It’s certainly not been without its challenges teaching children with little to no English and my limited Nepali, but I’ve loved overcoming these challenges to create meaningful support for them! It’s also been so much fun introducing more creative and interactive formats for lessons that the kids have loved and the teachers have enjoyed taking inspiration from.

One way that we can improve the confidence of our students is by giving them the opportunity to be the teacher! The children always love getting the chance to show what they've been learning and test the other students. We've really observed a difference in the confidence in some of our more shy students every time they come up to the front!

Alongside traditional studies, we also encourage our students to engage in fun games and activities to help develop their creativity, fine and gross motor skills and other useful skills like sharing, listening and teamwork (all whilst secretly improving their English too).

Some of these activities have included parachute games and challenges, face painting, arts and crafts, rhythm challenges, sports games, yoga and much more!

In 2016, I spent six weeks in Pokhara, Nepal volunteering with Nepal House Kaski. In addition to learning about the country, culture, and area, came the challenges of a different language. I feel a bit embarrassed for not learning any Nepalese before landing in Nepal. Although English is a second language to each person at Nepal House, each teacher and counsellor put in a great deal of effort to communicate in my first language. Their spoken English skills developed at a much faster rate than my ability to learn Nepalese.

The counsellors, teachers, and staff at Nepal House Kaski provided a great example of what inclusivity looks like; everyone at Nepal House Kaski was extremely welcoming. The entire team made accommodations to ensure that my family and I were comfortable. In addition to working in NHK, I was also able to visit three of the children’s homes where counsellors practice and was included in their meetings.

My role at Nepal House was to provide supervision and some education. Specifically, with the counsellors, I reviewed the three stages of trauma intervention, discussed different disabilities they encounter with the children and how to work with them, and started an art therapy webinar course that focused on using art in therapy with children.

We also talked about interventions such as the anger iceberg, using trees as a tool, and an art intervention called the ‘totem pole project.’ This art project incorporated the animals of Nepal and their specific characteristics (e.g., tiger - powerful, energetic, cautious; Asiatic elephant - family oriented, social, connected with group members, value children and family). As practice, we created totem poles using the animals to tell a personal story. Each person was given the opportunity to define the parameters of their own story and an opportunity to share their story with the group.

I also spent time with the teachers, discussing topics of interest that included developmental and cognitive disabilities. The teachers, much like the counsellors, were interested in learning as much as they could, with lots of questions and case scenarios.

As I spent time with each staff member, I was able to learn about the culture and how individuals practice their beliefs both personally and professionally. Specifically, I learned about being present, slowing down, being supportive, collaborative, and meeting others as they are now.

Although there were many things I learned, two things stand out: the similarity of the struggles of women cross-culturally, and how many good and kind people there are in the world. The people that we met, both at NHK and in Nepal, were kind, helpful, and generous.

When I returned to Canada, and jumped right back into my lifestyle and work, I found that I was able to acknowledge the influence of culture on my behaviour, thought processes, and understanding of people.

Moving forward in my practice, this experience has helped me further understand the influence of culture on thoughts and behaviour. As I connect with the clients in my own practice here in Canada, I am more aware of the cultural differences and similarities between my own beliefs and those of my clients. I also find myself more fully present, with a greater understanding and capacity for inclusive community collaboration than before I went to Nepal. I am appreciative of the opportunity that Nepal House Kaski provided me, and the graciousness of the staff and board.

Vicki Hannam is a frequent volunteer at NHK. In 2020, she and her colleagues published an article in the Australian Association of Social Workers magazine about a workshop they conducted with Nepal House students to do with “body mapping.”

This is a process of creating body maps using drawing, painting or other art-based techniques to visually represent aspects of people’s lives and their bodies. The authors were interested in finding out if this was socio-culturally and linguistically appropriate for practice with clients in Nepal.

They wrote that “the tenets of body mapping and their application to cultural sensitivities in Nepali culture appeared to be understood and culturally applicable…[and] It is important to ask for clarification and additional information in cultural narratives, rather than interpreting them within a framework of our own western perspective and belief system.”

Krishangi’s family originates from Nepal. While in Pokhara in 2018, she and her family visited Nepal House Kaski. She was very touched by the work being done there with the children and wanted to help out in some way.

For a social justice course major project, she chose to support Nepal House Kaski through a donation drive. She and her team worked for three months to collect school supplies, hair ties, socks and feminine hygiene products. In total they collected over 1,100 items.

She said: “We chose this organization because we believe that education is a powerful medium to create and inspire change.”

In her report, she wrote: “Every year 150,000-200,000 girls are trafficked from Nepal to Indian brothels and Nepal House tackles the root of this problem — a lack of literacy and tools for a better life.

With education and empowerment, the children in the school and clinic are able to break the poverty cycle. The children, mostly girls, who benefit from Nepal House have the opportunity to improve and enrich their own and their family’s lives through the variety of resources this organization provides them with.”