Nepal 2005

According to the latest data from the Himalayan Healing Centre Clinic – during the ten-month period of Jan to Oct 2004 – it provided care for 11,656 people and participated in numerous training, preventative and awareness activities.
As well as providing the Clinic with medicines to distribute freely among the poorest patients, financially supporting staff and organising volunteer doctors, this year the Association also provided the Clinic with new laboratory equipment to replace much used and broken equipment such as the “colour eye” biochemical analysis machine.

Thanks to a volunteer doctor and dentist who offered their services to the association during the February/March period a vast majority of our sponsored children had a both a medical and dental check-up. Dr Bruno, dentist, also very kindly visited some of the schools that our children attend and gave lessons in oral hygiene. All the children who participated in these lessons were provided with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Dt.ssa Bruno, paediatrician, reported that the state of health of the children attending Gangchen Samling School was generally better than the health of children from other schools. The school, situated nearby the Himalayan Healing Centre Clinic, has regularly arranged check-ups for all students and this is definitely paying off as any health problems are diagnosed and dealt with at a much earlier stage. Both doctors commented on the enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to learn of all the children.

In January pupils of the school won a gold medal in an interschool taekwondo competition organised by Baba Boarding School.

In the same month local artists were called into the nursery building of the school to paint educational pictures on the wall. The beautifully coloured paintings are visual aids for counting, learning the alphabet and parts of the body. The pictures also display fruits, local animals and warn the children against the dangers of playing on the stairs and crossing the road.

In February the school received a private donation of 5 computers. These computers will permit the elder children to receive computer lessons and enter into the increasingly important world of informatica.

Also in February, the children of the school performed a cultural programme on the day celebrating the traditional Long Life Ceremony of Lama Gangchen. Present for the programme, along with Lama Gangchen, were a number of western disciples, monks and people from the local Tibetan community who had participated in the ceremony as well as the friends and family of the local children. The photos here were taken during a rehersal.

In April all the children of the school spent one week sitting their end of year exams.

The end of April saw both parents and pupils alike queuing to make admissions for the new school year, collect uniforms, books and so on.

New playground equipment arrived from India and was mounted in the school playground.

The first vocational training course has been successfully completed.
A new course is scheduled to begin in June and mothers of six sponsored children have been offered places.
In an attempt to meet the needs of the people attending the course, childcare facilities will be offered and each woman will receive a monthly allowance during the period of the course so that they can provide their families with food and shelter.
The course will offer each person the possibility to learn new life skills, which will allow him or her to lead a more independent and rewarding life in the future.
New courses in knitting and jewellery making are currently been planned and prepared.

Many people receiving help through Help in Action work, in some way, within the carpet industry. In fact, Kathmandu is considered to be the international centre for the Tibetan carpet trade; these carpets are the largest export item and consequently the largest earner of foreign currency.
A craft that has resulted in a huge success story for Tibetan refugees – has also provided work for many Nepalese people. It is estimated that 80% of people working in the carpet industry are in fact Nepalese. Many of these people have been attracted to the valley from the surrounding hills by the possibility of earning money.
Raw wool is sorted, carded, hand spun, washed, dyed and woven. Many smaller factories carry out only parts of this process in their own compound, preferring to contract the work out to individual people. These people are paid by the amount they spin or weave. During lulls in business these workers are the first to remain without work and due to growing competition are often forced into accepting lower pay which means they are unable to earn enough money to provide themselves or family with basic necessities.

On the 6th of April a short ceremony was held to present certificates of achievement to the group of women who have finished the Tailor Training Programme.
Eight of these women, who are mothers of children sponsored through Help in Action, were chosen to participate in the training due to their particularly difficult situations. They have all dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the programme and have worked hard to overcome personal obstacles, such as having to learn how to read and write. The ladies have also had to learn basic maths to allow them to make patterns.
They have all now reached a level of competence in both hand and machine sewing that will hopefully permit them to find work in local shops or perhaps even set up their own businesses.
As well as giving these women a new skill the course has helped them to build confidence and to be more assertive.

The emergency fund is, as always, in great demand.
As well as providing people with free medicines and healthcare on a daily basis the fund has also been able to provide a number of children with lifesaving operations.
The next operation will be for two and a half year old Mukesh Kumar who suffers from a heart defect. Mukesh is one of six children and although his parents Neru and Ishori work hard, they have to make daily sacrifices to provide their family with even the basic necessities. It goes without saying that they are unable to collect the money necessary (equivalent of 1050 euro) to carry out the operation.
Thanks to money donated to the fund by doctors who specified it was to be used for children in such circumstances, the operation will be carried out later this month in Gangala Hospital in Kathmandu.
The operation will save the life of Mukesh and allow him to live a perfectly normal life.

The office of Help in Action in Kathmandu is open six days a week, all year round, and has become a point of reference in the local community that it serves. People in emergency situations, those seeking help for medical costs as well as those simply requesting sponsorship for their child’s education always find the doors open. For those already receiving help through the Association, the office is there to help resolve problems and conflicts, to offer support and help with practicalities such as writing a letter or assistance during medical visits and so on.
The months of March and April are always particularly busy in the office as they coincide with the end of the school year and the re-admission of sponsored children for the new session. For the occasion of the new school year the children are provided with new uniforms, shoes, bags, books and stationary. This period also sees meetings with head-teachers of local schools in an ongoing effort to catch any problems relating to sponsored children at an early stage.