Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) is delighted to welcome Margot Ariste Zelise, a 26-year-old nurse from France, who has recently joined our Public Health & Wellbeing Program. With a strong background in nursing and a genuine passion for community service, Margot begins her journey in Nepal with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a deep desire to contribute to meaningful grassroots work.
Margot has been a registered nurse since 2021, building experience across several demanding and specialized medical fields including multipurpose CPR units, cardiac surgery, digestive surgery, hematology, oncology, intensive care, and elderly care. While her professional path has equipped her with strong clinical competence, teamwork, and emergency management skills, Margot chose VIN to experience something different from hospital-based work.
Her decision to volunteer in Nepal grew from a growing interest in community health, cultural exchange, and hands-on work that brings her closer to people’s daily realities. Prior to arriving in Nepal, she spent several months in Thailand improving her English and assisting in a community home-building project. That experience showed her the impact of grassroots involvement and sparked a strong desire to continue contributing internationally, beyond traditional nursing roles.
At VIN, Margot will be supporting activities under the Public Health & Wellbeing Program, focusing on prevention, awareness, and community empowerment rather than clinical care. Her placement will involve participating in hygiene and sanitation awareness, supporting wellness and nutrition sessions, assisting with community visits, and engaging with women’s groups, children, and families to promote healthy practices. Her interpersonal skills, adaptability, and calm presence will be especially valuable as she integrates into the community setting.
Although she has just joined, Margot already brings the openness and humility needed for impactful community work. She looks forward to understanding the health challenges faced by local families, learning from Nepali cultural practices, and sharing simple preventive health knowledge in ways that respect and support the community. Her motivation is rooted in her belief that health begins at the community level, and that small initiatives — awareness sessions, daily habits, shared conversations — can create lasting change.
Margot is also excited about the personal growth this experience promises. Volunteering in Nepal exposes her to a new cultural environment, diverse languages, and different approaches to wellbeing. She welcomes these new experiences as an opportunity to strengthen her adaptability, cross-cultural communication, and understanding of global health contexts. With intermediate English and beginner Spanish, she enjoys connecting with people from various backgrounds, and her warm, friendly nature makes it easy for her to integrate into an international volunteer setting.
Outside of her professional journey, Margot enjoys fitness, pole dance, playing piano and guitar, and traveling — passions that add to her vibrant, dynamic personality. She hopes to bring some of these interests into her interactions with the community and her fellow volunteers.
As Margot begins her placement, VIN is confident that her compassion, discipline, and dedication will make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of the communities she serves. Her journey is just starting, but her willingness to step beyond her comfort zone reflects the spirit of global volunteering: learning, sharing, and uplifting one another.
We are excited to see Margot grow, contribute, and create meaningful memories in Nepal. Her presence reminds us how individuals from across the world can come together to inspire healthier, stronger, and more empowered communities.
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