Nepal Service Learning Trip (Jan 2024)

Early bird: HK$9,800
Regular: HK$10,200
(subject to final airfare availability)

• Participants will be eligible for reimbursement of up to HK$2,200 subsidy upon satisfactory completion of the entire service program.

• There are also other subsidies available for application.  Please refer to the "Subsidies" section for more details.

Includes:

• Round-trip flights to Kathmandu
• Local transportation
• Accommodation (shared room)
• Meals during program activities (excluding dinner on 14 January 2024)
• Entry fees for visits included in the official program
• Travel insurance

Does NOT include:

• Dinner on 14 January 2024
• Personal expenses and expenses outside the official program
• Travel document/visa application
• Additional travel and medical insurance

1. All participants
 

1A. Subsidy for trip participants (No application needed)

Participants will be eligible to reimburse up to HK$2,200 subsidy upon satisfactory completion of the entire service program (#1).

1B. Connect Overseas Learning Experience Sponsorship Scheme (OLESS) (Details)

Students with financial need may apply for the Scheme to receive a subsidy to cover part of the program fee on a reimbursement basis. Apply for OLESS here.

2) Recipients of Tertiary Student Finance Scheme (TSFS) government grant & loan

2A) Pre-approval of Connect OLESS (Present “Notification of Result” of TSFS during interview)

To alleviate the financial burden on government grant and loan recipients who are required to pay the full program fee upfront, TSFS Grant recipients can obtain pre-approval for the Scheme and only need to pay the remaining portion of the program fee:

• Eligible students are expected to apply for the Scheme for Subsidy on Exchange to "Belt and Road" Regions for Post-secondary Students (SSEBR) from the government (Details) being part of the OLESS subsidy. Students should submit an online application on the HKUST My StudyAbroad system after receiving the trip offer. Successful applicants will receive a subsidy equal to "$6,500 x % of TSFS grant received".
• Upon receiving the SSEBR subsidy, students receiving pre-approved Connect OLESS subsidy shall return the lower amount of subsidy between OLESS and SSEBR to HKUST Connect.

Example: If you receive a 50% government grant and apply after the early bird deadline, you will pay HK$5,100 upon accepting a trip offer i.e. HK$5,100 subsidy under OLESS. You then apply for SSEBR and shall be granted a HK$3,250 subsidy. Upon successful completion of the trip and receiving the SSEBR subsidy, you should return the HK$3,250 subsidy to HKUST Connect.

(#1) Satisfactory completion of the entire service program includes attendance, high level of engagement in group preparation tasks, workshops and during the trip, and submission of a reflection report. Connect OLESS / SSEBR / Non-means-tested SSEBR recipients may receive the difference between HK$2,200 and the Scheme subsidy being granted.

Application

• Please complete the online registration form.
• Interviews will be held on 25 - 27 October 2023. Shortlisted applicants will be notified via email.

Deadline:

• Early bird deadline: 18 October 2023 (Wed)
• Application closing date: 23 October 2023 (Mon)

• To ensure the quality of service activities and to foster a positive team experience, students are expected to attend ALL pre-trip activities, including workshops and consultation meetings. Priority will be given to those who can commit to full attendance. Requests for absence due to academic course-related examinations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The organizer reserves the right to terminate the participation of any student who fails to meet the above requirements, and the program fee will not be refunded.
• Participants are required to travel to and from Nepal with the group. Separate travel arrangements will not be accommodated.

Light On Nepal (http://lighton.org.hk/)

Light On Nepal is a branch of Hong Kong based Light On Charity Limited. "Light On" is a charitable organization established by Pink Lee shortly after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal on 25th April, 2015. Pink Lee was in a bookstore in Kathmandu when the earthquake happened, and managed to escape to the street and survived. Witnessing the devastating situation in Nepal, she started an online fundraising campaign, and collaborated with numerous Nepalese volunteers to provide relief aid near Gorkha, the epicenter of the earthquake. Altogether they distributed over 7 tons of materials to over 700 families. "Light On" then launched the School Rebuilding Project to support the reconstruction of affected schools.