Quest Nepal: Compassion in Action

Winter Break 2017
​(approximately 2 weeks, beginning about New Year's Day)
​This year’s Quest to Nepal will take students to one of the most beautiful regions in the world in cooperation with NGOs Sarvodaya and Teach for Nepal. Students will participate alongside Nepali students in “Shramadana”, or “The Gift of Labor”, building bonds and learning more about rural communities by helping to rebuild infrastructure such as schools, community centers, and roads, many of which were destroyed by the deadly April 2015 earthquake.
 
By working alongside and befriending peers both from the US and Nepal, students on this Quest trip will experience “Sarvodaya Shramadana”, or “the awakening of all through shared labor.” Being awakened spiritually and physically means being aware that we are all connected through the same basic human needs, like shelter, health care, clean water, food, education and communication. When we work together, we realize these commonalities. We aim to engage with this connection and stay true to the calling to provide all communities and societies with these basic human needs, even in the face of poverty and natural disaster.
 
Quest will bring students to a variety of service projects both with Sarvodaya and Teach for Nepal, allowing students not only to tour Nepal, but to have the privilege of joining with a welcoming community to experience everyday life in a new country and culture. This year’s Shramadana projects include clearing rubble in areas still affected by the 2015 earthquake and creating a mural at a village public school. Students will make real people-to-people connections as they live and work alongside these communities, and in turn will continue to engage with their experiences and friendships as they return home, as they advocate for those whom they have met in their communities in the solidarity our countries share as “awakened” human beings. 
Applications Now Closed
Cost: approximately $3000,
Includes plane tickets, ground transport, lodging, most meals, and program fees. Shareholder fundraising available! 

Who can apply?: UW-Madison students and well-qualified applicants from nearby schools

Guide: J Manny Santiago

Group size: 8-12 total

Application Deadline: October 3rd, 2016

Want to know more? Check out reflections from past Quest Nepal students!