tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75277851510106901202024-02-19T03:19:04.484-06:00Namaste NepalYvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-14542210375941992652012-11-08T16:01:00.000-06:002012-11-08T16:01:54.770-06:00Return to New Zealand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few days ago we bid a sad goodbye to Nepal, and packed our bags to return home to New Zealand. We were lucky to have been able to join in on the Dasain festivities with different friends during our last week in Nepal, visiting the villages one last time and being treated to lots of good food. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Receving a tikka/blessing during dasain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to CDRA in Banepa</td></tr>
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We've had a truely amazing stay in Nepal over the past 5 months and really want to thank everyone who has supported us through helping with the projects we have been working on. We'd love the opportunity to come and speak to the various Rotary Clubs who have been following our work and supporting us now that we are back. Please get in touch!</div>
Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-24755687560278491722012-10-29T23:29:00.000-05:002013-04-16T05:03:53.987-05:00Donation of books and sports equipment to Bara School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We headed down to the Bara region for a quick visit to check
up on progress on one of our projects there. We are helping a very poor
community build and supply some new classrooms that they are sorely in need of.
Check out our previous posts on the school via <a href="http://namaste-nepal2011.blogspot.com/2012/08/our-return-to-bara-school.html" target="_blank">Our Return to Bara School</a>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With us we had our friend Eric from the Rotary club of Matamata,
one of the sponsors for the project and my brother Gray who is over visiting.
It was great to take these guys to the seldom visited areas of Nepal so they
can see the work they are supporting. We also took a good supply of school
books and sporting gear to hand over to the school. These were supplied separate
to the matching grant thanks to kind donations from friends and family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we arrived in the poor farming area that the school is
located in we were surprised to see a large crowd gathering holding signs that
read ‘long live Nepal – New Zealand friendship’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were welcomed with tikka and garlands of marigolds.
They had even spelt out our individual names in chalk to welcome us! As this
poor area is often overlooked for development projects the people are very keen
to make the most of the opportunity to welcome us. It was truly overwhelming,
to be received by so many people in such a manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then came the speeches…. For the next 3 hours
we were welcomed by everyone of importance in the area at great length. It is a
sign of honour to be able to speak at events so often many different people
stand up to say the same thing. The people were grateful for our support and requested
more help to build some classrooms as the government hasn’t delivered on its
promised help. Sadly, the promised government assistance looks to be a long way
off due to a lack of consensus on the national budget. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were on a tight schedule however and had to head back to
town shortly after the conclusion of the speeches. Our thanks go out to all the
rotary clubs that have supported this project as well as CDRA (as always) and
JJYC for their assistance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without all
your help this project would not be possible, and it truly is an area of great
need. The school management is very active, and is working hard to improve the
situation at the school so it is our pleasure to be able to help them to
achieve this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Photos to come... we are having a hard time loading them lately.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm welcome back to Bara</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long Live the Nepal New Zealand Friendship!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speech by Eric Muckle from the RC of Matamata</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome from village leader</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceremony for the handover of textbooks and sports equipment</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New handpump built with money fundraised by JJYC</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of interested students and parents - and it was Dasain (equivalent to christmas day in NZ)</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-65593929521740774312012-10-21T10:50:00.000-05:002012-10-21T10:50:08.645-05:00Helping a grandmother and her grandkids...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently we became aware of a grandmother, Shaili, in a nearby village who was in need of some help. She is 79 years old is raising 3 of her grandchildren by herself, with no real income except for some small amounts she can earn as a labourer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went out to visit the Shaili to get some more information. She is of the Dailit or untouchable caste. The 3 kids are the
granddaughter Roshani 12, grandson Roshan 9, and the littlest granddaughter
Rajani 5. Shaili’s husband died 5 years ago and her daughter in law died 3
years ago. Her son , the father, of the kids sadly abandoned his family and has no contact with them. Her other children, another son and two daugthers sometimes support their mother but none are in a
position to do much. The children go to the local government school but stuggle to afford books, uniforms etc. Shaili said that she has trouble feeding the family and often has to beg from her neighbours. She is a very hard working woman who is in a very sad position. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She is fortunate to still have the family home, this at
least means that they have a roof over their heads and the house is
meticulously cleaned and looked after. She has no real means of making an
income aside from a few square metres of land to grow vegetables on or working
as a labourer on neighbours fields. She has been gifted a goat from people
in the village but every second baby the goat produces will be returned as
payment. She has also been gifted a heifer calf but it is still young and a
long way from producing milk. She and the children work during the day to
gather grass and fodder for their animals and carry home. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we visited Shaili she implored us to help her
grandchildren. She asked us to provide an in milk cow to help provide a small
daily income for her. She said that she worries over the future of her
grandchildren as without an education there are few opportunities for the
Dailits. The children also worry about their own futures, and are enthusiastic about going to school. They realise the importance of education. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After being touched by Shailis story we decided to help her. We asked our friend Kuber to start looking for a suitable cow immediatly, as it takes some time to identify the best cows for sale. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kuber did very well in finding a young, two year old cow who had just had her first heifer calf. This cow is just begining to give milk and will be a valuable asset for years to come. The hefier calf can also give milk in a couple of years. We also contributed to build a shelter for her to keep the cows in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The day we delivered the cow was a very happy day for Shaili, and for us too. The children were very excited to see the new addition and welcomed us into their home. We hope that this cow will make life a little easier for the family, providing a small income to put food on the table and providing dignity to a hardworking lady who is trying to do the best for her grandchildren. Thanks go out to my mum and brother who generously donated to help Shaili and her family.</span></div>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-9428759430527867962012-10-13T11:51:00.000-05:002012-10-13T11:51:00.275-05:00Micro Finance Interviews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lately we've had the chance to interview the chairwomen of two local micro-finance co-operatives to hear first hand about the impact of these on life in the village. We spoke to the Nala and Patlekhet co-operatives, which have been running for around 6 and 2 years respectively. These co-operatives both primarily provide loans to their members for agricultural activities - including to buy goats, cows, chickens, vegetable seeds, or to undertake bee keeping or fish farming. We heard that the majority of members who take out loans were engaged in similar farming activities before hand, but that the co-operative has allowed them and encouraged them to expand their business and thereby generate a bigger income. Before, people could not get loans as banks are very hestitant to loan to subsistance farmers!<br />
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The co-operatives are only for women to join, but they are supported by their husbands - as only few men in these villages have outside jobs. Joining the women's co-operatives has given them a certain degree of financial independence, and greater decision making power. The women spoke of the increase in confidence that this has given them. The women speak of receiving greater respect in their villages, and of now being able to speak to other men (outside of their own families) in the village. The communities are working together better than before, and saving habits have developed with people planning for their futures. Only a few women in these villages are not part of the co-operative. <br />
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One of the big, noticeable changes is that the children's education is benefitting. Families are investing in their children's schooling so that they can obtain jobs - outside of the village. If they can afford it the children are sent to private schools. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interview in Nala</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cow farm in Nala</td></tr>
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Community Development and Relief Agency helps these co-operatives with regular mentoring and training. Each month the 10 co-operatives under CDRA's umbrella come together to discuss any problems that they have had and potential solutions. These co-operatives are doing a fantastic job of raising the economic status of the villages, as well as improving the social standing of women. The co-operatives can only work with what they got - and they spoke particularly of the need to access greater capital funding so that they could provide bigger loans to their members. Members are all responsible to one another to repay their loans, hence defaulting on loan payments is not an issue. These co-operatives would also like to help their members more through offering training programmes for their members - for example on leadership, budgeting, and industry specific courses ie. on dairy farming and seed harvesting. </div>
Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-70536654637080926152012-10-06T02:51:00.001-05:002012-10-06T02:51:40.676-05:00A day to remember<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday we went out to donate some items to some of the needy people of our district. We borrowed a bus for the day, loaded it up with goodies and piled in. We first headed out to Palinchowk, to a school for intellectually disabled children - the 'Mentally Challenged Rehabilitation Center'. It took us about 2 hours to get to this school, along winding cliff hanging roads. We were quite surprised to find the school located in what felt like the middle of nowhere. This school does a fantastic job of looking after some of the most vunerable children in Kavre District, as well as providing primary and secondary schooling for ordinary children. Sadly many intellectually disabled children are badly neglected here, often being locked up and hidden from the public. The 19 children and young adults who come to this school have mostly been placed here because there are hostel facilities provided. Many have downs syndrome, while others conditions are undiagnosed. The few staff there are to manage the classroom and hostel are very stretched, but work hard to provide a good level of care. The children all looked very happy, and particularly enjoyed their muscial performance for us. We donated tracksuits to all the children on behalf of the Goodwill Community Foundation, USA. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Children waiting for their new tracksuits</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the young boys proudly displaying his new clothes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to the Goodwill Community Foundation, USA</td></tr>
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While on the road we also took the opportunity to donate 2 wheelchairs, one to an elderly women in Baluwa Village and one to a young boy living on the outskirts of Dhulikhel. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wheelchair on its way to its new owner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elderly women with new wheelchair in Baluwa</td></tr>
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In Baluwa we also met the young women whose son has been treated for club foot thanks to the kind generosity of Jim Carroll from New Zealand. She was all smiles showing off her sons corrected foot. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young boy who received club foot treatment</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrUkitB9-dWRNlgVhwRlZT56szTqi_CBbzHjIYpmPC72j3AmT3SQnMaQAj6WRMoB0kpXbReAy-vHsFZA-RbPwyjAcG1Iprkkyge_ZSAIN8iRPxixObEObrG8taoz0Yk3n702N2YT9VKU/s1600/DSCF9763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrUkitB9-dWRNlgVhwRlZT56szTqi_CBbzHjIYpmPC72j3AmT3SQnMaQAj6WRMoB0kpXbReAy-vHsFZA-RbPwyjAcG1Iprkkyge_ZSAIN8iRPxixObEObrG8taoz0Yk3n702N2YT9VKU/s320/DSCF9763.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Lastly we took the bus down a road that perhaps no bus has travelled before (it was not designed for such a large vehicle, but lucky we had a good driver). There we stopped to donate the 2nd wheelchair to 15 year old Van Bahadur Gauten who has no ability to move his legs, and limited ability to move his left had since birth. The wheelchair replaces an old broken chair, and will enable his friends to take him with them to school. Unfortunately, due to the steep terrain he has limited mobility personally, even with a wheelchair. His house is perched on the edge of a steep hill, and access anywhere is difficult for him. However, the wheelchair will mean he will be able to continue his schooling. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van Bahadur with his new wheelchair</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boy's bedroom - downstairs as he is unable to go upstairs </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeminveAI7D398RED5b8gjp_4V7NU_BQwAzbYEEV5spK1r2RQ0OtWL6sQ_1WXrHhBMUdrI7CjJvlp5frmadma3_ycbFvZ4iys-saI0Hg0xQDMtiIsxeL_GGZfpVAuTLSBrjuWe0lddtwk/s1600/DSCF9770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeminveAI7D398RED5b8gjp_4V7NU_BQwAzbYEEV5spK1r2RQ0OtWL6sQ_1WXrHhBMUdrI7CjJvlp5frmadma3_ycbFvZ4iys-saI0Hg0xQDMtiIsxeL_GGZfpVAuTLSBrjuWe0lddtwk/s400/DSCF9770.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This road was not designed for buses!</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-12213376939844473272012-10-01T02:39:00.001-05:002012-10-01T02:39:20.944-05:00Trek to Annapurna Base Camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We've just had a week long break from Banepa with a trek up to Annapurna Base Camp. Below are some pic's from the trip. We were blessed with beautiful weather and awesome views of the mountains to make our climb up to 4300m worthwhile!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local porters carry everything up to the villages and lodges higher up the valley. We saw watertanks, tables, gas bottles, cages of live chickens, and lots of food being carted up the hill. