Project Volunteer Nepal (PVN) is a local, Nepalese non-profit organisation. We stand against the harms of commercial voluntourism by raising awareness and by offering volunteer projects that genuinely benefit local communities. Learn more about us and meet Our Team.
PVN is registered with Nepal’s Social Welfare Council and is fully independent — not a subcompany of a foreign parent company. Our board and staff are Nepali. That means decisions stay local, and funds are directed into social projects that support poor and underprivileged communities across Nepal.
Who we are — more than a volunteering organisation
We are a local, socially responsible volunteering organisation.
Our aim is to offer projects where help is truly needed and where your contribution makes a real difference. Every project is built on long-term cooperation with our Nepali partners to ensure that your efforts create sustainable change instead of short-term impact.
Social responsibility also means treating our volunteers and our project partners with the same level of respect. We will never patronise international volunteers, and we will never create situations that increase social injustice for locals.
Learn more about our approach in Responsible Volunteering and Our Five Basic Principles.
Volunteering is free.
Volunteering means giving back by choice. You should never pay excessive fees just to get access to a volunteer placement — especially when it’s unclear where the money goes. We believe that transparency is the foundation of trust, and real social engagement should never be turned into a business model.
With PVN, the volunteering itself is free. Your time, skills, and motivation are already your greatest contribution. You only pay for the services around your stay, such as food and accommodation.
For details see Free Volunteering and What We Offer You.
Accommodation for volunteers and travelers.
Our hostel and services are open to everyone — you do not need to apply for a volunteer program to stay with us.
We offer a place that feels like home, where we live together as a family. Shared meals, laughter, and conversations create the kind of exchange that no guidebook can offer. Every guest becomes part of a small, diverse community connected by respect and curiosity.
If you share our philosophy and respect the house rules, you are warmly welcome.
Learn more: A Place You Feel Home and Living As A Family.
We run small and large-scale development projects.
PVN partners with the German charitable organisation hamromaya Nepal e.V.. As their executive partner in Nepal, we conduct, implement, and run projects on the ground. We also initiate our own small community projects — funded partly through our income and partly through support from our partner organisation.
Together, we focus on long-term impact rather than short-term visibility. Our shared goal is to empower local communities by improving education, healthcare, and basic living conditions.
See Our Aid Projects and Our Project Partner for details.
Transparency helps you decide.
Whether you plan to volunteer or simply stay with us, our transparency allows you to make a clear, informed choice.
We provide insight into the actual costs of running the hostel. Once these costs are covered, a share of your payment flows into a social fund used for our projects. This way, every guest becomes part of something bigger — your stay directly supports education, health, and community development in Nepal.
We believe that honesty creates trust, and trust creates lasting partnerships. Transparency is not just a policy for us; it’s part of who we are.
Learn more in Our Transparency and Where Your Money Goes To.
What we stand against — fighting commercial voluntourism
We keep underlining that we are a local, socially responsible organisation where volunteering is free. The rapid growth of commercial voluntourism has created expensive programs marketed to (often) young graduates regardless of skills or experience. Customer satisfaction is prioritised over real local needs — and in some cases, “need” is staged so volunteers feel useful.
There is a wide body of literature, research, and journalism that critically examines commercial voluntourism. We encourage you to explore our curated list: List Of Literature.
By focusing on volunteer satisfaction and profit, many commercial agencies accept almost anyone — regardless of qualification. This mindset reinforces neo-colonial patterns by suggesting that any untrained visitor can replace skilled local staff simply because they come from a Western country. How can an 18-year-old teach a class in Nepal? What qualifies them to replace a trained local teacher?
Volunteering is serious work with serious responsibility. Volunteers are guests in the country. Cultural respect and mutual understanding are essential for real impact. Sadly, commercial voluntourism rarely prepares volunteers for life and work in a developing country. What’s sold as a “social experience” is often just an adventure package with add-on charity.
For our position and guiding values, read Who We Don’t Want To Be and The Danger Of Voluntourism.