Lifesaving healthcare for remote farming villages

        One of the ways we help to raise funds for the hospital is to set up treks into the lower Himalayan mountain region. By using a reputable Nepali trekking company we can offer these treks at fairly reasonable cost. We then add a donation to this amount (payable to GlobalGiving for tax deductability) which directly goes to support the Rajbash hospital. Our treks are challenging, and they are incredibly rewarding.  Imagine telling friends that you have trekked to the Annapurna Sanctuary or the Langtang Valley, two of the more famous “reasonable“ treks. Both of these treks climb to nearly 14,000 ft in elevation, and provide unmatched vistas as well as impressive bragging rights.  Your pack is carried by sherpas while you only carry the few things you might need for the day: a book, binoculars, your camera etc. And we view the village life up close as we dwell in the most modest of guesthouses, enjoying hot meals and a comfortable bed.  

       The last two days of each trek are dedicated to a visit of the village of Rajbash and the hospital that the the trek is sponsoring - our own Rajbash Hospital.  If you are lucky, you can observe one of our popular health camps in progress.  Hundreds of villagers from remote areas will walk for hours to take advantage of being treated for free for a variety of ailments. Particularly important for this population are our free eye exams, not only for regular vision corrections but also to check for the presence of cataracts which are very prevalent in these mountainous areas. However, other medical needs are also taken care of:  sewing up a wound, getting medicine for diarrhea, checking for lung impairment because families are still burning fuel inside their dwellings.  The fact that treatment and medicines during health camps are delivered at no charge to the Nepali population makes these occasions particularly popular.

        Back in April, John Peterson led a small group of intrepid hikers to the Annapurna Sanctuary, a trek of 13 days.  Also on this trek was his partner Colleen, a pediatrician from Danville, Ca.  John’s group did go to Rajbash while a Health Camp was held, and Colleen was able to assist the medical staff in diagnosing and treating a number of young patients. A fruitful dialogue ensued as our local staff introduced Colleen to their world and she lent some western medical perspective to their discussion.  A stark contrast indeed between delivering care when you have access to the most up to date equipment, supplies, and medicine and delivering basic medical care in a very remote region with quite limited resources!  Luckily, when a patient has a diagnosis that is not within the scope of the hospital, the Rajbash staff will send them to a Hospital in Kathmandu by means of an ambulance that was donated to us years ago.

          The Nepali government has taken notice of our work in Rajbash and recently provided for new, up to date, x-ray capabilities. The solar panels, funded by you, our GlobalGiving family of donors two years ago are making the regular use of electrically powered precision equipment possible for us regardless of the monsoons or landslides that used to destroy our electric power infrastructure. 

It is hard for me to convey to you the gratification we have felt in seeing the hospital services grow to their current level over the past four years. No words can compare to being present at this small rural hospital during a health camp, watching the locals vie for their place in line as they await much needed services. And this is all possible through the contributions you have made.

With Gratitude.

PS. If you are interested to trek with us and to visit our project, please contact the project leader: kbreibel2@gmail.com.

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