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEZ38tieqdbN6aIEqIsZIQUUIJYj8yooWLTbJkISxfuO7J_vEpqVoh5ATbKs6xqDEpXJbptbCnQUMBnQG-gMeh2k99Z7Xb9oA4QAHQi21V5bZJQyJzNwO9i0Vp9AdjmlBgPyVy4YXGVQ/s1600/DSCF9480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEZ38tieqdbN6aIEqIsZIQUUIJYj8yooWLTbJkISxfuO7J_vEpqVoh5ATbKs6xqDEpXJbptbCnQUMBnQG-gMeh2k99Z7Xb9oA4QAHQi21V5bZJQyJzNwO9i0Vp9AdjmlBgPyVy4YXGVQ/s400/DSCF9480.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of amazing huge waterfalls...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tUXuTEi9IxWbO7-JuCBHJ-8JIsnvFKjrn7cRJPPW4mCEelbYLyGIvmGfZ6eBMMSrJeB-0jKh-VCO7Ih_2Rw6GgRfP99SwAo3fqMih0pvd5MRjNGB76K6C0ROMjXHWE7vzKYvV1VYbk4/s1600/DSCF9489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tUXuTEi9IxWbO7-JuCBHJ-8JIsnvFKjrn7cRJPPW4mCEelbYLyGIvmGfZ6eBMMSrJeB-0jKh-VCO7Ih_2Rw6GgRfP99SwAo3fqMih0pvd5MRjNGB76K6C0ROMjXHWE7vzKYvV1VYbk4/s400/DSCF9489.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and many funky, dodgy looking bridges too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view back to where we'd come from (down the bottom of the valley (than up and down and up again...)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben admiring the view of Mt Annapurna at Annapurna Base Camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast views of the mountains from Chomrong</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donkeys doing the portering</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machhapuchre Peak</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunner of a view from Annapurna Base Camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon rising over Machhapuchre</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-10147942462788172532012-09-22T05:42:00.002-05:002012-09-22T05:42:51.759-05:00Teej festivities <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It sometimes seems that every week there is a new reason to celebrate in Nepal with the numerous festivals that take place, infact I believe there are over 200 each year. Some festivals are only celebrated by certain caste groups, while others only take a few hours or so, meaning that life and work keeps ticking over even during festival times. Early this week was the annual teej festival celebrated by women from the Brahmin and Chetri castes. The festival takes place over 3 days, and I was fortunate to be invited to Phulbari village to celebrate with our friends. Unfortunately, for Ben being a women's festival he would've been a bit out of place. On this day all the women fasted - not eating or drinking for the entire day combined with that it was a day of non-stop singing and dancing. The two don't seem to work to well together for me! The festival is held for the good health and long life of ones husband ... and a myriad of other reasons. </div>
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Phulbari is a village about half an hour by bus from Banepa, than a steep walk up the hill. Its a beautiful place, where CDRA has been involved in building new classrooms for the local primary school. Teej was really a celebration that everyone got right into, with many women travelling back to Phulbari from their husbands homes or places of work. First off everyone got dressed up into striking red saris (well red saris for all the married women). Everyone helped each other as their is a bit of an art to putting on a sari - and I definately needed assistance! Than on goes the nail polish, make up and jewellery. All set we walked along the small village trails back to the temple area where there were about 50 women gathered. So we danced and sung, with the women singing a doori back and forth amongst them. Very impressive - this is where one group (pretending to be men) try to woo the other group, and new verses are made up on the spot. </div>
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The real highlight for me was to be able to spend time in the village, with our friends and their families. It was great to see the family come together for this cultural celebration, and to see the women enjoying a day of no work! Staying the night, conditions were very basic, but the family was so very hospitable I felt right at home. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women dancing outside the local village temple in Phulbari</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids get right into it too</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In our saris ready to join the party</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing our dance moves beforehand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome view of the Himalayas in the morning</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-44775205350970620792012-09-16T04:12:00.002-05:002012-09-16T04:12:49.411-05:00Goat Donation for Prakash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is the story of Prakash who, as Robert Rose says in his story below was badly burned when he was young due to falling into the cooking fire while suffering an epileptic seizure. We meet up with Prakash while in Pokhara for the eye camp and were able to present him with 3 goats to help him with his dream of rearing goats in his village. The goats were donated by John Price from Australia, the Goodwill Community Foundation, USA and our friends Pam and Pete Schon from New Zealand. We also provided him with $30 to go towards building a shed to house his goats. We hope that the one male and two female goats will provide the start to a positive and profitable future for Prakash.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prakash receiving his new goats</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;">Story of Prakash Gurung <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">This
article is about a young man named Prakash who is now 22 years old. He
lives with his grandmother in a village about two hours bus ride outside of
Pokhara (about a 6 hour drive from Kathmandu). Prakash suffers from
epilepsy and when he was only 14 years old he had an epileptic fit and fell into
the fire suffering severe burns. The local doctors helped heal the wounds
but didn't have any plastic surgery knowledge so he lived on in the village,
disfigured, teased and ostracized. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><br />
Last summer Rotarian Ashok Shrestha from the Rotary Club of Dhulikhel (Nepal)
met Prakash while visiting that village area and he vowed to find support so
that Prakash could have the needed treatment to control his epilepsy as well as
repair his facial deformities. Ashok contacted myself and two other
Rotary Nepal trip-alums- Judy Ginn from RC Seattle International District and
Susan Sola from RC University District. Their clubs agreed to provide the
needed financing to make this happen (only about $1,350) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rs.114,000</b>. The first surgery was done on February 28th 2012 and there
were several weeks of in-hospital recovery required. Prakash also began
taking a medication to control the epilepsy. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><br />
Rtn. Ashok brought Prakash to my host-family's home in Kathmandu to meet
me. The plastic surgeons have done a remarkable job in creating a lip (as
well as other corrections) which, as you can imagine is a critical part of
being able to eat and drink properly. Prakash was a very happy and
engaging person. He is excited to return to his home and plans to raise
goats to help provide the money he'll need to live and pay for his
medication. He'll need future surgeries so that the doctors can help
re-form some of his other facial features but this was a fantastic start.
Since he started taking the epilepsy medication he hasn't had a single seizure!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Rtn.
Ashok is an prime example of what you are able to accomplish through
Rotary. He isn't just 'in Rotary', he 'IS Rotary' living its ideals and
connecting the dots to many projects and opportunities that change lives.
<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Rotary
has given me the opportunity to be so much more as a human being and to impact
lives in ways I could never have imagined. If you are a new Rotarian or
one who is searching for ways to make an impact in the world, please 'dive-in'
and see how rich an experience you can have through Rotary! <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;">Robert Rose, Rotarian from
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The goats on the way to meet their new owner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prakash inspecting the new goats</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-54349640183965589282012-09-10T03:27:00.000-05:002012-09-10T03:28:45.733-05:00Australian Eye Camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been busy, very busy, this week working with a team of Australian volunteers on their annual eye camp. This camp is conducted by a fabulous group of people who come over for 2 weeks and serve remote communities all over Nepal with free eye care. This year the camp has travelled to Myagdi Beni, Baglung, and Parbat, all in the vicinity of Pokhara. Myagdi Beni our first destination was located about 80km outside of Pokhara, but due to the river flooding overnight before our arrival the main bridge providing access to the town was washed away. We were forced to take a slow, alternative road as a detour. This provided a few interesting hours on our way out to Baglung, when a truck became stuck on the road infront of us. Everyone keenly got involved in 'building the road' for the truck to unblock the road so we could continue on our way! This seems to be a bit of a theme this year with our last destination, Machapuchre Village inaccessible due to a large landslide a few days ago. Nevertheless we will hold the camp as close as possible to the village in the next few days. <br />
<br />
The eye camp really gives us an opportunity to meet a wide variety of people, young and old. Some come easily on their own, well dressed, speaking english, others come assisted with a relative or friend, hobbling along, walking stick in hand, mostly deaf, dressed in little more than rags, blind as can be. Young children who at first sight look like they are fine, come through the vision screening room with terrible eyesight. Others have great or okay eyesight in one eye, but have damaged the other eye or have a cataract. Many women in particular come complaining of constant headaches, but their eyes are fine. No doubt the blinding glare of the sun, in contrast with the dim interior of village houses, open smoke cooking fires inside, and the dust all contribute to straining the eyes. Unfortuntaly there is little we can do for these people - we give eye drops but know its not really going to solve their problems. We advise they buy sunglasses. To some we provide sunglasses, but the real aim of the camp is to provide glasses to those that need them due to short sightedness or long sightedness. <br />
<br />
Each day there are people waiting, always more on the second day in the same location. We screen them with a simple vision chart. Those that need glasses (the majority) are sent through to visit the optometrists. They are prescribed glasses or referred for cataract surgery (to be provided for free at a local hospital). In the dispensing room these are provided - and rewarded with many happy smiles. Its an efificient system that churns non-stop all day long, but even so the lines are long and its difficult to see the unlucky ones at the end of the line turned away at the end of the day. Even so we are seeing between 700 - 1000 people each day. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First stage of vision screening </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitin the optometrist</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 optom's at work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truck blocking the road between Beni and Baglung</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big queues in the hot sun</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QprlHHpk0whiJIebn2S-s8nu-cAxDfb6UMYVdgumlLMUJ-hZngf7yuPM48b4A82qOQiVYAEWKEpKmeKu0A3XbFYsxTv7fGVA2V5vrMgc4Tb8cMeomxELQOkld83N8EuIBsqbTR8pmiw/s1600/DSCF9145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QprlHHpk0whiJIebn2S-s8nu-cAxDfb6UMYVdgumlLMUJ-hZngf7yuPM48b4A82qOQiVYAEWKEpKmeKu0A3XbFYsxTv7fGVA2V5vrMgc4Tb8cMeomxELQOkld83N8EuIBsqbTR8pmiw/s400/DSCF9145.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy school girl with her new glasses</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-67257282567220303792012-09-02T12:33:00.001-05:002012-09-02T12:34:54.767-05:00Happy Fathers Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week we celebrated fathers day here in Nepal - yes it is held a little earlier than in NZ. We were fortunate to be invited to our friends home, to partake in celebrations with the family. Fathers day in Nepal is really a chance for the whole family to get together, in particular siblings with their parents. This means that sons and daughters make a special trip home. It is fairly common for sons to live at home in an extended family situation, so it is mostly daughters travelling home. <br />
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Fathers day is celebrated much the same as Dasaai and Tihar (brothers and sisters day), with fathers receiving a tikka from their daughters. They also offer food, with hard boiled egg, and dried fried fish on offer at our friends house. We really enjoyed being able to see fathers day in Nepal as we missed it last year. <br />
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<span id="goog_1875603734"></span><span id="goog_1875603735"></span> </div>
Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-71330950816811897332012-08-30T01:23:00.001-05:002012-08-30T02:47:15.546-05:00Eye camp in Baluwa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Namaste from Baluwa</td></tr>
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To warm us up for the wandering eye camp next week we tagged along with our friends from the Banepa eye hospital on a one day eye camp in Baluwa village. This was a good chance to brush up on our skills before heading off for 2 weeks on a big eye camp in the Pokhara area. As we have already covered Baluwa is a poor village around 30 minutes from Banepa and we work on several different projects there. Many of these projects are made possible due to the specal relationship between Rotary New Zealand and Baluwa village. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihktMqw4Y0j5-qr2vXPkRjW5fz3KedchLw4ay9sRRAdTqnVHI2_jaoVeYjTrN41SYY8odoOsmgFYyTJySUYiwg_nuVrv38ggKwtQar7jnt0tv43FZ6Tutxsa3IsfiC1CDGKlzHd2uh-74/s1600/DSCF9025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihktMqw4Y0j5-qr2vXPkRjW5fz3KedchLw4ay9sRRAdTqnVHI2_jaoVeYjTrN41SYY8odoOsmgFYyTJySUYiwg_nuVrv38ggKwtQar7jnt0tv43FZ6Tutxsa3IsfiC1CDGKlzHd2uh-74/s640/DSCF9025.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am a giant! Raaaarh!</td></tr>
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We tested 175 people throughout the day and identified 21 people in need of cataract surguries. There surguries will be performed at the eye hospital in Banepa. The great news is that 6 of these people have already come for surgery in the few days following the camp. The remainder will come as they can. Unfortunately some of the very old are alone in the village, many are alone because younger family members are heading off to Kathmandu or overseas for work. They are unable to come in for surgery on their own - due to their almost complete blindness. We are hoping to organise for a group to travel in together to ensure they can get the surgery they need. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two photos show how a cataract can affect vision, first 6/6 (normal) vision</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second 6/60 vision, many people we test have even worse vision than 6/60. It is only a $20 operation to turn this picture back into the one above it</td></tr>
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Next week we will be heading off to remote villages in the mid western hill regions (think close to Pokhara) for a two week long eye camp. We know that we will be coming across many many people in need of cataract surgery. During last years camp over 200 people were identified and referred for free cataract sugery. They all had 6/60 vision or worse in both eyes. See some photos from this trip on our last blog: <a href="http://namaste-nepal2011.blogspot.com/2011/11/western-terai-eye-camp-photos.html">http://namaste-nepal2011.blogspot.com/2011/11/western-terai-eye-camp-photos.html</a>. If you want to help than please get in touch. </div>
Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-31685543920821951822012-08-24T22:25:00.001-05:002012-08-25T00:13:58.265-05:00Birthday surprise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yvonne organized a surprise birthday party for me on the rooftop of our house. I was completly taken by surprise and it was a wonderful night with all our friends here in Banepa. We had a delicious feast followed by some Rahski.<br />
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I (Yvonne) even managed to roast a chicken, despite the power cut which occurred halfway through cooking it. Unfortunately the generator was also not working - had a serious leak going on. So ended up having to finish cooking it in a pot. It was quite an experience to go out shopping for the chicken - with the chicken practically being slaugetered right in front of me. Atleast that way I was sure it was fresh. It was great to share some food from home with our friends here. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the feast</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still enjoying the feast</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting the delicious cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday dancing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody having a good time</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-88584064839765980062012-08-20T09:45:00.001-05:002012-08-20T09:45:24.669-05:00Baking Class <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the last few days we have been teaching a baking class for local Nepali women. This class is an initiative by CDRA Nepal to improve the skill-set of the Nepali people. It is one of a number of training courses that are and will be undertaken (others include: computer classes, beauty therapy, electrical and hospitality). The classes have been in high demand, with many women interested to learn new cooking techniques. In Nepal everyone eats Dal Bhat (twice a day), and cooking other foods, especially western foods, is virtually unknown. <br />
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The class focuses on teaching the basics of baking, with recipes such as scones, cake, biscuits, cinnamon pinwheels and slice. In the future we will also start doing pizzas, and other savoury recipes. The women enjoyed learning how to make these, with one even coming back the following day with a cake she had made at home for the first time following the class. It has been a learning experience for us aswell, with the challenges of insufficient space, water, cooking utensils and only a small bench top oven. The ingredients we can access here are limited, and its been a challenge with the butter being so different. <br />
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Its been interesting for us also to spend more time with the women, and although its a challenge with our limited understanding of the language, its been a good chance for us to learn more about the role of women in Nepal. One of our volunteer friends, Dillion, a 18 year old scottish lad was a fabulous kitchen hand washing all the dishes - much to the amazement and consternation of the women. They kept trying to send him away from the sink. <br />
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Its also very clear working with a group of women the differences between those from town and those from the village. Obviously there is a big difference in the level of education, and their confidence as a result. The women from the village are very shy and it took a lot of encouragement to get them involved in the group. <br />
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While many of the women are interested in learning baking to feed their families, some will also be using the skills they have learnt for small scale bakery businesses. This is one way to empower women, as through earning an income they become more influential in the family. With the ability to earn they are no longer as reliant on their husbands for money, and with financial independence they have the ability to look after the affairs of the household better. For example, many women will use the money to send their children to school. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing how to use an oven - convection ovens are very rare here, and it took us a while to track this one down </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paula and Rashil explaining a new recipe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making bread</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working in groups to make a cake</td></tr>
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Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-39058789865479703122012-08-16T09:15:00.001-05:002012-08-16T09:23:23.684-05:00Cruisin' Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have spent a lot of the last few days on the road here. Lots of sights so see. Here are some of the highlights...,</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuk-tuks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8Mw4FE0nWdZfw6UpeH84xEEGXm1pFRB-sTbYc6wEGNZXmdAjfsA9Ui_1ZcWKigJq5RI_Hz7S53NJc-cHOeepk0DLR7Skia7ThlQfJW8iK0DZUgOWq-O1PcTwq5PV8MZW_5aaORyLaBc/s1600/IMG_8283.jpgSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8Mw4FE0nWdZfw6UpeH84xEEGXm1pFRB-sTbYc6wEGNZXmdAjfsA9Ui_1ZcWKigJq5RI_Hz7S53NJc-cHOeepk0DLR7Skia7ThlQfJW8iK0DZUgOWq-O1PcTwq5PV8MZW_5aaORyLaBc/s640/IMG_8283.jpgSA.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Velocipedes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnuorQzPj2ObQ3y5cEnWBe3s869qN3gLKkbuFLGgUHyIgzgobb0p2q6DpUcPIzAiTPKGHb3S2dg50r6nHDxL2n0Ev5nYbUiK1XAmi-XZxUYUXPmNNNTSKnn5Se9b9Ti-jJa8D2AgAyTY/s1600/DSCF8837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnuorQzPj2ObQ3y5cEnWBe3s869qN3gLKkbuFLGgUHyIgzgobb0p2q6DpUcPIzAiTPKGHb3S2dg50r6nHDxL2n0Ev5nYbUiK1XAmi-XZxUYUXPmNNNTSKnn5Se9b9Ti-jJa8D2AgAyTY/s640/DSCF8837.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">
A typically loaded truck</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp8ALTZh-cqTfa1ImzabqWo5JkCS0ICn7tGAtzAFWEqIwAoJUfs8xpc9k6DbfeUkhp1mr_HS8Gfebnwn19zBUpYgsUqXCOvMcCMBCSQw-_I_ZZW4Oow74D4lShwSj4d-UsycgJ5VidXU/s1600/DSCF8934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp8ALTZh-cqTfa1ImzabqWo5JkCS0ICn7tGAtzAFWEqIwAoJUfs8xpc9k6DbfeUkhp1mr_HS8Gfebnwn19zBUpYgsUqXCOvMcCMBCSQw-_I_ZZW4Oow74D4lShwSj4d-UsycgJ5VidXU/s640/DSCF8934.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horses and buggies are common sights on the flat country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2ZrzoMzkVjny7cJvaqDvOIC9hUHAmpvzotzXjW3nNXG5A4B4Y__qaafqKGeC3MfXRUzyWlajuNu5eRPGdGgmRfNV_83IQfriZOzEQIDgpTYkx_x9rRu7JnBNR-mIQEmkTkEt7FH5IKU/s1600/DSCF8836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2ZrzoMzkVjny7cJvaqDvOIC9hUHAmpvzotzXjW3nNXG5A4B4Y__qaafqKGeC3MfXRUzyWlajuNu5eRPGdGgmRfNV_83IQfriZOzEQIDgpTYkx_x9rRu7JnBNR-mIQEmkTkEt7FH5IKU/s640/DSCF8836.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDbvJv_D1i2cuLBBgJsqMfasfAoxEfogZHlZY4b5k8T7x8OjvmDSVMtx1-OElMXeheKhorbVtFiYDiuL0xxx2Dt19Wz1SMHvhI-0UJSorDkvejDpHULq3-2KZDjzURDq8BMvOZWGrwwE/s1600/DSCF8930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDbvJv_D1i2cuLBBgJsqMfasfAoxEfogZHlZY4b5k8T7x8OjvmDSVMtx1-OElMXeheKhorbVtFiYDiuL0xxx2Dt19Wz1SMHvhI-0UJSorDkvejDpHULq3-2KZDjzURDq8BMvOZWGrwwE/s640/DSCF8930.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A man riding his buffalo home along the roadside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-79517326012532133312012-08-09T02:35:00.005-05:002012-08-09T02:40:41.320-05:00Our return to Bara School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We finally managed a return trip to Bara School yesterday.
It was beginning to feel as if everything was conspiring against us returning,
with a big landslide on the main highway postponing our last planned trip 2
weeks ago. While yesterday, a strike almost stopped us. These strikes were
fairly regular a few months back with the deadline of the constitution looming,
now frustration with the lack of a constitution and with the various political
parties each trying to force a change of the president and prime minister there
have been strikes the past few days. Basically this means that the streets are
shut down, with no vehicular traffic permitted. People who risk driving risk
their vehicle being damaged by the political party supporters (who have called
the strike). Yesterday a strike was called from 6 till 10 am in Kathmandu and
the other major cities. It’s a long drive to Bara, so we made a particularly
early start getting on the road at 4am to get through Kathmandu before the
strike started. One the way we saw lots of police in riot gear preparing for any
conflict that might take place. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Safely through Kathmandu we took the winding short cut road
through from Pharping to Hetauda. This road is only suitable for cars (no
trucks or buses), with the frequent landslides reducing the road to single lane
traffic in many places. In the early morning the scenery was absolutely amazing
and we climbed up and over the mountains out of the Kathmandu valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got our first glimpse of the Himalayas for
the year. Just stunning! </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiWBpOwlXuWLF27D1_fCZJDGxS5i61_iyHReYT7FI2eqTVi-YbYaZ-1mqv9NAQd40NhzZ7E1vf2-VeSeCny4TAkvVm2H1APKfCBd86TBu6Eyu_r4f_ajNkIb8uwfP1c9y9o13iER-xhg/s1600/DSCF8829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiWBpOwlXuWLF27D1_fCZJDGxS5i61_iyHReYT7FI2eqTVi-YbYaZ-1mqv9NAQd40NhzZ7E1vf2-VeSeCny4TAkvVm2H1APKfCBd86TBu6Eyu_r4f_ajNkIb8uwfP1c9y9o13iER-xhg/s400/DSCF8829.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome views at breakfast - you can just see the snow peaks in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-o-yeHFRFxCMiwj92GxfXO_La2kLtsu6ldw2BiHSZUVu2JQqIN564jOTGkCLvK4nC00DE4IZ5CDHiAVnsF-bSFoK5BCFaqHcBZcB5koswnfTXJ6jStubpSdJolSwrt0ieKXJlCwo3zfo/s1600/DSCF8833small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-o-yeHFRFxCMiwj92GxfXO_La2kLtsu6ldw2BiHSZUVu2JQqIN564jOTGkCLvK4nC00DE4IZ5CDHiAVnsF-bSFoK5BCFaqHcBZcB5koswnfTXJ6jStubpSdJolSwrt0ieKXJlCwo3zfo/s400/DSCF8833small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overloaded trucks - doing the job of a local bus on the narrow mountain road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At breakfast in a small roadside village we saw our waiter
had a damaged eye. We were able to refer him to the eye hospital in Banepa –
simply providing him with this information means he will now be able to seek
treatment. It seems to us that everywhere we go, we come across people with
eyesight problems – and they often do not know that treatment is an option. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Hetauda just before 10am we left our car behind (due to
the strike) and walked around to Kamalas brothers house for a catch up and a
cup of tea before continuing on our way after the strike was over. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in Kalaiya in the early afternoon where we met
Bhaiyaram, our local NGO contact who came to tell us about the problems
facing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shree N. R. Higher Secondary
School in Bara District last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were holding a political meeting, with local parliamentarians speaking to the
community about the work (or lack of it!) they have done in the past year. It
turned out to be quite a heated debate, and went much longer than planned so we
continued onto visit the school without Bhaiyaram. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjk5cM_PGtyXc7fJFS46jY97X8F5ScRlsUNRXG-Qun3OwjutaJNhFCZjhVJDDUM1HCB2l-HHnflZ1n10FnNkFUy5XIZX7onQ2KG-nuuwcSed05yRZLqhuYHsqd4JyufO1akxNdePpAGqI/s1600/DSCF8840small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjk5cM_PGtyXc7fJFS46jY97X8F5ScRlsUNRXG-Qun3OwjutaJNhFCZjhVJDDUM1HCB2l-HHnflZ1n10FnNkFUy5XIZX7onQ2KG-nuuwcSed05yRZLqhuYHsqd4JyufO1akxNdePpAGqI/s400/DSCF8840small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Political Program</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHifR8eKrlRNH6HX2JwGxVT7igJfo3UrME0vCnbBgJdVYdMobjvZ8sOqLyzw8y1cHB_4j_PC0KgoOPXWdm27dZxKAa8WwP1r4Dteyy2V3ohLDCDka1C0Ad9E6sDMRSf9RCKVonDIB1b5w/s1600/DSCF8842small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHifR8eKrlRNH6HX2JwGxVT7igJfo3UrME0vCnbBgJdVYdMobjvZ8sOqLyzw8y1cHB_4j_PC0KgoOPXWdm27dZxKAa8WwP1r4Dteyy2V3ohLDCDka1C0Ad9E6sDMRSf9RCKVonDIB1b5w/s400/DSCF8842small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slums - The view out of the window from the Political Program in Kalaiya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Driving to the school we pass through small villages of mud
huts, children run around almost naked, and the poverty just sinks to a whole
new level. At the school we are greeted warmly by some of the teachers and the
headmaster, it’s a lot less formal than our visit last year. We were pleased to
be able to see and ask questions, with only a ‘small’ crowd of onlookers
crowding around. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWiNB9wa4kT738r88TOewr8ESgr42Ahfzr8P1Qiuc4TSC0xuWJKnoqcDsldhENHGoz-5WZj5e7uGDxzFSz9o-T0SPA3DXIMXn-mf6uS6ZItlBLgid3-HYN_Mi8ZEGFSdL2Km4fUhj-Ck/s1600/DSCF8850small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWiNB9wa4kT738r88TOewr8ESgr42Ahfzr8P1Qiuc4TSC0xuWJKnoqcDsldhENHGoz-5WZj5e7uGDxzFSz9o-T0SPA3DXIMXn-mf6uS6ZItlBLgid3-HYN_Mi8ZEGFSdL2Km4fUhj-Ck/s400/DSCF8850small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving through the villages on the way to the school</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since our last visit (check out <a href="http://namaste-nepal2011.blogspot.com/2011/08/few-days-ago-we-made-long-journey-from.html" target="_blank">our blog from our last visit</a> and <a href="http://namaste-nepal2011.blogspot.com/2011/08/yvonne-voice-over-artist.html" target="_blank">this short video on the school</a>) the
government has provided funding to the school to build 4 new classrooms. The
damaged rooms that were leaking (with snakes in the roof) and holes in the
walls have been demolished. In its place the foundations have been built for 4
new rooms, raised up off the ground to avoid flooding in the monsoon season. A
new toilet has been built for the girls (they now have 3 toilets for around 700
female students). Theres also a new hand-pump and 1000L water tank which
provide all the water to the schools 1700 odd students. We saw the school
library which really consists of one half filled cupboard - crazy!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz79RrrS6INimbVJYJ2GlxPtu9HXC3Sq2OhUAl9lK7nI4ANn8F99VScjcMH6wpxu4nFStXEqPQ71bR9DtVbdFLpWsfitrP2VWyMuOyrlNa_wkoJ4MtZHaQq7TZjaiETPtDXAq9vs-t_i4/s1600/DSCF8886small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz79RrrS6INimbVJYJ2GlxPtu9HXC3Sq2OhUAl9lK7nI4ANn8F99VScjcMH6wpxu4nFStXEqPQ71bR9DtVbdFLpWsfitrP2VWyMuOyrlNa_wkoJ4MtZHaQq7TZjaiETPtDXAq9vs-t_i4/s400/DSCF8886small.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The library!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
</div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The school is severely overcrowded with some classes having
over 200 students (even 250 in one class!). This creates a lot of difficulty
for the teachers with discipline, and resources are very stretched. The
government is supposed to provide textbooks to all students, but in reality one
textbook is shared by around 6 students. Around 500 students are taking
additional classes at the school, after normal class hours, where class sizes
are smaller. They pay for this (around Rs200 per month) which helps the school
to pay for additional teachers etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite all of these difficulties the headmaster was very
proud to inform us that the school has one of the highest pass rates for school
leavers in the Bara District (83%).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
school has in the past year also started holding 10+2 classes (the equivalent
of the last two years of high school). Around 200 students are taking these classes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All in all it was great to revisit the school and see the
progress that has been made there in the past year with support funding from the government and the community. We really feel that the
fundraising we are doing for the school to provide classroom resources etc.
