Heaven Hill Projects

We don’t require any specific qualifications, meaning we have volunteers of all different backgrounds. Volunteers can help at the school doing teaching and library sessions or doing other projects such as construction and gardening. Volunteers are asked to work only 4-5 hours per day and the rest of the time is free to spend as you like. The surroundings are very peaceful - perfect for hiking, yoga, meditation or just chilling out.
Please use my below links for more information .

https://264.education/projects#heaven-hill-academy

TRANSPORT 🚌 🚗

💰 You will need to pay for all forms of transport to and from the school using cash so make sure you bring enough with you.

🏡 🌼 New Marigold is located in a small village called Chiti.
🏡 🏔️ Heaven Hill is located in a small village called Gaunshahar.

⭐️ Please inform Shamser of the time of your arrival at least 2 days prior so he can supervise your arrival
⭐️ If you need help along your travels you can ask locals and just state the name of the village or school you are trying to reach

JEEP OPTIONS 🚗

KATHMANDU ➡️ HEAVEN HILL/ NEW MARIGOLD
* 6-8 hours (120 USD = 16,000 NPR)

POKHARA ➡️ HEAVEN HILL/ NEW MARIGOLD
* 4-5 hours (90 USD = 12,000 NPR)
🟡 Let Shamser know and he will organise the jeep for you either from the airport or your hotel/hostel.

BUS OPTIONS 🚌

KATHMANDU ➡️ HEAVEN HILL
Kathmandu -> Besishahar -> Gaunshahar

POKHARA ➡️ HEAVEN HILL
Pokhara-> Besishahar -> Gaunshahar

KATHMANDU ➡️ NEW MARIGOLD
Kathmandu -> Udipur -> Chiti

POKHARA ➡️ NEW MARIGOLD
Pokhara -> Udipur -> Chiti

TRANSPORT DETAILS 🗺️ 📍

Kathmandu -> Besishahar
* 🚌 Bus = 6-7 hours (800 NPR)
🟢 Bus stop in Kathmandu is called Naya Bus Park (may be called Gongabu Bus Station) which is near the BG mall
🟢 This bus should have multiple stops for you to use the toilet and grab some food
🟢 It is recommended to take an early bus from Kathmandu (6:30am) to try and get the last bus from Besishahar - Gaunshahar (5:00pm)
🟢 There are both local micro buses and tourist buses for this route (*micro bus is better)

Pokhara -> Besishahar
* 🚌 Bus = 4-5 hours (500 NPR)
🔵 Bus stop in Pokhara is called Prithivi Chowk Junction
🔵 This bus should have a toilet and food stop
🔵 It is recommended to take an early bus from Pokhara (9:00am) to try and get the last bus from Besishahar - Gaunshahar (5:00pm)
🔵 There are both local micro buses and tourist buses for this route

Besishahar -> Gaunshahar
* 🚌 Bus = 40 minutes - 2 hours (200 NPR)
🟣 Bus stop in Besishahar is in front of the Tukuche Hotel
🟣 This bus is called Royal Guanshahar Kailka and leaves at 2:30pm and 5:00pm everyday (except Saturdays = no bus and bank holidays = only 2:30pm bus)
🟣 If you arrive in Besishahar on a Saturday or on a bank holiday after 2:30pm you can also take a jeep (2000 NPR) or a tuk-tuk (800 - 1000 NPR) *you can ask around at the village or contact Shamser to organise these options
🟣 You can also walk from Besishahar to Gaunshahar which will take roughly 1.5 hours but it is a very steep route so it is recommended to take the bus (the trail up the mountain is roughly 4km, or the walk along the road is roughly 7km) *you can ask the locals to point you in the right direction
🟣 When you arrive in Guanshahar just ask for Shamser’s house. If you have any problems in Besishahar just give Shamser a call from your mobile or from Hotel Tukuche

Kathmandu -> Udipur
* 🚌 Bus = 7 hours (800 NPR)
🟢 Follow the instructions above for Kathmandu -> Besishahar, however get off at Udipur which is 10 minutes before Besishahar *just let the bus driver know you want to get off at Udipur when you get on

Pokhara -> Udipur
* 🚌 Bus = 4-5 hours (500 Rs)
🔵 Follow the instructions above for Pokhara -> Besishahar, however get off at Udipur which is 10 minutes before Besishahar *just let the bus driver know you want to get off at Udipur when you get on

Udipur -> Chiti
* 🚌 Bus = 40 minutes - 2 hours (200 NPR)
🟠 Buses run from 12:30 - 4:30pm everyday
🟠 You can also walk from Udipur to Chiti which will take roughly 2 hours but it is a very steep route so it is recommended to take the bus
🟠 You can also take a jeep (2000 NPR) *you can ask around at the village or contact Shamser to organise this option

Namaste! My name is Shamser, I am the principal of an Academy, in my village, Gaunshahar, located in a beautiful part of northwestern Nepal on the top of a hill with stunning views on the Himalayas. I opened my first school in Gaunshahar in 2015, with the ambition to offer a free and non-violent education to the children of my local community: - Free because most families of my district are poor and often cannot pay for their children's education, leading to a high drop-out rate. This is why we offer all children school fees, uniforms, books, stationary and meals. - Non-violent because the educational system in Nepal is still often based on the traditional hitting system, with 80% of Nepali children educated with physical punishment and violent discipline, leading to physical and psychological trauma. This is the first free non-violent school ever open in Nepal, and this educational project led me to be selected as top 50 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize in 2019 (which is similar to Nobel Prize for teachers). Additionally I opened four schools in my district, in 2015 and 2022, and those four schools altogether welcome over 450 children from age 3 to 13. In 2021, we also started to run a school bus to allow children from remote villages to attend school. All children from the area are welcomed irrespective of cast and disabilities, and we have expansion ambitions as the demand for our school coming from all the surrounding villages gets bigger every year: this is why we need your help! We have just opened the School in the Besisahar province. We ask that volunteer spend some of their stay at this newer school because more help is needed there and it adds diversity to your experience. The new school is surrounded by rainforest and is remote. The new school is a 1.5 hour from Besisahar. We are excited to now have a western toilet and a hot shower at the new school, and volunteers can stay in three spacious rooms in the upper level of the school. Tents are also available for those who wish to use them, also organised by Shamser. We welcome any type of help, from teaching to building, painting or cooking: you can see more details and our current projects in the "Help" section! We ask volunteers to help 4 to 5 hours per day, 5 days a week, and work half of their time at the school in Guanshahar and half of their volunteering days at the new School. I will request that you stay at either Heaven Hill Academy in Guanshahar or at New Marigold in Chiti based on where we need the help most. However, volunteers still have the option to the other school if they would like to experience both. Please note that during exam & holiday times the work available will change to activities that we cannot action during school times such as painting, construction, agriculture & general maintenance. During these times we are still very much in need of the help of volunteers but don't want you to be disappointed if there is no teaching opportunities. The upcoming holiday/exam dates are as follows: 6th - 13th July 23 (First term exams) 17th - 21st July 23 (Summer vacation) 6th - 13th Oct 23 (Second term exams) 16th - 27th Oct 23 (October festival) 17th - 19th Nov 23 (Light festival) 20th - 29th Dec 23 (Third term exams) 1st - 3rd Jan 24 (Winter vacation) 13th - 14th April 24 (Nepal New Year) 26th Apr - 2nd May 24 (Annual exams) Many thanks for your interest, and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!