Gobre is a little village in the mountains of Nepal. The village was destroyed by the earthquake that devastated Nepal in 2015. Since then the village leaders Rinzin and Maya have been thinking of ways to retain people in the village and to rebuild. One of the ways to keep families in the village is through providing education for the region’s children. The villagers have therefore invested into their school and have been welcoming volunteers to teach English to the village children beside the local teachers Shanti and Lakpa. The villagers are Buddhists and there is a beautiful Gumpa in the middle of the village and a stupa at the exit of the village. There are thousands of prayer flags waving in the wind in Gobre’s sky. People grow their vegetables and have chickens or buffalos.
Neil Greenwood started to volunteer in Gobre last year and since then has encouraged more volunteers to come on a retreat to Gobre, to experience the village life, share and give. Neil gave me (Laura) all the info for me to prepare my stay in Gobre and I went there a few months after he did then Ella another volunteer met me there. Neil, Ella and I taught English to elementary school kids at the village. If you are interested to go on a retreat to Nepal and give some of your time and help Rinzin and Maya advance their vision for the village, get in touch!
We encourage people to stay in Gobre for a month or more in order to really get immersed in the village life. But people are free to stay however long they can. Rinzin is the village leader and you will need to talk to him about how you want to get involved with the village’s projects, how long you will stay, money to cover your living etc... We are not an official organisation, we are a community of people who share the same love for this little village and its people and we are happy to share information for you to make this experience your own in Gobre.
The school: a yellow building perched on a hill outside the village. The school is basic with a few benches and a small white board, a few books, notebooks, pens/pencils and toys. At the time of my stay there was 8 to 10 students in the school. The students were between 4 to 13 although one day I had an adult join in too :) the children were either real beginners in English or knew the basics. Ella and I focused on teaching basic English and literacy through fun games and songs. They have two teachers at the school who teach them the Nepalese syllabus. The students all walk to school every morning and walk back home unsupervised, they bring their lunch with them. The children are full of energy, happy and really agile outdoors, they know the nature really well and they are very independent. They spend a lot of time together and watch out for each other. We connected very quickly, they are really curious and want to learn. Ella and I had raised funds for the school so that they could buy uniforms and supplies for the school. We had raised funds through https://www.gofundme.com which we then donated to the school.
Get to Gobre:
Gobre is about 2500 meters in altitude. You won’t find it on Google maps but you will find it here https://mapcarta.com/28334550. It is East of Kathmandu close to a town called Chautara and two other small beautiful villages called Bhote Namlang and Okhreni. At the time of my volunteering the road to Gobre had been destroyed by the monsoon so I took a taxi from Katmandu with Maya who was going back to the village. Then from Chautara we walked up the mountain for 5 hours then did the last part at the back of Rinzin motorbike. They had taken my bag up the mountain on a motorbike in the morning. The hike was beautiful, I wasn’t really prepared for that which made it even more special. Getting to Gobre will change depending on the season and/or whether the road is safe or not. Once you are in Gobre you can walk to other villages. The closest town with shops is Chautara. There are no shops or restaurants/cafes in Gobre. It is quite remote and a beautiful place for a retreat. You will have time to read, walk, meditate and get involved with the village projects (at the stalk to Rinzin
Accommodation:
The village is rebuilding as it was badly affected by the earthquake in 2015. You will stay in one of the houses of the village with Rinzin’s family, but as the village is rebuilding this may change in the future. You will live like the villagers, at the time of my volunteering Rinzin and his family lived in a temporary wooden house as they were rebuilding their brick house next door, the accommodation was rustic and Rinzin’s family did everything to make me feel comfortable. I had my own room for two weeks then Ella, another volunteer, joined me and we shared the room for two weeks. I suggest bringing a net to have a barrier against the insects at night. There was no shower or water in the house at the time but a squat toilet and water from an outside tap that I boiled to wash everyday. The food is delicious and spicy and it is traditional Nepalese food. Rinzin and Maya are great cooks. You will eat vegetarian Dal Bhat everyday for lunch and dinner (Nepalese Dal made with lentils, spinach and rice with vegetables that are in season). At the time of my stay there was TV and internet connection (3G intermittently and at specific locations in the house and otherwise through a wireless little modem they have) and phone reception was ok in the house.
