What a neat organization!

Friends of Volunteers Initiative Nepal (FVIN) is the US-based sister organization of NGO, Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN). It was set up to empower women, children and marginalized communities, and is pretty cool because it was actually designed by the people it is effecting.

You can do several types of international volunteer service with VIN in Nepal, for just about any length of time. You stay with a local family and are given culture and language training. It's super affordable, and every cent of your program fee goes directly into supporting the community. They've also got a pretty neat program that sponsors education for children.

FVIN is comprised mostly of former VIN volunteers who were inspired enough by their experience to return home and help spread the word. All in all - a pretty cool program and a definite place to look if you're interested in volunteering overseas.