will really complement the work being undertaken by the school at present to
build new classrooms. Bara really is a forgotten district, and we want to thank
those Rotary Clubs that have jumped on board with this project for helping a
community in such need. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R0m-s88fcxMPcgZIhF7G6kS3e39LRovWCLq2mmp37pjEsBFkEhaBBhNxxDhlZnpZTvEeDj-ZH2hLnZSF25ndfZX_Ns9QKmMmGP5ZIb7uUOjwwPWPReYgzqTofDw-hG3p5sA8pkcM5Ng/s1600/DSCF8880small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R0m-s88fcxMPcgZIhF7G6kS3e39LRovWCLq2mmp37pjEsBFkEhaBBhNxxDhlZnpZTvEeDj-ZH2hLnZSF25ndfZX_Ns9QKmMmGP5ZIb7uUOjwwPWPReYgzqTofDw-hG3p5sA8pkcM5Ng/s400/DSCF8880small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashok and Yvonne meeting with the School headmaster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0aT2e9Fw16Gx9l6RNIbKa5ibA2wL2kYDTDytIKdkLihkZGG6pYNYQ7AYfoqw9m2C6kxFmw6jNji2E_Qb8ibeHfyRSZIKfBO_rhVZu9S534qnhGgD4s8-u0gG_D76lSu7uq8D2S3sMNU/s1600/DSCF8883small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0aT2e9Fw16Gx9l6RNIbKa5ibA2wL2kYDTDytIKdkLihkZGG6pYNYQ7AYfoqw9m2C6kxFmw6jNji2E_Qb8ibeHfyRSZIKfBO_rhVZu9S534qnhGgD4s8-u0gG_D76lSu7uq8D2S3sMNU/s400/DSCF8883small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting with School teachers and the community</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LTejdPBGgSiGkzJKjqj84mapEg2fIQPnNmvpUSIBJD-P3LjLLbFftADqvfCWvbgqiOyK9XryFDBiR5vX724rvW2jvynO27qvRP8I87DMpLbWB2iSGHCpA6ugaDSFOSqJ4vXcrnyeWrI/s1600/DSCF8891small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LTejdPBGgSiGkzJKjqj84mapEg2fIQPnNmvpUSIBJD-P3LjLLbFftADqvfCWvbgqiOyK9XryFDBiR5vX724rvW2jvynO27qvRP8I87DMpLbWB2iSGHCpA6ugaDSFOSqJ4vXcrnyeWrI/s400/DSCF8891small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra class for year 9 students - usually this room holds 210 students for the normal day class</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJz3uwdERKmVAzfa69EnKKoT0zOy3g9d5sN4pPJS8lPlsOGExcgtLYBb0gUGb-gCYsz1pM8Be3faOQtN33HBh79CJVF70HbqLKKh2tinWzQTtsPuP79wz28BcPf56xPwW_spFcV9mdGj4/s1600/DSCF8859small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJz3uwdERKmVAzfa69EnKKoT0zOy3g9d5sN4pPJS8lPlsOGExcgtLYBb0gUGb-gCYsz1pM8Be3faOQtN33HBh79CJVF70HbqLKKh2tinWzQTtsPuP79wz28BcPf56xPwW_spFcV9mdGj4/s400/DSCF8859small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The school - this currently caters for almost 1700 students</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ1_w2phob3UuD9nLWEOfuF2WOHhwFyLiieBqpCmoUwwrUT7k1x0meiVzL8z76MbvL6DzvgSevwhyKFHEgYOLvAwG2WZFw9QN6ebcIxjSl6mJKpONrN9vLOO86vGvyIelNlGvuMAb4m8/s1600/DSCF8858small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ1_w2phob3UuD9nLWEOfuF2WOHhwFyLiieBqpCmoUwwrUT7k1x0meiVzL8z76MbvL6DzvgSevwhyKFHEgYOLvAwG2WZFw9QN6ebcIxjSl6mJKpONrN9vLOO86vGvyIelNlGvuMAb4m8/s400/DSCF8858small.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new girls toilets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-31674306511649249482012-08-05T06:35:00.000-05:002012-08-09T01:50:00.109-05:00Needs assessment visit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />The other day we headed out to Baluwa village for a needs assessment visit.
While this sounds like an impressive title for simple visit, it really means
that we headed out to visit some of the villagers we work with and listened to what they had to say. After we wrote a report and now
we have to figure out how to get funding to help them out. Pretty simple process really.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />Anyways here is a copy of the report I knocked up last night. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Water Well Needs Assessment, Baluwa villages
30-07-12<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Baluwa is located in Kavre district,
Nepal. It is located on the plains at the bottom of a large valley and it the
home to around 4000 people. The Baluwa area consists of many villages and is
home to many different ethnic groups including marginalized castes such as Dunuwar,
Magar, Kami, Sarki, Damai and Gurung. The main economic activity is subsidence
farming of crops such as rice, potatoes and corn with the typical land size
being less than one hectare per family. Some families will also raise livestock
such as goats, buffalo and chickens to supplement their income. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbxUD99XJmC1skBdkmVRY5Sa8Lx8QIFFI_yotjdh_90xlcjV9AHTGc-PGXNYJqcuNUTwkgzr0Q3YOn2_4DYGRxniIB3VfBXkDMc-EqICGwGQQWcqTCE3cpfZrJIDbZLxjOJepxDJivMA/s1600/DSCF8729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbxUD99XJmC1skBdkmVRY5Sa8Lx8QIFFI_yotjdh_90xlcjV9AHTGc-PGXNYJqcuNUTwkgzr0Q3YOn2_4DYGRxniIB3VfBXkDMc-EqICGwGQQWcqTCE3cpfZrJIDbZLxjOJepxDJivMA/s320/DSCF8729.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The site of the current first well</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the main problems facing Nepal
as a whole and Baluwa in particular is access to safe, clean water. Most
waterways are highly polluted and unsafe to drink. In the warm monsoon months
the rivers flood and fill with contaminates and disease. As Baluwa is located
at the bottom of a valley, many water sources are tapped by other villages
further up the hills, leaving very little options for the people of Baluwa. One
common method is to locate either a spring or underground stream and construct
a well or, in some cases a deep bore. This underground water is free from
contaminates and disease.</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUvdOju1uZgkOBkE0ivxZFEjvBZVUik0bUMSYbKS_N_hyphenhyphen0fJpIxdWyrHs_a_ESEFuKHeqneOnE-lC0HVcpoTAODCFiziXV94EqaHeTocFrc7Fd06m3tbLr0sInAynqjuYhEZHkeFdHck/s1600/DSCF8758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUvdOju1uZgkOBkE0ivxZFEjvBZVUik0bUMSYbKS_N_hyphenhyphen0fJpIxdWyrHs_a_ESEFuKHeqneOnE-lC0HVcpoTAODCFiziXV94EqaHeTocFrc7Fd06m3tbLr0sInAynqjuYhEZHkeFdHck/s320/DSCF8758.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collecting water from the spring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Baluwa we visited 2 sites that are
in need of water systems. They are all located in Baluwa area 5 and area 6. The
first in Baluwa – 5 is located near to a main village area, close to a school
and Co-operative building. Currently there is one well used by 5 surrounding
villages, serving a local population of over 1000 people. Some people walk an
hour each way to collect water. During the rainy months there is a strong flow
of clean water, however in the cold winter months the flow dries up to a
trickle, leaving people to wait many hours for their turn to fill their water
containers and begin the carry home. Water is rationed severely during these
times. Some young girls miss out on their education as they are kept home from
school to help collect water daily. The local women’s co-operative group has
requested our help to build a well closer to their village, enabling them to
have year round access to clean water. They have identified a small spring
located minutes from the village and estimate that a bore depth of 60 feet will
be sufficient for year round supply.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LTkk4qm2UFe0yYnpimVo0zc63-JP3yyuSA6ZOaTDvvfHhXo4SVOvgjJ_hjCEsp3BFqiLihGQXs9iIs6hgWgPl5E6Vzi2NhAb9lilSjnamJg4woPLF4EGDaqbXbs5GKcJpErhPXqaZFM/s1600/DSCF8775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LTkk4qm2UFe0yYnpimVo0zc63-JP3yyuSA6ZOaTDvvfHhXo4SVOvgjJ_hjCEsp3BFqiLihGQXs9iIs6hgWgPl5E6Vzi2NhAb9lilSjnamJg4woPLF4EGDaqbXbs5GKcJpErhPXqaZFM/s320/DSCF8775.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Begining the carry home</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The second site is located in Baluwa-6.
It serves a group of 150 houses ( approximately 900 people) located off the
main track. There is one private well in use by 20 of the houses but due to
scarcity of water the others must collect water from the local stream.
Currently the villagers use a small spring that feeds into the stream as the
stream is unsuitable for drinking. The spring provides good clean water but it
is prone to being destroyed by flooding due to its close location to the
stream. This means these villagers must walk to the next village over to
collect water during times of flood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
also has a very small flow and people can have long waits there also during
morning and evening peak times. During the winter the spring dries up
completely leaving the villagers with no choice but to collect water from a dam
site in the stream. The villagers have located an excellent site for a well.
There is clean groundwater available and it is estimated that a depth of 60
feet will provide safe, clean water year round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-57618242088835954292012-08-03T22:32:00.000-05:002012-08-09T01:50:59.754-05:00The low down on the co-operatives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of our most effective projects we work with here is our women's
micro-finance co-operatives. These community groups help the villagers manage their finances
to escape debt and to grow their income. The concept is very simple, like most
good concepts and provides very real benefits to the members.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNcNZC-xcp9RsuYnWM7zMKoYWe1rV13hfcHYznnIosDFhgzOP2ZtQWYgctc-j-eVmXnKqNPQ7eWBvq9oJYvwL7OpTverUH-LpQJ97QBzRvcAHm3KNkQ473W2GZwB9enywpusemGW9uKQ/s1600/18+Hokse+Village+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNcNZC-xcp9RsuYnWM7zMKoYWe1rV13hfcHYznnIosDFhgzOP2ZtQWYgctc-j-eVmXnKqNPQ7eWBvq9oJYvwL7OpTverUH-LpQJ97QBzRvcAHm3KNkQ473W2GZwB9enywpusemGW9uKQ/s320/18+Hokse+Village+(8).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also provide saving boxes for children, to help build good saving habits. Here Ashok counts the monthly savings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To start with the basics we work with the women, this is because that the
women are usually more responsive to changing how they operate and also are
more responsible. The villagers are vulnerable to exploitation by loan sharks
and middle men. Many go into debt to buy seed at the start of the season and
struggle to service the massive interest or are contracted to sell their
produce at a lower price at harvest time. We begin with basic literacy and numeracy
training in the village. This also empowers the rural women, some of whom used
to find going into town overwhelming as they were unable to read any signs.
After the initial training the women form their co-operative by voting their representatives
in and doing all the exciting paperwork. At this stage of the process CDRA is
heavily involved, providing guidance, structure, funding and auditing. Once the
co-operative is established the members start saving into the communal pool of
money. CDRA usually funds a small start-up fund to help get the ball rolling.
