Course Details
Tentative Dates
June 18 to July 8, 2018
21 Days
Likely Departure City
Chicago O’Hare Airport
Estimated tuition: $5215 – $5415 *
Estimated airfare: $1645 *
* important details here
Dates, costs, and descriptions for this course will be finalized by November 1, 2017
The next two days will be spent acclimating and visiting various UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the famed Monkey Temple. After this introduction to Nepali culture, the group will drive to Salleri, a village in the remote Solukhumbu region. For the next eight days, they will stay at a hostel TSW built for 40 girls pursuing their university education. The home was constructed using eco-friendly and earthquake resistant building techniques that left it undamaged by the earthquakes that occurred in April and May of 2015. However, 15,000 schools across the country were damaged. In response, the group will help construct a new earthquake resistant school in Salleri. Because only 45% of Nepali women are literate, a primary focus of TSW’s work is increasing girls’ access to education as a means to empower the next generation of female Nepali leaders.
During their time in Salleri, the group will work shoulder-to-shoulder with TSW staff and skilled local artisans from the village. Throughout the project phase, they will also create friendships with the 40 young women living in the hostel who have overcome incredible challenges to earn their high school diplomas and pursue college degrees. Upon completing the project, the group will then trek through the Himalayas on a route that was once taken by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgey on their way to Mount Everest. Students will hike for four days through isolated villages surrounded by misty rhododendron forests and dramatic snow covered peaks rising to over 25,000 feet. At the end of this trek, the course will close at TSW’s Himalayan Hope Home near Kathmandu, a facility designed to create a loving family environment to support the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of 30 orphaned girls. These diverse experiences will highlight the culture, compassion, and gratitude of our Nepali hosts and the values of global citizenship.
Course Elements
The course elements are based on a rating from 1 to 5, 1 being the least rigorous 5, being the most rigorous.
In addition to time with the girls living at the hostel in Salleri, the students will spend over a week constructing an earthquake resistant community school. They will also visit the Himalayan Hope Home in Kapan.
Prior to their travels, students complete a series of online activities (30 minutes each). While traveling, they also read engaging articles, participate in cultural experiences, and create presentations in small groups.
This course culminates in a four or five day Himalayan trek through strikingly beautiful mountainous terrain. Students carry small packs during this adventure, so it is critical that participants actively prepare prior to travel so they are physically fit.
For most of the course, the group will stay at a hostel for young women finishing their education in Salleri. During the trek, the students will sleep either in tents or family-owned guesthouses.
After a couple days in Kathmandu, the group will spend two days driving to the village of Salleri where they will spend a majority of their time. At the conclusion of the trek, they will also have a shorter drive back to Kathmandu.
Although the group will spend a lot of time with the girls and young woman at TSW’s hostel in Salleri, they do not stay in the homes of individual families.
In addition to spending the first and last days of the course in the major city of Kathmandu, most of the days will be spent in the small village of Salleri. The group will also explore several remote villages during their trek.
Touring Kathmandu with students supported by TSW
These children became an inspiration for me. I never would have thought that it would be children, some as young as 3 years old, who would teach me what it truly means to have courage and to be empowered.
NEPAL // 2015 COURSE
NEPAL
Photo Gallery
Celebrating with the girls finishing high school in Salleri.
An unexpected young helping hand at the project site.
Installing a drinking water system
The final day with the girls at the Himalayan Hope Home in Kapan
Itinerary
Nepal
1
the 5 Lenses Curriculum
Prior to departure, students are guided by their course instructors through a series of interactive, online lessons. Organized by SStS’s Five Lenses Curriculum, these activities (30 minutes per week) allow students to directly engage with other members of
the group.
2
partnering with ngos
The majority of the days at each site are spent engaged in meaningful service work with our NGO (non-governmental organization) partner. Days not dedicated to project work are spent immersed in intriguing cultural activities.
3
post travel advocacy
During the next school year, students educate others by advocating for our NGO partner through public presentations to the community at large and/or younger, school-based audiences.
Travel Journal
During the travel phase of each SStS course, students spend time reflecting about the learning that occurs through their immersion and service experiences. These posts capture the impact of our programs on individual students. Explore the posts below to learn about the SStS Nepal program from the important viewpoint of our students.
Important Details
Cost Information
Estimated tuition (students from members of the Global Schools Coalition): $5215
Estimated tuition (students not from members of the Global Schools Coalition): $5415
Estimated airfare: $1645
SStS is in search of curious, compassionate, globally-minded students. Thus, we will do all that we can financially to support students who require assistance. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please indicate this on the application.
Please note, tuition does not include airfare and immunizations.
Tuition costs are all inclusive with the exception of personal expenditures (e.g. souvenirs).
Airfare and medical evacuation insurance are purchased as a group. The cost of this insurance is included in the tuition.
Talbot Travel Agency provides travel services for SStS, working personally with us to find the least expensive group fares. As a result, it is not possible to use airline miles or credit card benefits for the international flights. However, these can be used to purchase tickets to the gateway city.
Travel Expectations
Please note that we expect all participants to travel together, adhering to the identical itinerary. We will depart the United States as a group from a gateway city. Exemptions may be made for international students. Additionally, travel in the developing world inevitably includes “the unexpected” (e.g. weather disruptions, transportation strikes, etc.). SStS will adjust the itinerary accordingly, making the best of uncontrollable situations. Due to the unknown variables in international travel, participants are asked not to make travel plans or to enroll in programs that start immediately after their return. SStS is not responsible for expenses incurred due to missed flights if the group is delayed in their return.