My name is Luke Evans. I am 21 years of age and I come from Brisbane, Australia.

 

I have just returned from a 3 month placement in Nepal as a volunteer with the international development organisation World Youth International.

 

Nepal is one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries. Almost one-third of its population lives below the poverty line, its average literacy rate is only 48%, and average life expectancy sits at just 65 years of age.

 

I travelled to Nepal because I wanted to improve this reality.

 

During my flight in I caught my first glimpse of the Himalayas – the beginning of a love affair with the country’s amazing landscape, and the beginning of many friendships with amazing people. As we flew over the mountain range, my new friend Rajesh said “Welcome to Nepal my Friend. You will find everything in Nepal is an adventure”. How right he was.

 

I travelled to Nepal as part of a team working to construct desperately needed resources in two villages. My first placement involved building a Vocational Training/Community Library for the Bajachaur village in the foothills of Kathmandu. My second Project was building two extra rooms on a community centre in Ramchey, North West of Kathmandu Valley.

 

Although only basic resources, these projects had a massive impact on the local communities – a testament to the incredible ability of my Nepalese hosts to effectively utilise a small amount of space, and resources!

 

This ability was most obvious in Ramchey, where the extension of the local community building meant the local community had access to a classroom, dairy testing facility, medical centre and a library. Although it sounds crazy to have four rooms with completely separate purposes, it worked! The building served crucial functions for the community - providing room to conduct dairy testing (allowing each family to produce milk daily and thus generate income), the classroom and library supporting schooling, and the medical centre allowing people to be treated when organisations like UNICEF visit the village.

 

 

When I arrived in Nepal I didn’t think that my contribution could be that significant, given the scale of need – but seeing the flow on effects of just the two projects I was involved in has been phenomenal. Through just the addition of two rooms in Ramchey the locals now have a better chance of privately accessing medical assistance; they have more room to grow their school and store its resources; and they have an opportunity to bring more money to their family. These are opportunities that can change lives.

 

While our placement has no doubt benefitted our wonderful host communities, I also gained a great deal during the experience. As a volunteer, I felt a great sense of fulfilment and satisfaction from my involvement - I made a significant difference to the lives of others, and made lifelong friendships. My experience has been priceless.

 

I travelled to Nepal because I believe that as a global citizen, I have an obligation to assist others less fortune than I am. I wanted to make a difference.

 

Being involved in grass roots projects was a fantastic way to support local change and development, and also for personal development and life experience. My time in Nepal has given me a greater understanding and awareness of situations abroad, which I will now take back to my local community.

 

As I reflect on what I learnt, and the current situation in Nepal, I know there is still a lot of work to be done. But I also know the significant impact that our project had in the two communities I visited. Providing things like healthcare, education and training, and opportunities for income are central to development, and something I could not imagine living without.

 

My volunteering experience has been priceless, and I hope by sharing my story I will inspire you to take up the challenge, and step out of your comfort zone to help make a difference.

 

My name is Luke Evans and I am committed to ending extreme poverty.