Almost all the well-known international voluntary organizations provide voluntary services to Nepal. It is closely linked to development and it is one of the main income sources for some developing countries. A modern trend of tourism, Voluntourism, has been developed in which people travel to different countries and work as a volunteer in the field of their interests. It is often referred to inte
rnational voluntary work as part of a leisure trip, characterized with new experiences, relatively short-term by duration and it often is somewhat linked to commercialized operators (Viljanen 2009, 1-6). The U.S. based nonprofit organization Voluntourism.org gives a quite straightforward description stating it as “the conscious, seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a destination and the best traditional elements of travel – arts, culture, geography, history and recreation – in that destination” (Voluntourism.org 2011). Among them the major Volunteer Sending Agencies (VSAs) are: Peace Corps (US), Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO-UK), MS Nepal (Denmark), German Development Service (GTZ- GDS), SNV (Netherlands), JOCV (Japan), SPW (UK), and UNV (United Nations). The services of these international volunteers are mostly in the areas of basic and primary education, primary health, and other areas like HIV and AIDS, local governance (including social mobilization), income generation activities (saving and credit schemes), empowerment (particularly of women, socially disadvantaged groups, and physically handicapped). Moreover, these days there are many private organizations working to attract volunteers from different part of the world. Voluntourism has been helping a lot in terms of the tourism industry as well as the development of the various sectors of Nepal. Although the number of volun-tourist has been increasing, their performance level and its sustainability have not been evaluated. The government of Nepal does not have proper plans and policies regarding volun-tourists.
