Volunteer
Want to travel but also looking for a meaningful way to volunteer where you feel like you’re really making a difference?
Our programme in Nepal offers a hands-on opportunity to help street dogs and other vulnerable animals receive the care they desperately need. With thousands of cases each year and limited resources, we genuinely rely on passionate volunteers to help us meet the growing demand for rescue and treatment.
No veterinary experience is required, just a willingness to learn and a commitment of at least two weeks. Volunteering with us is hands on. You can directly assist with rescues and basic treatments, as well as general care including feeding, cleaning, play, and rehabilitation.
You will work alongside an experienced team, gaining practical skills and having fun. Whether you’re taking a gap year, planning an ethical travel experience, or simply want to give back, this program offers a powerful way to connect with animals and communities in Nepal.
Benefits
Volunteering can really be an amazing experience, with the memories and friends that you gain lasting a lifetime.
It’s far more rewarding than a normal vacation and gives you a much stronger sense of closeness with an otherwise unknown country.
A few of the benefits of volunteering are:
- Make amazing friends – volunteering appeals to certain people more than others, and often the type of people who are likely to volunteer at KAT end up being the best people to make friends with!
- Learn a huge amount about Nepal and the situation for people and animals here – this can be incredibly eye-opening and leave you with a new perspective on your own life back home.
- Help animals in need and the rewarding feelings that come with it. At KAT you will be on the front lines as we fight to save lives and to nurse injured animals back to health.
- Gain confidence and professional skills that can stand out on a CV or college application, as well as learning more about what type of career you might like to follow in the future.
- Volunteering is a great way to access a foreign country in a safe and guided way, which is particularly useful for people travelling alone. We can advise and support you in any way that you need before and during your visit.
- You can still do everything else that you would normally do on your vacation – go swimming, trekking, visit tourist sites, attend parties and go shopping.
What you could be doing
As a KAT Animal-Medic, you’ll be trained in basic animal care, handling, and first aid. You will then put your skills into action helping animals on the front line.
A typical day starts with our screening list – we get up to 40 reported cases a day which are then triaged into a rescue and street treatment list. At that point, half of our team will go out to find and help as many of these animals as possible, bringing those that need extensive care back to KAT, delivering treatments on site to the more minor cases, and administering further care back at our hospital based on our veterinary doctor’s instructions. The tasks vary based on how long you are able to volunteer/ train and what you are comfortable with.
Examples of specific activities include:
- Rescue trips and street treatments – help coordinate and locate injured or sick animals- joining the ambulance team to help catch, treat, and transport animals to KAT, as well as providing basic first aid to animals with minor injuries in the street.
- Assisting vets in surgery and treatment – support the team during spay/neuter operations and wound care procedures.
- Routine treatments and vaccinations – help administer medications, apply topical treatments, and comfort recovering patients including with nutritional support.
- Feeding and play – provide food, hydration, love and enrichment to recovering animals, as well as coordinating with our team to promote adoptions and behavioural training.
- Vaccination camps and screening programs – participate in large-scale rabies vaccination drives and our CTVT screening programs to locate dogs infected with cancers.
- Community Outreach – engage with locals, raise awareness, and support public health campaigns, animal welfare and the importance of dog bite and rabies awareness.
Our programme
To maximise your experience, we have developed a new structured volunteering programme which includes transport from the airport, food and accommodation. The programme is designed to be affordable and all proceeds above the cost of running the programme support our charitable work.
What’s Included in Your Volunteer Package
We’ve designed the Animal-Medic program to be affordable, supportive, and unforgettable:
- Airport Pickup & Drop-Off – meet our team as soon as you land in Kathmandu
- 24/7 Support – guidance before and throughout your stay
- Accommodation – stay in fully furnished rooms at the KAT Centre or with a local host family (private rooms available, WiFi included)
- Food & Beverages – three freshly cooked meals per day (vegetarian/vegan friendly, Nepali home-style cooking)
- Uniforms – KAT scrubs & volunteer T-shirt provided
- Orientation & Safeguarding – learn how to stay safe and navigate Kathmandu
- Cultural Immersion – sightseeing trips for longer stays (2+ weeks), including temples and historic sites
| Program Duration | Cost (Per Week) | Food Included | Accomodation |
| 2-3 weeks | $200 USD | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Yes |
| 4 weeks | $150 USD | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Yes |
| Additional weeks | $125 USD | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Yes |
