Nepal 2008
Help in Action Office
Every year around 1000 children are enrolled into school thanks to the long distance adoption programme of the Association. The local office keeps contact with the families and schools of the sponsored children and administers the donations assigned to the Emergency Fund and Clinic.
Gangchen Samling School
The school year for the 460 students of the Gangchen Samling School began in March and this year’s school calendar is rich in academic and extra-curricula activities.
The school is working hard towards gaining good results this year in Class VIII Board Exams (100% pass rate in the previous year) and Class X School Leaving Certificate. It is the first year that the school will present students for this exam and Class X students are being offered extra tuition classes and revision workshops open during the holidays.
The School is also preparing students to take part in inter-school dance competitions and Tae Kwando tournaments. The Gangchen Samling School inter-house competition is still creating lots of interest amongst the children with regular Friday afternoon quizzes, sports competitions and clubs. In October pupils enthusiastically participated in a badminton tournament and each house selected music and choreographed presentations for a dance festival held the last day of school before the great Dashain and Tihar festivals. The audience excitedly cheered and clapped for their teammates who offered a mix of traditional and modern Bollywood style dances.
The arts and crafts programme held during the school holidays was so well frequented that classes will be repeated during year. This year the children will also have the possibility to learn tangkha painting (the traditional painting of religious images on canvas).
Himalayan Healing Centre Clinic
As in previous years the Himalayan Healing Centre Clinic has continued with its activities, providing quality healthcare to the poor and needy of the local area at a minimal cost or completely free of charge whenever possible. Below are the charts giving detailed information about the numbers of patients who have used the facilities over the year 2007.
These figures show increases, from those of 2006, in the general medicine, dental, laboratory and traditional Tibetan medicine facilities. The number of patients using the reproductive healthcare facilities has remained the same, as have the services for dental prosthesis and the numbers of children regularly attending the immunisation programme. There has been a small decrease in the number of people attending the DOTS clinic (Directly observed treatment for tuberculosis) and on a positive note, as the national programme to eradicate polio continues, there has been quite a substantial decrease in the numbers of children needing to receive polio drops and vitamin A.
As in previous years the services of the Clinic are used more by women than men.
During the year 2007, six volunteer doctors from Italy offered their expertise to the Clinic in the areas of general medicine, paediatrics, gyaenocology and homeopathy.
Life Style
These photos have all been taken in the vicinity of the Himalayan Healing Centre. They aim to show the environment and lifestyle as it really is… they also highlight the contrasts that are so common in Nepal.