Once a member has proven a good saving history they can take a loan out at a
greatly reduced interest rate. This loan must be for business purposes, such as
buying new seed or livestock and buying a new TV just won't cut it. The member
will then pay the loan off over the next year and be able to reap the proceeds
of their investment. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIArIvjcYaKvigd3m6aNYVAnKyIytF1W30_id393qIT9tpTGv6jf4DaNJGYV0Rm3vu9SEwgIXNoOL39ybvjhN7FItcz29sdJNbZh3hg7CVsqG8iQuajQV9AhQkV9J3ggPH345q8eA7Ns/s1600/16+Kusadevi+Village+(48).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIArIvjcYaKvigd3m6aNYVAnKyIytF1W30_id393qIT9tpTGv6jf4DaNJGYV0Rm3vu9SEwgIXNoOL39ybvjhN7FItcz29sdJNbZh3hg7CVsqG8iQuajQV9AhQkV9J3ggPH345q8eA7Ns/s320/16+Kusadevi+Village+(48).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This family used a micro loan to start a bee keeping business</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This way all the money is coming from within the village
and they are helping themselves instead of waiting for a hand-out. As each
group gets more and more self-sufficient then our role reduces. We still
provide guidance and auditing monthly but the groups are more than capable of
doing the day to day running themselves. Another benefit of these co-operatives
is that it provides a motivated community group within the village for other
projects. We often utilize these groups when running projects such as health
camps or school programs. Instead of a collection of individuals we begin to
see a community group. As the groups grow they sometimes begin to create their
own business, for example several of our co-operatives will bulk buy fertilizer
in town for a greatly reduced rate and sell it to their members for a rate far
cheaper than they would get from the middle man. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27MATX6q7xiwaoYP1Xc4dXjRZQ7FdUpIw_1fIwxCaSvz9xPCTArc2OqwSOv_8mBWVbvSR-pp8ND04j6KD88O8xRI880iLzZXeG_MFd5mrXjex800TzKNMovQ541thS3th75zIQ2ZyTBI/s1600/DSCF8698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27MATX6q7xiwaoYP1Xc4dXjRZQ7FdUpIw_1fIwxCaSvz9xPCTArc2OqwSOv_8mBWVbvSR-pp8ND04j6KD88O8xRI880iLzZXeG_MFd5mrXjex800TzKNMovQ541thS3th75zIQ2ZyTBI/s320/DSCF8698.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing some exciting paperwork at a monthly meeting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Most of these co-operatives have been running for some time and are firmly
established in their community. It is encouraging to see so many people who can
see the opportunity in front of them and are willing to work to make it happen,
rather than wait for a hand out.<o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFDvGf9NwLlCXmZZbTAlVEtM1sUUPSgu9-R1ca4Bzgupd6967S0iDt5QJkb0eyK3sabSe0eBKoVCkOU96p1Uwlnv9f7z5AgmYE5jMLKApc-0N5wiLgLcDIoIzleJZkNJwE_yLgGhIiBo/s1600/DSCF8700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFDvGf9NwLlCXmZZbTAlVEtM1sUUPSgu9-R1ca4Bzgupd6967S0iDt5QJkb0eyK3sabSe0eBKoVCkOU96p1Uwlnv9f7z5AgmYE5jMLKApc-0N5wiLgLcDIoIzleJZkNJwE_yLgGhIiBo/s320/DSCF8700.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The women in charge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-15276692647803774552012-07-29T09:15:00.000-05:002012-08-09T01:52:06.482-05:00Kusidevi Village revisited.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIgbA-mGUOEE0M29YEPZfKhfWUNVzwA9963xAn017CZxZOTgV8JTDOajQDxrawfDvZIttbJUqGMyxtVtr1Y9wV7wKKx9ly9FP_i4WZhf582eXE04VmIKmCzIx-ZJw6PntX9zN3f4Bw-8/s1600/P1010099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIgbA-mGUOEE0M29YEPZfKhfWUNVzwA9963xAn017CZxZOTgV8JTDOajQDxrawfDvZIttbJUqGMyxtVtr1Y9wV7wKKx9ly9FP_i4WZhf582eXE04VmIKmCzIx-ZJw6PntX9zN3f4Bw-8/s640/P1010099.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Kusidevi. The Himalaya are shy today.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kusidevi village is a typical Nepali hill country village. It sits at a relatively
modest altitude and is home to the typical ethnic groups of the area, namely
Tamung, Newari and Braham. The houses are usually made from earth, with modern
tin roofs replacing the traditional thatch. The township sits nestled in a lush
valley, with the few shops located along the road at the bottom of the valley
and many small farms dotting the terraced hillsides around. The hills gradually
turn from terraced paddies to steep jungle clad bluffs. At this time of year
everything is a brilliant green as plants grow maniacally in the warm monsoon,
before the cold winter descends from the mighty Himalayas. On a clear day you
can see the peaks in the distance as well as the Buddhist monastery at
Nammobuddha, sitting on its mountain top across the valley with its gold
covered roof shining in the sun. If you want to find Kusidevi just turn right
at the bus park in Panuti and follow your nose for a few hours, you can't miss
it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCHFSdhInnqEThwmHEkmT90-kBZyb0IAWeiy7YblvmuFC7h9VLzGm1PBNA-USkPCd0VN-u-G0NGYsAa5yQt-5E5QIumims-I5F4cFGLaQi9T00o-NQir_3nItnyQ8rWh2EU1m6Wa3kQo/s1600/P1010096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCHFSdhInnqEThwmHEkmT90-kBZyb0IAWeiy7YblvmuFC7h9VLzGm1PBNA-USkPCd0VN-u-G0NGYsAa5yQt-5E5QIumims-I5F4cFGLaQi9T00o-NQir_3nItnyQ8rWh2EU1m6Wa3kQo/s640/P1010096.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a shortcut thru the jungle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The most important things about Kusidevi village; however are that it's the
home of one of our co-operatives and the home to our friend Laxman. We have
blogged about the micro-finance co-operatives before and the real value that
they add to the lives of their members. If you haven’t read
these yet don't panic, I'll update ya'll soon.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGCjW-vqmbIhkMCOr0tFwC2zLIyOHKgb3y3KpQ5ryuuSLOvXJE4SQDLF9H_btEL0dX9dIJBx-C7qjjNxXkqsK7isdzPIz9AtsEMSLLgqIGpko1sbIsXGdi0xkIf7RbBxta13lFw8Foyg/s1600/P1010118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGCjW-vqmbIhkMCOr0tFwC2zLIyOHKgb3y3KpQ5ryuuSLOvXJE4SQDLF9H_btEL0dX9dIJBx-C7qjjNxXkqsK7isdzPIz9AtsEMSLLgqIGpko1sbIsXGdi0xkIf7RbBxta13lFw8Foyg/s640/P1010118.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The office of the co-operative</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Laxman is a very active member of his community who works with us here at
CDRA. He also came on the recent health camps, working closely with us in the
eye team. He also supervises this co-operative. We went to check up on the
co-operative and talk to the members as well as to meet Laxman's friends and
family. The co-operative is located right at the top of the hills and is in the
Tamung area of the village. We were welcomed into the small hut used by the
co-operative and had a cup of tea with several of the members. As we timed our
walk in between the monsoon downpours we stopped for lunch at Laxman's brother’s
house and saw some of the local businesses that the co-operatives are
supporting, such as beekeeping, goat raising and dairying. After a delicious
lunch of Dahl Bhat (surprise surprise) we waited for the latest downpour to
finish and headed back down to Laxman's place. We had another cup of tea with
his young family (This was around cup 6 or 7 for the day) and spent the last of
the afternoon chatting before catching the last bus home. It was great to see
the folks from the co-operative again and to spend time in the village. It completely
reinforced the fact that we, like so many others first come to Nepal for the
scenery but come back for the people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUAyRdAOxX32fkRhyMtVVD5YdNAA2oBedqvGSDaASuJJeeKgmatIVPCQRJRCD8NS01JVh3n8IgGCEIRW22ROSevxOYqWzhAaRXe2uzQ2mcK7w-QGjIyvHZjUyRoQc1DJ59Pm1a8aSkfg/s1600/P1010151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUAyRdAOxX32fkRhyMtVVD5YdNAA2oBedqvGSDaASuJJeeKgmatIVPCQRJRCD8NS01JVh3n8IgGCEIRW22ROSevxOYqWzhAaRXe2uzQ2mcK7w-QGjIyvHZjUyRoQc1DJ59Pm1a8aSkfg/s640/P1010151.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Laxman and his family in his home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-82849054690672614032012-07-26T01:00:00.002-05:002012-07-26T04:07:14.419-05:00Going for a feast with our friends.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
The other day was yet another festival day here in my favourite little
country, Nepal. These guys always seem to be celebrating something and
sometimes no one seems to be able to explain why! Or sometimes when you ask two
different people the reasons behind the festivals you will get two completely
different answers. It all adds the general awesomeness of Nepal.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSdR6V2C8EJWRxn3wTJRy8YhaeHVG4In1-JmIIrwWxnPtO2Wed363iICntiL4MQeY8IjjWGNTfOmU9s4Kt2nuNowoji2vEu0Hxjp82ieLpl2WJVIKpKSha838LRlMYrfrqO6PvoeCpTA/s1600/P1010228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSdR6V2C8EJWRxn3wTJRy8YhaeHVG4In1-JmIIrwWxnPtO2Wed363iICntiL4MQeY8IjjWGNTfOmU9s4Kt2nuNowoji2vEu0Hxjp82ieLpl2WJVIKpKSha838LRlMYrfrqO6PvoeCpTA/s640/P1010228.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the (very male) demon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We all headed down the road to our local Temple here in Banepa. Chandeshwori
Temple is a beautiful small Hindu temple that serves the local population, with
beautiful golden ornamentation and carvings. On the way we saw young kids
burning straw effigies of demons. This is to banish the demons for the year and
to help take away the sins of the previous year. It looked like the most fun it
is possible to have when you are a kid.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OEx7zV7mjt-wol3S_kavXlK0Rew0GVyv4w4QaIxgbPZ-D4cWlhB0TDPJ_9N5tGtW9cixmDoP6Vb-tObGf1ST8BZ6q9dsgn6-WJ-mNozw6BIbeJdDpzHUn0-SvypbYJP88ockBHKxq18/s1600/P1010223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OEx7zV7mjt-wol3S_kavXlK0Rew0GVyv4w4QaIxgbPZ-D4cWlhB0TDPJ_9N5tGtW9cixmDoP6Vb-tObGf1ST8BZ6q9dsgn6-WJ-mNozw6BIbeJdDpzHUn0-SvypbYJP88ockBHKxq18/s640/P1010223.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burn you bad demon, BURN!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
After watching the straw-devils suffer their fiery demise we headed into the
temple for a feast and some of the ever present rahski, or local fire water.
