Healthcare & Education in the Hidden Himalayas

Winter in Humla is difficult for everyone. Deep snow restricts movement and the district becomes relatively cut-off for a couple of months. Of course this is normal and the locals are adapted to living in these conditions but in our modern high-tech world planes can't fly and building work has to stop. The good news is that spring has arrived and our new Birthing Centre at Bargaun is nearing completion. Plans are moving speedily ahead for new Birthing Centres at Sarkegad and Yari due to start in 2014. These will provide valuable maternal care in the south, middle and north of the district and will complement our existing chain of health clinics. The Nepal Trust has forged new links with the ISIS Foundation to jointly manage and operate our health clinics in Yalbang and Kermi. This collaboration provides an additional funding stream to upgrade the clinics and improve our services. A new Community Medical Assistant (CMA), Mrs Pratima Lama, has recently been recruited to work at the Kermi clinic to support an increasing workload and to give local women more confidence to seek medical help and support. A recruitment campaign is currently underway to employ a qualified Health Manager to look after the NT/ISIS health programmes throughout the district. Hot springs are a major feature at Kermi and plans are being drawn up to pipe the hot water to the clinic to help improve hygiene procedures. This is an exciting year for the Nepal Trust with new projects approved in agriculture, education and water and sanitation. These will all help to improve personal well-being and the general health of the local populations. Thank you again to all our friends and supporters on GlobalGiving. We hope you can continue to support the people of the 'Hidden Himalayas'; one of the remotest and most deprived areas of the world. It is not easy working there but it is insightful and very rewarding to both beneficiaries and donors alike.