Rabin en route to Muktinath from Thorang La with Dhaulagiri Range in the background.

NCEF volunteer Rabin Aryal’s love for travel and photography, combined with his motivation to give back to society, has taken the form of a beautiful calendar. The calendar is given as token of appreciation to donors who have donated above $200 in a year. This unique calendar features 12 beautiful pictures from of Nepal taken by Rabin during his Nepal visit last year. We recently caught up with him to chat about his experience volunteering for NCEF, his trip to Nepal, and the stories about the pictures in the calendar.

How did you first come to learn about NCEF?

Since 2009, I have been printing and binding calendar with a pictures I took. I used to give this calendar as a Christmas gift to friends and family. I had been thinking of using a similar calendar to raise money for educating children in Nepal. It was in my to- do list for a few years. During my research, I came across NCEF along with few other non-profit organizations.

What motivated you to be a part of NCEF?

When I was looking for a nonprofit to donate money that I raised by selling a calendars, I had a criterion was looking for that nonprofits should that have a minimum overhead cost. Although I came across lots of non-profit that help educating children in Nepal, I found that NCEF met my criterion because it  is fully runned run by volunteers and there is minimum very little overhead cost to run it.

How were you able to combine your passion for photography and volunteer work?

I usually take a lot of pictures and have been making a calendar or framing these pictures since 2009. Project like calendar/framing motivates me to take a lot of pictures. This is the first year I started selling a calendar to raise money for nonprofit. A little money I raise will definitely give an opportunity for a few children to go get an education. I will keep on continuing similar project for years to come.

Tell us a little bit about what is the inspirations for the photographs featured in the calendar. When did you take these pictures?

I usually try to choose a photograph that matches a particular season or festival  for that month. In addition, the photographs usually portray culture, history and natural beauty. All the pictures featured in calendar are taken in 2011 when I made two trips to Nepal.

What are your favorite pictures in the 2012 calendar?

I like all the pictures but there are three that I really like. The first one is of paddy fields in Nepal. It is titled “Farming at Syabrubesi” shown on the June 2012 page of the calendar. The paddy field in this picture is like so many paddy fields in Nepal, from the plains, to the hills, and sometimes in very mountainous region as shown in this picture. Most people in Nepal still work in the fields growing food for their family and most fields are still ploughed by cows.

I also like the picture of Boudhanath on May 2012 page of the calendar. I took this picture while I was in Boudhanath Stupa. I thought of using this picture of Boudhanath Stupa for the month in which Buddha Purnima (The the birthday of Buddha) falls. The day varies from year to year in the western calendar as it is determined by lunar calendar. But, usually Usually the day falls in April or May.

I had to include at least one nice picture of a mountain in the calendar. I chose a picture of Dhaulagiri Range for December 2012 page. I took this picture while I was heading down from Thorang La,  -  the highest point at of Annapurna Circuit at 5,416m (17,769 ft) - to Muktinath, which is at 3,800m (12,467 ft). While heading down I could see the clouds floating in Muktinath valley lower than Dhaulagiri Range. Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world at 8,167m (26,795ft).  The view was majestic and shows the mountain with the cloud below in the valley.

(Editor’s note: the three pictures discussed by Rabin are featured in this article.)

Do you want to give us a preview of what the calendar will look like in 2013?

I have been exploring a lot of new areas in Canadian Rockies this summer. So the next year’s calendar will feature a lot of pictures from the Canadian Rockies. Please visit and select Canadian Rockies to preview some of the pictures.

How do you make time for volunteer work?

“When Where there’s  is a will there's a way.”. If you are determined to do something, you will always work out make the time in your schedule. I am busy every day with recreational league and trying out new things.  I try to organize my time so I can fit everything I like to do.

Finally, do you have any general comments/suggestions to our readers who are willing to help NCEF?

There is are a lot of ways to help NCEF to raise money like bottle recycling, used book collection drive. You will just need to pick a project and see how you can make a difference with few hours of work.

(About Rabin Aryal: Rabin is a software engineer currently living in Edmonton, Canada. Rabin loves the outdoors and nature.  He has already  trekked Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit and Langtang National Park in Nepal. Nowadays, he is exploring the Canadian Rockies.)