This feast was held to mark the end of the rice planting season. While its a chance for everyone to relax, officially the feast is held to seek forgiveness for the damage done during the plantation (the killing of all the insects etc). The meal was served in the large hall with people sitting cross legged along
the walls. After enjoying the meal of buffalo meat and delicious spiced
vegetables, served on a plate made of leaves we headed home for a cup of tea and to sleep
off the rahski. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SpvkR2QsEARUffpXgoScI6c95YI1NfgWp2iVQdqYtmxzxEeDtIWnCXkxcmGJsQhLlQrtB22aQApwAju_rZe5zhwMyTfoZ9ntUgp3fmfiNtJTE_pR0-NKevxngUuwuaZckQE_dDs8YW4/s1600/P1010245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SpvkR2QsEARUffpXgoScI6c95YI1NfgWp2iVQdqYtmxzxEeDtIWnCXkxcmGJsQhLlQrtB22aQApwAju_rZe5zhwMyTfoZ9ntUgp3fmfiNtJTE_pR0-NKevxngUuwuaZckQE_dDs8YW4/s640/P1010245.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our feast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtXb7_Nbhg2dbV26je7V1OtaiGXAJcAzqrNajfZcrlZQwuONhqmQNSnH3c7QJ8kak4tPc3az5ddHJPxNHNya6G1q7WZkX1oHzx1poI2rUmpmNcKnxz2jy6onxZ1tESig2rGL2B5yubds/s1600/P1010232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtXb7_Nbhg2dbV26je7V1OtaiGXAJcAzqrNajfZcrlZQwuONhqmQNSnH3c7QJ8kak4tPc3az5ddHJPxNHNya6G1q7WZkX1oHzx1poI2rUmpmNcKnxz2jy6onxZ1tESig2rGL2B5yubds/s640/P1010232.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little temple here in Banepa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-78437917459876213012012-07-20T06:50:00.000-05:002012-07-20T06:52:24.311-05:00Photos of the Terai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n-abNYmfx6F2UwfPYFs0etVWTnnIeX992W9fJJoec9Ld5fYqPO2c4J5XRCXckBdgzmaOwLZ2nQ43IGfXf3P4X4b0du9kgF8gcHlNC07ZSPkZPXjAVdzp6x1WEJ1JpA-QdWtdnvPXg9o/s1600/IMG_3440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n-abNYmfx6F2UwfPYFs0etVWTnnIeX992W9fJJoec9Ld5fYqPO2c4J5XRCXckBdgzmaOwLZ2nQ43IGfXf3P4X4b0du9kgF8gcHlNC07ZSPkZPXjAVdzp6x1WEJ1JpA-QdWtdnvPXg9o/s400/IMG_3440.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kamala Shrestha with two villagers wearing the local umbrella hat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDRIKboDczvS3Iu0p12d7n9_rhIeKELcAbxi0voe2YJZpuOqV-sniDiYgvXBXnZqxY5LrQxA9YWuMcmclLWZc1k6wtWIoZ3PdMl71bgrBLVlmT3SYeXvVQjGClRDBV-Weyefj0lUcC6U/s1600/DSCF8339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDRIKboDczvS3Iu0p12d7n9_rhIeKELcAbxi0voe2YJZpuOqV-sniDiYgvXBXnZqxY5LrQxA9YWuMcmclLWZc1k6wtWIoZ3PdMl71bgrBLVlmT3SYeXvVQjGClRDBV-Weyefj0lUcC6U/s400/DSCF8339.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local kids with homemade toys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFbex2U-4ZTkQyLB_kkIAq-sQzbj4LqvtHoA2OMeDBNWU6AdMxPVc6Xg9Gqc5qssgMj_A-hI6O2lvpagXr-tqYNS3h4LgG54jvFHcqcVxYmdTPvAJ6oJox6rOR2dEtrm0gBUSYM9p9Jw/s1600/IMG_3549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFbex2U-4ZTkQyLB_kkIAq-sQzbj4LqvtHoA2OMeDBNWU6AdMxPVc6Xg9Gqc5qssgMj_A-hI6O2lvpagXr-tqYNS3h4LgG54jvFHcqcVxYmdTPvAJ6oJox6rOR2dEtrm0gBUSYM9p9Jw/s400/IMG_3549.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben had a go at ploughing a local rice paddy - unfortunately for him the bulls didn't want to co-operate so it wasn't all too successful. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locals in Palpa sorting sand and gravel in the river bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPTelGrRR06UbRX0kb0s9J56kKXthcsZZQIx4u54MJ5DnydJ3AqVt0PjRR8c7J8xcrv9pAIqMTdrhKcmBO-ytd3t33VMjicjNHVeLa7VUlRrRcMI7OVt_R7ufp5nbixrXByg3EuPAyug/s1600/DSCF8307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPTelGrRR06UbRX0kb0s9J56kKXthcsZZQIx4u54MJ5DnydJ3AqVt0PjRR8c7J8xcrv9pAIqMTdrhKcmBO-ytd3t33VMjicjNHVeLa7VUlRrRcMI7OVt_R7ufp5nbixrXByg3EuPAyug/s400/DSCF8307.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yvonne giving gravel making a go - much to the amusment of everyone else</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A temple in the village of the stone workers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tharu families bird house for their pet pigeons</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnHlKL0QZcdHHXHpDcHm4yhaSs48JENUeQC8ceGUjsKic_CZF6psBarkj1sRfezADhxEqIKoQjZcNpChAsRYJKN258iqjDr7Ys9MZtD7ul5aotEc9ZvmDQ_ENglAAkLrblNuKd3IRaCY/s1600/DSCF8417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnHlKL0QZcdHHXHpDcHm4yhaSs48JENUeQC8ceGUjsKic_CZF6psBarkj1sRfezADhxEqIKoQjZcNpChAsRYJKN258iqjDr7Ys9MZtD7ul5aotEc9ZvmDQ_ENglAAkLrblNuKd3IRaCY/s400/DSCF8417.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Construction of a water well - young boys job to cement the concrete rings together at the bottom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4x8-q-8is64kOc_ZeOdOpkyABZ5fliKU74dA1kZemSJ-7zXCmqAmYu65uygecQFiufH51jFhg3UwQ4fln-9wc2iGRZp0z7-thyphenhyphenhdxZqKFPreo3gLXyXCjH4VLQ7yephLwSUENJUS4XcQ/s1600/DSCF8418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4x8-q-8is64kOc_ZeOdOpkyABZ5fliKU74dA1kZemSJ-7zXCmqAmYu65uygecQFiufH51jFhg3UwQ4fln-9wc2iGRZp0z7-thyphenhyphenhdxZqKFPreo3gLXyXCjH4VLQ7yephLwSUENJUS4XcQ/s400/DSCF8418.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bringing a new concrete ring for the well over</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSR2VDrkMF_qqf7vqzGByYXWaGRfYT6mcb4KoQiSnuUQvY36w_Z0SNgTwH6rER2k3rFe3NHh7iu2KldNozkwo5sRX7R76F920TSZLEUsHvO9y9cL44-pWVgBHtZLkAzZKc5ajMW-zqJc/s1600/DSCF8420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSR2VDrkMF_qqf7vqzGByYXWaGRfYT6mcb4KoQiSnuUQvY36w_Z0SNgTwH6rER2k3rFe3NHh7iu2KldNozkwo5sRX7R76F920TSZLEUsHvO9y9cL44-pWVgBHtZLkAzZKc5ajMW-zqJc/s400/DSCF8420.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lowering the concrete ring into the well</td></tr>
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</div>
Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-73275248621183154432012-07-17T23:41:00.002-05:002012-07-18T02:19:08.515-05:00Some more detail on the 3 kids<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We bought 3 kids back from the Dang area for further specialist care in Kathmandu and Dhulikhel. The 3 kids all came on the 17 hour bus trip with their fathers in the hope of getting treatment. None of them (including their fathers) had ever left the Dang area, so the trip to Kathmandu must have been a huge adventure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpew4DZmh7ZrPmy7qhNd_H-otkFAvSlaWZA32y1TjXDR741fropq7Y418GXxOoLJpQ3sxXBzlUX9tJGYmysfC_38FRBzcn2s3IqkKSnxuPYYfz4TrzRtHT8KtI4m5o6hfOSmABvRozBI/s1600/P1010087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpew4DZmh7ZrPmy7qhNd_H-otkFAvSlaWZA32y1TjXDR741fropq7Y418GXxOoLJpQ3sxXBzlUX9tJGYmysfC_38FRBzcn2s3IqkKSnxuPYYfz4TrzRtHT8KtI4m5o6hfOSmABvRozBI/s400/P1010087.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Om and Kamila on the bus and ready to go</td></tr>
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The first kid was Om Achvaya who is 8. He was born with a condition where he cannot open his eyes fully, and has poor eyesight. He was having trouble at school due to not being able to see the work very well. On arrivial to Kathmandu he was taken to see one of the top eye surgeons in Nepal. He was told some good news and bad news. The good news it that he will receive corrective surgery and a full recovery is expected but the bad news it that he must wait until he is 12 for his muscles to develop. His father is worried that we will forget about him in the next four years and took some reassuring that we wouldn't. The surgeon has promised to perform the operation free of cost when he returns. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3D-ys_1bmHNQZqFfHmWOu7QjuO4L-r08ZDEFG-QqYMhY_TRzu3p3rcV3Cxbz7NIXg_bDJ8J_vEz60UY1V8JYwzbdNfrzdejWSVjWPEs4FLoHwDA5ytz-n4AVESYdf0jlQDnLKnRsiXI/s1600/P1010094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3D-ys_1bmHNQZqFfHmWOu7QjuO4L-r08ZDEFG-QqYMhY_TRzu3p3rcV3Cxbz7NIXg_bDJ8J_vEz60UY1V8JYwzbdNfrzdejWSVjWPEs4FLoHwDA5ytz-n4AVESYdf0jlQDnLKnRsiXI/s400/P1010094.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Om and his father enjoying a fanta on the Bus journey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNBTdEISTYnqrO1uE2US-eklU-2b_Jgm2DRZJMXEYDfL6-DQG37z8gnprNrHJRnDJUO_XiYVQG4bbd_s_Q0hbmj3mW7JCLJ_xqEVe3r9528JY9K6sDSrtdIowWbaKHQ9XDy1F1DTAHbc/s1600/DSCF8470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNBTdEISTYnqrO1uE2US-eklU-2b_Jgm2DRZJMXEYDfL6-DQG37z8gnprNrHJRnDJUO_XiYVQG4bbd_s_Q0hbmj3mW7JCLJ_xqEVe3r9528JY9K6sDSrtdIowWbaKHQ9XDy1F1DTAHbc/s400/DSCF8470.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eye check at the Reiyukai Masunga Eye hospital</td></tr>
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Our second patient was Dilmaya Budha Thoki, who is 17 years old. She was born with a cateract and received surgery when she was an infant. Unfortunatly the surgeon at the time damaged the cornea of her eye, resulting in blindness of the eye. She came on the 17 hour bus trip only to be told that the surgery is high risk and will only give a 10 percent improvment to her eyesight. We just can`t justify this operation and she had to go home. We gave her a pair of sunglasses, but it felt like little consolation. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAv4K1vBxku047hu13E0NTR2D9rYaf58eAepm6qGwltxaiO3Qe1KYN_ieYBMHfR00kVsY6thRAx3r9JUxPfReOv6bwEweiokamiHba31BOasN-2qQsqVAUXO4tSuDduuygOykDcmyEdZw/s1600/DSCF8398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAv4K1vBxku047hu13E0NTR2D9rYaf58eAepm6qGwltxaiO3Qe1KYN_ieYBMHfR00kVsY6thRAx3r9JUxPfReOv6bwEweiokamiHba31BOasN-2qQsqVAUXO4tSuDduuygOykDcmyEdZw/s400/DSCF8398.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up showing the damage to Dilmaya's eye </td></tr>
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Both Om and Dilmaya and their parents returned home to Dang on the overnight bus the day they arrived. Literaly we got back at 1am from Dang. In the morning we visited the Eye Hospital and consulted the doctors. As nothing further could be done at the moment for Om, and Dilmaya also had disappointing news they had no reason to stay. To stay in Kathmandu costs money they don't have, and they were worried about getting lost in the big city. We dropped them back at kathmandu bus station to catch the overnight bus home in the afternoon, after a quick visit to Pashupati Temple (the most sacred Hindu Temple in Nepal). <br />
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The third patient is Kamila Shrestha. She is 14 with a large cyst in her abdomenon. Her family took her to the local hospital but the tests were expensive and they couldn`t afford the operation so after spending around $300 on tests they took her home. Our doctors immediatly identified the cyst as life threatening and recommended emergency surgery. As we were on the last day of camp we decided that the best course of action would be to take her back to Dhulikhel hospital. The operation happened the day after we arrived and the cyst was found to be 25cm long. Doctors usually operate when a cyst reaches 4 to 5 cm in length. The operation was a success and Kamila is now recovering at Hospital. <br />
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</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-40553198215959528142012-07-13T11:02:00.005-05:002012-07-14T20:11:53.417-05:00Report for the health camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mobile health camp 2012 - An international volunteer’s
perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ben McKinnel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br /><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was lucky enough to be invited to assist
on a mobile health camp from the 29th June till 9th July 2012. The aim of these
camps is provide basic healthcare to poor and marginalized areas of Nepal where
these services are sadly lacking. The camp was organized by CDRA-nepal, a local
grassroots style NGO with the Rotary club of Dhulikhel and was funded by the
Goodwill Community Foundation. The team consisted of an eye team, a general
health team, a women's health team, a dental team and a pharmacy team. There
were also three international volunteers from New Zealand and two nursing
students from Canada. On the 29th we all packed into our bus and headed off on
the 14 hour bus ride to Tansen, in the Palpa reigon.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first two days of camp were in Argali,
a small village nestled in a valley around 1 hours drive from Tansen. The
village is surrounded by steep bush-clad hills that would all be called
mountains anywhere else in the world. As we arrived the hills were shrouded in
mist and the cool peacefulness made a refreshing change from the hustle and
heat in the city. We were officially welcomed into the small school that was to
be our base for the next two days. The facilities were basic, with small rooms
without electricity but clean and perfectly acceptable. All the different teams
were assigned a classroom each to work from with the camp using all the rooms
of the small school. For most of the camp I was helping out in the eye team, I
have a small amount of experience in screening and assisting the opticians and
felt that I could be the most use here. There were originally two optometrists
scheduled to be on camp but one had to withdraw at the last minute due to
family bereavement. Deniesh, the remaining optometrist did a sterling job
seeing the multitudes of patients, often working through tea breaks. Many of
the eye patients were elderly people suffering from cataract blindness and the
local Rotary club of Tansen had arranged funding for 12 surgeries at the local
hospital located in Tansen. Sadly this was no was near enough as we 25 cases of
cataract blindness on the first day alone. Some other common eye complaints
were children with very weak eyes, infections and allergies. The infections
were referred to hospital for more in depth treatment and the children were
prescribed glasses that were supplied at a highly subsidized rate. I think
these glasses will make a huge impact on the childrens ability to learn and
therefore their prospects for higher education. We were fed local food of Dhal
Bhaat cooked by local volunteers and billeted in wonderful homestays for the
night, where our hosts informed us that Argali has a population of around 9000
with only a local health post staffed by two nurses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After two days enjoying the wonderful
hospitality of the folks in Argali we headed off to Butwal. Butwal is a large
city located on the Terai or plains area of Nepal. Effectively an extension on
the great northern Indian plains the Terai was sweltering in the summer heat,
sitting at around 35 degrees Celsius with very high humidity. We were well
looked after by the Rotary club of Butwal, in fact one of the strengths of this
camp was utilizing local Rotary club as facilitators. The motivated locals were
able to make local arrangements and mobilize their Rotary Community Corps (RCC)
to help with the many tasks required to accommodate and feed a large team. We
stayed in the city and headed out for two days of camp in two separate locations.
