Transparency is one of our core principles. For us, this means more than just showing numbers – it’s about helping you understand the real value behind them. Many volunteering organisations publish colourful pie charts to look transparent. But let’s be honest: you cannot fact-check those numbers.
What truly matters is the final price you pay – and how it relates to the local living conditions.
- In Nepal, many commercial volunteering agencies charge over 2,800 EUR / 3,000 USD for a three-month stay.
- The average annual gross national income in Nepal is only about 730 USD (2015).
- At Project Volunteer Nepal, volunteering itself is completely free — you only pay 1,400 EUR / 1,620 USD for food and accommodation during three months.
The more you pay to commercial agencies, the higher their profit — not their impact.
Learn more about Our Transparency.
Our distribution of revenues
We go further than most organisations when it comes to transparency. Instead of showing just another diagram, we share both the real costs and their purpose.
Let’s take a practical example:
If you stay with us for one month — as a volunteer or traveller — the total cost for accommodation and meals is 450 EUR (≈ 540 USD).
The distribution of revenues for one guest staying one month looks like this:
- 28 % → rent of our flat (≈ 126 EUR / 151 USD)
- 8 % → water, electricity and internet (≈ 36 EUR / 43 USD)
- 28 % → food (breakfast & dinner), water and tea (≈ 126 EUR / 151 USD)
- 24 % → staff salary (≈ 108 EUR / 130 USD)
- 12 % → Social Project Fund for small-scale local projects (≈ 54 EUR / 65 USD)
As you can see, most of what you pay directly covers your food and accommodation. Less than one quarter goes to staff salaries — and we still reserve a fair share for Our Social Projects.
Putting the numbers into perspective
Numbers only make sense when you know what they represent.
For a guest staying one month and paying 350 EUR:
- According to the diagram, 162 EUR go to rent, water, electricity and internet.
In reality, these fixed costs add up to roughly 300 EUR per month. - Another 126 EUR go to food ingredients.
Actual food expenses are closer to 210 EUR per month (≈ 7 EUR per day).
That means we need at least two guests at the same time (each staying a full month) to cover all costs. Our small accommodation has only two bedrooms — space for up to four guests — so every contribution truly matters.
During low-season months, such as the monsoon period, part of the revenue from busy times helps to balance our running expenses. We believe this is a fair, transparent system — one that ensures your money always benefits people, not profit margins.
Find out more about What We Offer and the Costs and Services We Provide for volunteers and travellers.
For further questions, feel free to Send Us a Message.