NGN’s Snapshots Special Pandemic Issue
A summary of our work during this historic pandemic.
Does voluntourism do more harm than good?
Voluntourism is really quite an extraordinary concept: people give a lot of their money and time to do something they believe will help solve world issues like hunger or poverty.
8 Signs Your Volunteer Abroad Program is Legit
How to find the right overseas volunteer placement that truly benefits everyone involved. Yasmin Smith learned the hard way that, when it comes to sustainability and positive impact, not all projects are made equal.
Lockdown, Rain and the Capital City
Photos of different parts of the city after Monday’s rainfall.
Pandemic Lockdown: Life in NGN’s Transit Home
When the pandemic arrived in Nepal and the government declared an ongoing lockdown, NGN had 9 children living in our transit home as our team was in the middle of searching for their families.
When service-learning harms rather than helps
Come spring break, it’s common for college students to participate in service-learning experiences around the world. Such trips can include anything from planting trees to teaching computer literacy.
Nepal prepares for economic fallout of pandemic
Nepal’s increasing economic reliance on connectivity with the outside world means that the economy will be battered by restricted domestic and international mobility during coronavirus lockdown.
University lecturer calls for an end to ‘voluntourism’
An university lecturer has criticised tertiary institutions for continuing to send students on voluntourism experiences. The trend - short for 'volunteer tourism' - sees young people travel to orphanages and areas of poverty as a form of life experience.
Nepal Extends Ongoing Lockdown to Combat COVID–19
On Monday, the Nepal government extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown until April 15 to battle the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. As countries globally plunge into enforced lockdowns to check the spread of the virus, Nepal followed suit.
URGENT: We Need Your Help
All of us at NGN send our heartfelt wishes that you are well and that you are being cared for during this difficult time. We would also like to thank you for remembering the work we do and the need of support from you, our donors.
International Aid’s Voluntourism Problem
Since the Syrian migrant crisis made national headlines in 2015, volunteers have continued to flow into Greece. This uptick falls in line with the increasingly popular trend of voluntourism, a form of tourism in which travelers participate in volunteer work abroad. According to Dr. Nancy Gard McGehee, head of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Department at Virginia Tech, voluntourism has become the fastest growing sector of the tourism industry, with over $2 billion in revenue in 2019. A growing sector coupled with a lack of government funding has resulted in a proliferation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to address the needs of refugees.
Covid19 Comes to Nepal
As COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, Nepal has not been spared by this pandemic. Though, there are only two confirmed cases as of today, there are almost certainly many more. Considering this fact, Nepal has been completely locked down as of March 24, 2020. NGN’s teams are working from home, and we are ensuring remotely that all the children we are monitoring are safe with their families. Having received two rescues in the month of February, we are currently in the process of reconnecting the children with their families. Despite the fear of COVID-19, we have seen families brave this new unknown and come to Kathmandu to see their children and take them home where hopefully they will be safe.