The first was in the village of Saina Maina. Not far from Butwal and on a major
road, therefore serving a large population. There are areas of relative wealth
beside areas of absolute poverty. Many of our patients here were from the
Dailit or untouchable caste. I touched several throughout the day and my hand
didn't fall off or anything. The camp used one classroom block of a large
school complex. During the lunch breaks we were swamped by school kids curious
to see what was going on. We were able to screen many of these kids and pick up
several who were in need of glasses. Many of these children would have never
been picked up otherwise. The women's health team had a busy day on this day,
However I kept away from their rooms <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>figuring
that the last thing they needed was a 6 foot 3 foreigner making the patients
nervous. By this stage some of the new volunteers were up to speed with the eye
testing and I was able to get a look at some of the other teams. This was very
interesting even if I wasn't very helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The second of these days was at the tiny
village of Amrath Kopibastu. This small plains village is located well off any
main roads, we had to walk the last couple of kilometers as the bus wasn't
going to make it over some very rickety bridges. The difference being on a main
road makes was obvious as the community was noticeably poorer than the previous
day with most of the houses being small mud huts with thatched roofs. We set up
in a small school quickly as we had our systems well sussed by now. As word
spread through the small community many people began to arrive, in fact this
was one of our busiest days yet. The people are mainly from the Tharu caste
which is a marginalized community in Nepali society. The Tharu people are among
the original inhabitants of the Terai reigon as they have a natural immunity to
malaria. As malaria becomes less of a problem due to pesticides and drugs, the
Tharu are slowly being pushed off their fertile farmlands. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had some communication problems as many of
the villagers only spoke the Tharu language and not the official Nepali. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really felt we were needed in this village
as these people are often reluctant to seek medical help in town as they fear
it will be too expensive and they are unaware of many treatment possibilities.
There were many people keen for eye treatment as many people regard their
eyesight as their greatest asset and fear losing it above all else. We were
told by one local that they can make do with almost anything except the loss of
eyesight and this is when they become a burden on their families. Eye problems
are common here due to the massive amounts of dust and contaminates in the
atmosphere. All the teams had a busy day and felt very appreciated. We sadly
said goodbye to Gennie and Michelle, our volunteers from Canada and packed back
up and headed up to the Dang area in our trusty bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dang is a poor area in the mid west Nepal, while
slightly higher than the Terai it has a similar climate and is famous for its
hot, sticky summers. We spent the first two days in Dang based in Gorahi, the
main city for the area. From our hotel we went to the campsite, a large secondary
school on the outskirts of town in the area of Narayam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This school of over 2400 students didn't have
any running water and the toilets were not for the faint of heart! The area is
on the outskirts of town and therefore highly populated and we saw a mix of
farmers and in town laborers. The monsoon caught up with us on these days and
it was sad to see the patients lining up in the torrential downpours but not be
willing to give up on their chance at healthcare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We worked as fast as possible to try to keep
the lines down but more and more kept coming. Still at least the rain kept the
temperature down. On the second day here a woman who had been seen by the
doctors collapsed shortly afterwards. It turns out that she had decided to take
all the prescribed pills at once despite being expressly told not to. She made
a full recovery. Sadly this attitude seems quite prevalent due to lack of
education. Many people think 'if one pill is good then 10 pills must be 10
times better'. We were more vigilant about stressing the importance of
following prescriptions after that. Another interesting patient was a young man
with facial injuries after a vehicle hijacking. He was very shaken and taken to
local hospital for x-rays. At the end of our time here Ashok made a generous
donation of a water tank for the school on behalf of the Rotary club of
Dhulikhel. This will help with the current water problem the school is facing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For our final two days we headed on a short
drive to Tulsipur, the other large city in Dang. We were stoked to find our
hotel for the next couple of days had a swimming pool, just the thing to combat
the hot sticky weather. Our camp was located off the beaten track in another
small village of Kashipur. Again this is predominantly a Tharu village with
farming small plots of land the main occupation. There we had an unusual case
of one man who tried some self-medication. He had been suffering from itching
in his eyes and in Nepali folklore it is said that eating chilies is good for
your eyes. This guy tried to bypass the eating part and rubbed chili paste
directly into his eyes. This is not something he would recommend as it turns
out. I also took the chance to attempt to plow a field in the local style with
a wooden plow pulled by two bulls. I think the bulls didn’t understand English
very well as the results left a lot to be desired. At least everyone had a
laugh, even if I think next time I’ll stick to a John Deere. We located three
cases in this village that we decided to take back to Kathmandu for further
treatment. One is an eight year old boy with facial disfiguration and poor
eyesight. He and his father came for the 17 hour bus ride home with us to see a
specialist. He said he will perform the operation free of charge but they must
wait until the boy is twelve for the muscles to develop. Another was a girl who
had a cataract from a young age and had already received surgery. However the
surgeon made a mistake and we took her and her father on the bus to see the
specialist also. Sadly it was inoperable and the also returned home. The third
girl had a large cyst on her abdomen that was immediately called life threatening
by the doctors. As we were returning to Kathmandu the next day we took her and
her father with us also. She is currently recovering post op very nicely in
Dhulikhel hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-6794038815863768232012-07-12T00:29:00.001-05:002012-07-12T00:33:58.340-05:00Photos of health camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcIG_3ppbATWGv0M8SGySw1sk-nJhD9rbbZNKujKSpe-ofUqnFZA82M4Qn0QgJ6bZN_A0e3CtvX4dnHEYuRUMTDYtelXNhdnsx15PRrCtEunWA5CaI_02ThctijnJSyo15-8lrh-eQOU/s1600/DSCF8388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcIG_3ppbATWGv0M8SGySw1sk-nJhD9rbbZNKujKSpe-ofUqnFZA82M4Qn0QgJ6bZN_A0e3CtvX4dnHEYuRUMTDYtelXNhdnsx15PRrCtEunWA5CaI_02ThctijnJSyo15-8lrh-eQOU/s640/DSCF8388.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tiny 90 year old lady had cataracts in both eyes, walking through the monsoon rain to reach the camp she was frozen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsWK5Pk7x2dS5BUVL0OwlVJV12iwQtSaYRQ2pLRKP5ek0cIq5Tat1AmdjR6ZwAvvZM_my_gGfys18g3xVDw2IO2jW7EmUZm9w-kZKxXJm-ocrlCTVkSUH0FGLzC3SY93ecSL_2U_HTfE/s1600/DSCF8282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsWK5Pk7x2dS5BUVL0OwlVJV12iwQtSaYRQ2pLRKP5ek0cIq5Tat1AmdjR6ZwAvvZM_my_gGfys18g3xVDw2IO2jW7EmUZm9w-kZKxXJm-ocrlCTVkSUH0FGLzC3SY93ecSL_2U_HTfE/s640/DSCF8282.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This man has an abnormal growth in his mouth</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqn4zJ1ZO_Hp1NRmjVBvs2szmVL8GIazXX3ya2LKebMXzH6OEKhxrZ3rARgv_yiacy-eCwSn4Rh6DLBBMK3tTljg0st5wMlOg3hZH2vPrNQpA2x9UoecrMm5qTuY7dIroO_ZC2AYYxc2g/s1600/DSCF8411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqn4zJ1ZO_Hp1NRmjVBvs2szmVL8GIazXX3ya2LKebMXzH6OEKhxrZ3rARgv_yiacy-eCwSn4Rh6DLBBMK3tTljg0st5wMlOg3hZH2vPrNQpA2x9UoecrMm5qTuY7dIroO_ZC2AYYxc2g/s640/DSCF8411.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 24 year old man went blind very suddenly 10 months ago</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnc-KKOj0F6-0InsehIfjcjHZhRl8MOAFd6QCy6j1CAq1cHjXx5o_LHovT50y9wQSzL5bdYy1O1sBQueuYFBW3MxP3BxMX-M95OMJFB4CuyyeiKrRxj9vEtRpT_ApB03BfalAiUU9x7U/s1600/DSCF8423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnc-KKOj0F6-0InsehIfjcjHZhRl8MOAFd6QCy6j1CAq1cHjXx5o_LHovT50y9wQSzL5bdYy1O1sBQueuYFBW3MxP3BxMX-M95OMJFB4CuyyeiKrRxj9vEtRpT_ApB03BfalAiUU9x7U/s640/DSCF8423.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 70 year old man had an itchy eye - so his home treatment was to rub ground up chilli into his eye. Green chillis are said to be good for eye sight! It didn't work so well as he ended up going to hospital as a result, he said he wouldn't recommend it ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXuNM3LjuLsWMOGWwksCwTgJn-0IxtJ4Hil-B1Z-8N5D1gxxxaqCowEyQb1s53M_XU5LclR47iOBkPEE-45lxYVF3y1n3rSIekZaaPHAmqrNi-xlGVLMfGQbp-7QBsj5PRAS2C07sI4Y/s1600/P1000237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXuNM3LjuLsWMOGWwksCwTgJn-0IxtJ4Hil-B1Z-8N5D1gxxxaqCowEyQb1s53M_XU5LclR47iOBkPEE-45lxYVF3y1n3rSIekZaaPHAmqrNi-xlGVLMfGQbp-7QBsj5PRAS2C07sI4Y/s640/P1000237.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This young girl ran away and eloped at 14, now 15 she has a baby and is suffering from severe amenia as a result of birth complications</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevAuXiYPjRBl8FbuSxKfL6A7q2-eY8BWFiZZWGOwDHbES7zCJl94uZofe_TjTaQsbenX4E4S5x6uvNDco6d2wPi4-t3WW4Z_0ofYFWsvoXYvBa3EC8lMO_-lmRCMJnrl6mEXUz9cf2Y0/s1600/DSCF8435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevAuXiYPjRBl8FbuSxKfL6A7q2-eY8BWFiZZWGOwDHbES7zCJl94uZofe_TjTaQsbenX4E4S5x6uvNDco6d2wPi4-t3WW4Z_0ofYFWsvoXYvBa3EC8lMO_-lmRCMJnrl6mEXUz9cf2Y0/s640/DSCF8435.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 79 year old man suffering from goitre (iodine deficiency) for 16 years he has had this lump. He never visited a doctor about it till the health camp. He will come to hospital for surgery at the end of the rice planting season. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhripzlxPPFnl02nRhOuUfGeulqeqawYqV16zTodKDDxA_p-jjJNgM4qtNl9UZlvm098knM8E3MmHTTf2wwdNKFQ0-2y2iswur_JXIlfuY_VDRSe9vMzfBP1D0y6tJLFSRj-mJ0LGARg/s1600/DSCF8449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhripzlxPPFnl02nRhOuUfGeulqeqawYqV16zTodKDDxA_p-jjJNgM4qtNl9UZlvm098knM8E3MmHTTf2wwdNKFQ0-2y2iswur_JXIlfuY_VDRSe9vMzfBP1D0y6tJLFSRj-mJ0LGARg/s640/DSCF8449.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young boy was born with birth cataracts - he has had 3 operations to remove them. Needs glasses, and still poor eyesight. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKolNWzi2hFq9nlAiXGlwvs4LD7bf2NUxXBvBHV1XdQm1m5ZfkgD9z5UjivkdvzBXYWdKtKI0_M-KAOCt6wdbyslHsDp5JCv48Szw6N_vYUEY902lFQl5emMVkXJfrSej7LkewFt8OV5A/s1600/P1000232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKolNWzi2hFq9nlAiXGlwvs4LD7bf2NUxXBvBHV1XdQm1m5ZfkgD9z5UjivkdvzBXYWdKtKI0_M-KAOCt6wdbyslHsDp5JCv48Szw6N_vYUEY902lFQl5emMVkXJfrSej7LkewFt8OV5A/s640/P1000232.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dentists - doing lots and lots of tooth extractions in very basic facilities</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwoeqX1qjwGvjjHmuCIvFV1e3xlwTnr8WaPmZqWu1QsXTTGHz1gu-H53895fTn3AFw9do1OcxBEIR5jQYLGpg9U78Adz0CKqrELTgdcO-SK7y1MPknlrx-SO-1JYUDlk9-yxoPkZbsb9w/s1600/P1010009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwoeqX1qjwGvjjHmuCIvFV1e3xlwTnr8WaPmZqWu1QsXTTGHz1gu-H53895fTn3AFw9do1OcxBEIR5jQYLGpg9U78Adz0CKqrELTgdcO-SK7y1MPknlrx-SO-1JYUDlk9-yxoPkZbsb9w/s640/P1010009.