40 IAESTE Interns arrived safely in Laprak, Nepal, after an adventurous 19-hour trip. Here are some photos of their first day at work. Their trip from Kathmandu to Laprak was sponsored by IAESTE Nepal with the help of NRNA Thailand. The trainees are happy and excited to make a difference in the lives of the people of Laprak!
In an exciting new project for IAESTE, 40 trainees from 23 countries will be spending 4 weeks in Nepal helping to build houses for those who lost them in the recent earthquake that caused so much devastation and loss. Volunteers from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Lebanon, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey and the UK will be making a real difference to the lives of those they are helping. We will be following their progress throughout the summer and will share their stories with you.
See here for news from the official opening.
IAESTE A.s.b.l. president, Bernard Baeyens shared these words at the launch event:
“Dear Nepalese and IAESTE Friends,
Two years ago, the catastrophic earthquake your country went through affected the traineeship of one of the first IAESTE students to go to Nepal. Croatian student, Ivan LonÄar, was due to work at the Islington college but due to the earthquake he was advised not to come. After seeing the devastation in the news, ruined buildings, people who needed help, as well as having a Nepalese friend he had met previously in Finland, he decided to go to Nepal anyway.
I did not have a solution because everything related to the practice was postponed, and the people who had the opportunity left this area massively, but I had a good will and a friend I met at a college in Finland and originally from here. I told him before I left and told him that I was coming and trying to find me accommodation.
This is somehow the beginnings of the project we are participating in today and it is founded on our IAESTE values: trust, respect and friendship.
The idea of exchanging traineeships between countries started in the mind of James Newby, superintendent of the Vacation Work Committee at the Imperial College in London in 1938. But his vision was not only about the traineeships, it was also about international understanding and goodwill.
IAESTE took its first steps in Nepal two years ago with the support of Prof. Tongdee Chewapruk of IAESTE Thailand, but now IAESTE Nepal is ready to start exchanging with the world and that is what we are celebrating today. None of this was, and is, possible without the enthusiasm, dedication and hard work of Mr. Raj Dhakal Khagendra and his team at the NGO, Civil Initiatives.
We are sure they will provide opportunities to many young Nepalese students to discover the world and give young people positive, live changing experiences here in Nepal. Our world needs to build more connections, develop better understanding, and I congratulate IAESTE Nepal on playing their part in helping to make the world a better place.
We wish you success in your work and look forward to hearing about the positive experiences from all the trainees.”
Prof. Bernard Baeyens
President IAESTE Asbl.
Original Post: https://iaeste.org/news-items/40-iaeste-trainees-heading-to-nepal
In a significant boost to technical education and international exchange, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of Nepal, Gopal Man Shrestha, officially inaugurated the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE program) in Nepal on 14th June 2017 amidst the program at Yak and Yeti Hotel in Kathmandu. The Minister lauded IAESTE’s initiative, noting that it would furnish Nepalese students with invaluable technical experiences and international exposure.
The event, which marks a major milestone for technical education in the country, was addressed by the country director of IAESTE Nepal, Khagendra Raj Dhakal, who introduced the IAESTE program in Nepal. Dhakal explained the IAESTE program’s importance in enhancing the hard and soft skills of Nepal-based university students.
Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University (TU) Dr. Tirtha Khaniya highlighted the importance of the exchange program to enhance the quality of Nepali universities and thanked the initiators who brought the IAESTE to Nepal and expressed his full support to the program in Nepal to TU colleges.
IAESTE, with a history spanning 70 years and a network across over 80 countries, is renowned for offering traineeship scholarships to students specializing in science, engineering, technology, and applied arts. The program’s launch in Nepal promises to open doors to global opportunities for Nepalese students. It provides over 5,000 traineeship scholarships to end-of-year students from STEM fields in over 15 hundred multinational companies and 2 thousand universities worldwide.
The inauguration ceremony also welcomed an international cohort of 40 IAESTE engineering trainees from 23 countries, embarking on a one-month volunteer project in Laprak, Gorkha. The Minister expressed his belief that their involvement would contribute positively to Nepal’s recovery from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.
His Excellency Bhakavat Tanskul, the Ambassador of Thailand to Nepal, extended his support for the initiative, underscoring the importance of education and reconstruction post-earthquake. NRNA president Shesh Ghale spotlighted the collaboration with IAESTE Nepal in the Laprak reconstruction project.
The ceremony was attended by a diverse group of dignitaries, including university vice-chancellors, professors, representatives from various embassies, and members from partner organizations and educational institutions.
The launch of IAESTE Nepal, represented by Civil Initiative ( CI) Nepal as the local representative of IAESTE Global, is a step forward in fostering technical expertise and promoting global collaboration in education.
