Australia’s Ambassador to Nepal, Peter Budd inaugurated a photo exhibition entitled “Nepal through Australian volunteers’ lens” to celebrate International Volunteer Day 2017. The photos on display showcase experiences of Australian volunteers deployed in Nepal through the Australian Volunteers Program (AVP), an Australian Government initiative.

AVP deploys volunteers in consultation with Nepal government with an aim to make an effective contribution to the development objectives of the Nepal government. The photo exhibition seeks to promote volunteerism and express what volunteering means and has meant to the Australians in Nepal.

Inaugurating the exhibition, Ambassador Budd said: The Government of Australia has already mobilised 229 Australian volunteers in Nepal. They have been engaged in various government and nongovernment organisations and have shared their knowledge with Nepali partners and, in the process, learnt a lot about Nepal. Not only have the volunteers contributed to achieving Nepal’s development objectives, they also have strengthened strong linkages between people and organisations of Nepal and Australia.

As the UN Volunteers say, volunteerism is the foundation of many strong and productive relationships, promoting important values such as solidarity, reciprocity, mutual trust, belonging and empowerment, and contributing significantly to quality of life. On this inaugural of photo exhibition organized to mark the International Volunteers Day 2017, I’d like to thank all the volunteers for their works here and to the host organisations for ensuring a home away from home for the volunteers. The exhibition is taking place at the Nexus Culture in Nepal, Lalitpur from Monday, 18 December to 25 December 2017