Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) organized a Consultative Workshop and KOV handover ceremony for its Volunteer Partner Organizations on May 23, 2025 in Lalitpur.

The workshop aimed to review and evaluate KOICA’s volunteer program by sharing and exchanging the best practices and creative ideas to improve the volunteer program in Nepal. Similarly, it aimed to hand over the 3 new Korea Overseas Volunteers (KOVs) to their respective organizations.

The workshop gave a platform to discuss ways to promote a better working environment for Korea Overseas Volunteers and effective implementation of the Volunteer program in the future. About 70 volunteer partner organizations, officials from different ministries, KOICA volunteers and KOICA officials participated in the program.

Addressing the event, Mooheon Kong, Country Director of KOICA Nepal Office, expressed his sincere appreciation for the continued collaboration between the Government of Nepal and the Republic of Korea. He emphasized the importance of working closely with recipient organizations to further strengthen the KOICA program in Nepal. He noted that the dispatch of Korea Overseas Volunteers (KOV) is one of KOICA’s key programs in the country which not only supports Nepal’s development goals but also promotes mutual understanding, people-to-people exchange, and a spirit of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

Furthermore, he requested all partner organizations to provide the necessary guidance and support to ensure the effective integration and meaningful contribution of the volunteers during their tenure in Nepal. He also highlighted that feedback from the program will play a vital role in enhancing its quality and reaffirmed KOICA’s commitment to aligning its cooperation with the priorities of the Government of Nepal.

Dr. Samir Kumar Adhikari, Senior Health Administrator of the Ministry of Health and Population highlighted the growing significance of Korean Overseas Volunteers (KOVs) in Nepal, acknowledging Korea as a crucial partner country in deploying volunteers across various sectors including education, health, agriculture, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He commended South Korean Government and KOICA for their remarkable achievement in supporting projects and dispatching volunteers.

During the workshop, KOICA Nepal shared its overall activities including KOV program. Presentations covering various aspects of the KOV program, as well as the Public Service Customer Satisfaction Survey—a crucial tool for measuring the effectiveness of the KOV program—were shared with the participants highlighting its importance. Similarly, Namobuddha Municipality shared insights into a tourism project carried out by a former KOICA Volunteer, highlighting a commendable effort to promote tourism in Nepal. Additionally, Ram Sundar Thapa, Section Officer from the Department of Labour and Occupational Safety, shared his experiences from a joint observation visit/monitoring program conducted by KOICA and government officials from various ministries to a KOICA Volunteer’s worksite in Namobuddha Municipality. Meanwhile, two current KOICA Volunteers from NRCS, Blood Transfusion Service, Kaski, and Suryodaya Municipality, Ilam provided updates on their ongoing activities and future plans in their respective areas.

Furthermore, three new KOICA Volunteers were formally introduced and handed over to their respective host organizations. Ugeun Gwon was dispatched to Bishwa Bhasha Campus to support the Korean Language Sector, Mihyun Seung was assigned to Shree Gauri Shankar Secondary School in Kaski in the Early Childhood Development sector, and Hwang Pyo Hong was placed at Baglung Special Child Class in Baglung in the Special Education sector.

In addition, a group discussion session was organized, where all volunteer partner organizations engaged in fruitful discussions on assigned topics and presented their views. The outcomes of this session are expected to provide valuable input for enhancing the KOICA Volunteer Program in the future.

During the program, Sujin Yeo, Deputy Country Director of KOICA, expressed KOICA’s commitment to carefully review all suggestions and feedback received and to work towards continuous improvement of the program. She also highlighted the importance of integrity as a core value for KOICA, its volunteers, and partner organizations. At the end, she kindly urged all trusted partners to uphold the highest standards of integrity in every collaboration, with the shared goal of building strong, lasting partnerships and achieving meaningful impact.

The KOICA Volunteer Program is one of the main pillars of the KOICA programs. KOICA volunteer program aims to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development and to promote friendly relations between Korea and host countries. Volunteer program is an important aspect of KOICA’s cooperation program in Nepal which supports to transfer of Korean knowledge, expertise, and technology directly at the grassroot level. Now there are 10 volunteers who are actively working in various sectors. KOICA is committed to increasing the number of volunteers in Nepal.