Bring healthcare to thousands in rural Nepal

Himalayan Healthcare had a great year in 2013 and we are hopeful of an even more productive year in 2014.  We would like to thank everyone who has supported us with their time and funds to provide healthcare, education and income generation for the people of Nepal. In 2013 we have been able to work with fantastic partner organizations such as GlobeMed and Rotary Club. Sadly, for the first time in over 20 years we cancelled our fall medical trek due to the political instability during elections in Nepal and the inability to guarantee the safety of our medical volunteers or staff members.

We are very happy to announce that the political climate is improved and our spring medical trek will take place as planned. We already have a full roster of medical volunteers and anticipate a very successful trek.

We are also very thankful for our international volunteers.   One such volunteer, Dr. Ernesto Jones, spent three months working in the town of Ilam training medical providers. He is now spending an additional 6 weeks in the area providing training to local health care providers there.

We continue to work with the Rotary Club of Kopundole in Kathmandu and receive funding through a generous Rotary Club in New York. We completed our 2013 project with our Rotary Club colleagues building 50 latrines and 100 stoves. Since December, we are also now able to map each location with GPS coordinates to provide additional transparency to our work. The new efficient woodstoves in homes in these villages will reduce dangerous exposure to smoke and decrease fuel needs, preventing deforestation. We will continue to work with the Rotary Club in 2014.

We will also continue to work with GlobeMed in 2014. In January we will meet the 5 new participants of the team. These students will live and work in remote villages for four months in 2014.

We have continued to provide medical care at our hospital in Ilam with a record number of patients (3,600) being seen in medical camps in the surrounding villages in 2013. This winter we have run a dental sealant program in the villages surrounding Ilam. Dr. Krishna, a dentist working with us, has been visiting one school per week providing sealants to the children in the schools. Last week at the Janakalyan school the teeth of 61 patients were sealed.

The health care program continues in the rural villages as well. We have helped to purchase land to open a health center in the Lapa village called Kapurgaon. This health center will function as a private-public partnership with the Nepali government. In addition, we are making improvements in Sherthung so it can be the major health center for three villages. As reported in our Summer 2013 update, we are funding the education of villagers, such as one local woman who will finish training as a health assistant and will work in the Sherthung health center; and another, who will finish training as a lab tech and work in Sherthung as well.

Finally, in 2013 our handicrafts business, Jeevan Kala, generated $17,000 in wages to 200 local artisans from the sale of their products. We will continue to expand this as a method of income generation for the artisans as well as to provide funds for the medical care in the villages.

We look forward to your new or continued support of Himalayan Healthcare in 2014. Your assistance is crucial to our work and we are grateful for our GlobalGiving supporters!