Jamie Frezell’s Story

Jamie Frezell went to Nepal as a Leave for Change participant in 2010.

As a Leave for Change participant, I ventured to the bustling city of Kathmandu, located in the heart of the enchanting mountainous South-Asian country of Nepal. I volunteered as a Fundraising Advisor with the social development organization, Prerana. Prerana is a non-government, non-profit organization that implements community development programs through participatory development approaches. They focus on holistic development and empowerment of marginalized groups of poor and deprived citizens and strengthening local institutions. As a Fundraising Advisor, my three weeks were spent working closely with board and staff members to complete a proposal for Global Fund for Women, creating a promotional pamphlet for partnership marketing, and developing a fundraising guidelines manual, which outlined potential resources and recommendations for the future.

Outside of my working hours, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit several exciting Kathmandu tourist sites – one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world, a mystical holy Hindu river site, and the famous ‘monkey temple’ which overlooks the entire valley. The culture and history of this ancient city is truly awe-worthy. I also snuck in a weekend visit to the Chitwan jungle region, which involved an elephant safari, one-horned rhino sightings, and a personal experience with the Tharu people, who have a natural resistance to Malaria – amazing!

I couldn’t recommend this program more. It is an incredible chance to step away from our everyday lives, utilize our professional assets, and give back to our global community. I came home with a fresh perspective on life and a strong desire to do more international development work in the near future.