting the Menstrual Hygiene Management program at the Oda Foundation with focus groups, pad-making workshops, and school implementations.

Lisa was in Oda for seven months supporting our clinic. Her project was a community-wide survey on public health issues and areas of focus for Oda Foundation. You can find her report here.

A day in the life of a volunteer

9 am all-team morning meeting

930 am breakfast

10-1 pm volunteer based on your specialization

1 pm lunch 

130-4 pm continued work on projects

4-7 pm  free time including village walks, hiking, resting on our beautiful campus, relaxing at the waterfall, and more 

7 pm dinner and staff activities including playing cards, movie nights or just take time to yourself to relax and enjoy the night stars

For more, you can find previous volunteer and fellows blogs here. If you are interested in joining our team, please email info@odafoundation.org

Follow Us on Instagram, @odafoundation

We miss school! With no computers for distance learning, our teachers walk miles through the villages to pass out worksheets. COVID-19 has strained Kalikot’s education systems, we are working with local government schools to create strategy f
Throwback to Purna, on her way to feed our goats! A single mother with two daughters, Purna is a critical part of our groundskeeping staff. Amidst COVID, we have thought of our most vulnerable employees first, protecting their salaries and livelihoo
A recent patient heading to our clinic - too sick to walk herself, she was carried on her son’s back. This is a typical scene for our healthcare staff to come across - patients travel 1.5 hours+ on average, and up to 6! For some patients we a
We are here for education equality. In a world without digital access, our teachers have been walking miles to distribute home-learning materials to students. . . . . . . . #COVIDresponse #kalikotnepal #educationequality #bethechange #nepalngo #rural
With 80% of families unable to produce food for more than 6 months, COVID has only intensified existing food insecurity. Alongside an initial food distribution, we are working with our local partners to monitor access to food and provide support for
Moms can still count on our clinic for a safe delivery during COVID! Our emergency room has stayed open 24/7. Our nurses were a bit preoccupied during our COVID-time deliveries - but these are photos of women pre-lockdown who have had an all-women t
All hands on deck with humanitarian relief. 👉🏽CEO Karan Singh on the ground, helping to unload food and relief supplies for migrant workers returning to Kalikot. Alongside the #welcomehomenepal campaign, current relief efforts include education st
Last week, we mobilized a relief team including Oda staff and local volunteers to meet buses of returning Nepalis coming from India all the way north through our home district of Kalikot and beyond. With data still coming in, over the previous two da
Food, water, and compassion: in collaboration with partners throughout Nepal, we are working to get Nepali migrant workers home. Alongside the #WelcomeHomeNepal community, our team is working around the clock to ensure returnees flowing into Kalikot