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tharu women wearing elaborate jewellery, these women also have tattooed legs (generally a pattern of vertical stripes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcOGtnuMrqo2lXM021NMfyMXc40jxPT26cI3K_e4xt1IxbWc0gpIUf9sUL88yotF20UncyPzmyj0iw_EbHwHPQWvS9mbHr3edjj8FuuYlip9MkoJozzn94v_veGe6UYkamxNAHpRLIo8/s1600/DSCF8442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcOGtnuMrqo2lXM021NMfyMXc40jxPT26cI3K_e4xt1IxbWc0gpIUf9sUL88yotF20UncyPzmyj0iw_EbHwHPQWvS9mbHr3edjj8FuuYlip9MkoJozzn94v_veGe6UYkamxNAHpRLIo8/s640/DSCF8442.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulsipur Rotary Club feeding us dal bhat for lunch during one of the health camp days</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzckmic078hKSa1t71ppScUbQtLbEyhOfAj6o6-n8nqDkWo6Apc6S6fhiV-qBqPYIvR_-ozULwXPDu_vf4wASFFmlrvZirCBZxdQPrAkYJEGcwLp-dl8yq39WLfNNDmhgPbMRgN1aY7k/s1600/DSCF8367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzckmic078hKSa1t71ppScUbQtLbEyhOfAj6o6-n8nqDkWo6Apc6S6fhiV-qBqPYIvR_-ozULwXPDu_vf4wASFFmlrvZirCBZxdQPrAkYJEGcwLp-dl8yq39WLfNNDmhgPbMRgN1aY7k/s640/DSCF8367.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pharmacy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4he4tle1RWXLB0VbX4kZ4aoyKzyr1xkMTaLGG4Azh2xAGG-XjmWysn21tQlM0ZWYdwhBDkQiJ-ocTnvKFH1QOzIHRPsc-XOPyvj6cFBV-zC2NOOmrp1f5_c_AQGVw-hIpvHD8n5Q5V8/s1600/DSCF8404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4he4tle1RWXLB0VbX4kZ4aoyKzyr1xkMTaLGG4Azh2xAGG-XjmWysn21tQlM0ZWYdwhBDkQiJ-ocTnvKFH1QOzIHRPsc-XOPyvj6cFBV-zC2NOOmrp1f5_c_AQGVw-hIpvHD8n5Q5V8/s640/DSCF8404.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More tooth extractions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7gusBWI1YHM_qozm_Kzk90xjHlFDvGBXlJtsOYL2QSUIkggI6XCuo8Io3tcapiufIhARRs-_fHso6-jDkgHOvbbZkCOdUN-ElPzH5JTHuiHT7iul9RxANi8SpIf82rBQc9-UoS6t3Sk/s1600/DSCF8425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7gusBWI1YHM_qozm_Kzk90xjHlFDvGBXlJtsOYL2QSUIkggI6XCuo8Io3tcapiufIhARRs-_fHso6-jDkgHOvbbZkCOdUN-ElPzH5JTHuiHT7iul9RxANi8SpIf82rBQc9-UoS6t3Sk/s640/DSCF8425.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vision testing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8PrcnZ3aj4_-Nsuf7cD0VzK126UlOFbEUGxX5UqtldKcgqv43lVCMn1_9VuCHO_bpjw8yud-AFycNWHv7YYFauUgqhnHST7g_ZCvT2NcPU-Iz4XM9THRbHpTj3MRUGT8rP0Y-Mv96dE/s1600/DSCF8433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8PrcnZ3aj4_-Nsuf7cD0VzK126UlOFbEUGxX5UqtldKcgqv43lVCMn1_9VuCHO_bpjw8yud-AFycNWHv7YYFauUgqhnHST7g_ZCvT2NcPU-Iz4XM9THRbHpTj3MRUGT8rP0Y-Mv96dE/s640/DSCF8433.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Registration of patients</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRXViurZmyrz7wDBpdfmrWoFPuTQmjeXNR8kvFadm61ycvRTGQNnFGMmUEMa5wq3kdoW7P3QtLpXfSYa9ADUoh76ZneNUIBghw3nbZJPJPPRFSbMfsMc9C9_mKiWzUk-7rU6sVua95n4/s1600/P1000171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRXViurZmyrz7wDBpdfmrWoFPuTQmjeXNR8kvFadm61ycvRTGQNnFGMmUEMa5wq3kdoW7P3QtLpXfSYa9ADUoh76ZneNUIBghw3nbZJPJPPRFSbMfsMc9C9_mKiWzUk-7rU6sVua95n4/s640/P1000171.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consultation with GPs - main complaints were joint pain, arthritis and stomach ulcers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDItSgOR9aqvQmoVEnre4yQHuqZW3dlhSC35Vpn4NO1PUN6qu-0qmoCK-CETUWh3LDs9CI2IkxZVcZn1DuJh1XwoRJ8SnOWT7zlFiHzElb24dZqZPFNQLtTiBkPUc_vdGMS5A2354pVE/s1600/P1000168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDItSgOR9aqvQmoVEnre4yQHuqZW3dlhSC35Vpn4NO1PUN6qu-0qmoCK-CETUWh3LDs9CI2IkxZVcZn1DuJh1XwoRJ8SnOWT7zlFiHzElb24dZqZPFNQLtTiBkPUc_vdGMS5A2354pVE/s640/P1000168.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A woman suffereing from uterus prolapse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryFofQm4Ee1nexASHnAgK2WjZpWJBYz_lvFdMZ9Ylth0oWnGZKygJtzVVfPL5qvvxbFlqqDzQMehwr8MsqwqZzhHtAxF0G3AM_0ChDBwfGbq-srLjh1YsB4blvAt_8vCnBvJl70F7A1A/s1600/DSCF8355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryFofQm4Ee1nexASHnAgK2WjZpWJBYz_lvFdMZ9Ylth0oWnGZKygJtzVVfPL5qvvxbFlqqDzQMehwr8MsqwqZzhHtAxF0G3AM_0ChDBwfGbq-srLjh1YsB4blvAt_8vCnBvJl70F7A1A/s640/DSCF8355.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The camp team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hB82QHRq-ca1jWwRetbsF_-DCnmuffe8kN_rfwUGkL1-vWFHKJGPMGpwz5INZ2LrFHUrRzMyAVjYrfPcEUVS8rwala9_GvDgsMiw71SvWak331uDpqYdRrqrsA1va0mWNhTegMZQoIs/s1600/DSCF8392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hB82QHRq-ca1jWwRetbsF_-DCnmuffe8kN_rfwUGkL1-vWFHKJGPMGpwz5INZ2LrFHUrRzMyAVjYrfPcEUVS8rwala9_GvDgsMiw71SvWak331uDpqYdRrqrsA1va0mWNhTegMZQoIs/s640/DSCF8392.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our one optometrist did an amazing job of seeing around 250 patients a day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMXDyfpwHZTFX2peC831l7teyqBsVJul9B5lKFBwPRsNvUNjZ5i_itc4TWgyV4zXfylOfa6D0JHgXKVqweBV-9BlwbSvDIO171CNGm0sNU_Jh3rUcVmezBiqhp13JrBEFU_LL9GjGPXA/s1600/P1000169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMXDyfpwHZTFX2peC831l7teyqBsVJul9B5lKFBwPRsNvUNjZ5i_itc4TWgyV4zXfylOfa6D0JHgXKVqweBV-9BlwbSvDIO171CNGm0sNU_Jh3rUcVmezBiqhp13JrBEFU_LL9GjGPXA/s640/P1000169.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Educational posters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-26568322212402596442012-07-09T13:57:00.003-05:002012-07-10T22:40:47.655-05:00Notes on a health camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are currently on a health camp in the mid-western part of
Nepal. The camp started with two days in the beautiful mountain village of Argarli
in the Palpa region, we then moved down onto the plains for a couple of days in
some small villages outside of the city of Butwal and we are currently in the
Dang area for the final four days. The camps are proving very popular with the
locals, providing basic health check-ups, dental care, women’s health and eye
care. Medicine is provided free of cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of the doctors come from our area, with a couple from Kathmandu.
They are a great bunch of dedicated professionals who love a beer afterwards
too!</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We spend most of our time working in the eye team, screening
people to be seen by the optometrist and providing glasses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We try to get time to visit our friends in
the other teams but the eye tests are very popular with the locals with the
biggest line by far. The work can be very tiring but there are some moments of
humour as well…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">… One time Ashok was laughing as he overheard some of the
locals calling their friends on the phone to say ‘The American doctors are here
come quickly!’ Despite the fact that we are the least qualified people here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">… There is the moment in some of the villages where we
realise that the reason no one seems to understand what is going on is that the
villagers don’t speak Nepali but rather their local language. This can make
translation very tricky…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">…There is always time for tea…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">…When we went to a restaurant one evening we were served
warm beer and chilled cucumber. Seems to me they got that one the wrong way
around…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">… It is the hot season on the plains, even after a ‘cold’
shower you sweat just sitting still in the shade…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">… The time I asked our bus drivers assistant to help keep
curious children away from the door as they were blocking the light. He took to
the task with great gusto running after the kids he could find, and when he
couldn’t find some he went looking for more , I only wanted them kept back a
couple of metres…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These camps are a great way to bring healthcare to places
and people who rarely receive any. There are many people who are poorly
educated and illiterate, meaning that they will not go seek out healthcare for
illnesses as they are unaware that treatment is available. Even if there is a
hospital in a local town many villagers do not know to go get care or they
cannot afford the cost. It is also a great way for some of the younger doctors
to gain experience and to go and see some beautiful places well off the tourist
track.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527785151010690120.post-41240960153249560032012-07-02T06:24:00.001-05:002012-07-02T06:58:01.852-05:00Argali Health Camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have just completed 2 days of health camp in Argali
Village, where with our team of doctors we set up a mobile clinic in the local
primary school. Our team of around 20 included; general doctors, women’s health
doctors, dentists, an optometrist and pharmacists. Each discipline sets up a basic
clinic in one of the classrooms, and in the cramped space organised chaos
reigned for 2 days. There were lots of local volunteers to assist with
registering patients, and to ensure it all ran smoothly. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Argali, with a population of around 6000 has only one
medical professional at present – a Community Medical Assistant – meaning they
have had 18 months of training for the job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although Argali is only 2 hours drive from Tansen, where good medical
facilities exist, we definitely saw the need for better health care
locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is that the
government is building a facility that will eventually have one doctor and one
nurse working there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the two days
we saw a total of 1370 patients, our one optometrists did an amazing job to see
302 patients in one day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overnight we were lucky to be hosted by the locals in their
homes (there are no hotels there) and we were quite simply spoilt by their
hospitality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We were given the best room in the house to sleep in, despite our protests (we are still not sure if it was the master bedroom), and upon waking a cup of hot tea was waiting. We had a great time communicating with our limited Nepali and our hosts limited english, that definately made for many laughs! </span>The village joined together
to formally welcome and farewell us and to cook us all our meals – a delicious dal
bhat of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Argali village, about 2 hours drive outside of Tansen along
the steep winding hillside road is a beautiful peaceful village, nestled
amongst the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It showed us a
side of Nepal that we don’t see often, as most of the projects we have been
involved in to date have been in the Kavre District and Terai region of Nepal. It
was also a welcome relief from the sticky heat of the Terai – a sweltering, and
de-motivating 35 degrees at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Argali
was the first of many locations for our mobile health camp, so we will keep you
posted on how we get on. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-HvLymI685X1YfL7R-ApbYvOX5i6CDt8QKZ7m99xpQNJDIqNN8kqUl8qGIR57N4GCIdcykXlo2InJXq4wDjNJIEUKfkZCqoN6CBZCJWiw1v-iflO6Xq3Hwgpri2f4wuZcp9IQsEktD4/s1600/IMG_0530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-HvLymI685X1YfL7R-ApbYvOX5i6CDt8QKZ7m99xpQNJDIqNN8kqUl8qGIR57N4GCIdcykXlo2InJXq4wDjNJIEUKfkZCqoN6CBZCJWiw1v-iflO6Xq3Hwgpri2f4wuZcp9IQsEktD4/s640/IMG_0530.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queues waiting to see the optometrist</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General doctors consultations</td></tr>
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</div>Yvonne and Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675853499915374454noreply@blogger.com0