Nepal Medical Mission Trip
Donation protected
Hello, friends and family!
In conjunction with my interests in international health and community activism, I have joined Stanford's Nepal Medical Mission.
Since 2013, the Stanford Emergency Medicine Department has organized a trip to Nepal for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in global health and medicine. Our goal is to train local community healthcare workers, run a clinic to provide primary care for the local population, and collect data about their healthcare needs. The program has been highly successful at moving the community towards a sustainable healthcare system that meets the needs of the local community. In Summer 2017, we will revisit rural Nepal for one month to develop and continue with our mission.
Where am I going?
I am going to Chyangba, a remote Nepali village in the Solukhumbu district (where Mt. Everest is!). This beautiful Himalayan village is culturally diverse and home to many Nepali ethnic groups such as the Sherpa, Rai, and Magar. It is a largely agrarian community with about 50,000 people in the village and surrounding area.
However, there is only one government-supported aid post for the entire region staffed by two health workers. This makes it difficult for patients with serious illnesses to receive treatment and often underlying health issues go unaddressed. Additionally, as the region was afflicted by the April 2015 earthquake, health infrastructure is more sparse than ever.
Aiding in the Clinic:
We will be devoting a week to conducting clinics with local Nepali community health workers who survey the health of the communities and disease trends. The clinics serve two functions: to assist previously trained community health workers; as well as survey the health of the various communities. Typically mornings will be spent in one village; then our team will trek to a second village for afternoon community clinics. Typical days include 16 hours of student preparation and work.
Community Health Education:
We are also going to be teaching the community about various health challenges facing the village. Through translators, we cover topics ranging from maternal health to immunology to wilderness medicine. I will be lecturing on trauma, oncology, and orthopedics.
Our lectures are open to all members of the community and we get many children and young adults who come wanting to learn more about healthcare. We hope that our lectures will not only make the community more aware of their health but also inspire them to get more healthcare training and use this training to help the village in the future. Therefore, this year, we are also developing educational videos for villagers and community health workers to refer to after our stay in Nepal.
Moving towards sustainable healthcare:
The ultimate goal of the Nepal Medical Mission is to create an independent healthcare system - fully staffed, supported, and sustained by the local villages, with no need for outside influence or direction. We will be gathering data and stories throughout our time in Chyangba in order to determine what kind of resources and help the community needs in order to achieve our goal of sustainable healthcare.
Why am I fundraising?
I am asking you to partner with me to help the people of Nepal. My goal of $3,000 will not only contribute to my costs associated with travel, housing, food, and water for a full month, but also to the project as a whole. Your contributions will enable us to provide for clinic items, trekking equipment, rescue arrangements, insurance for all Nepali staff, etc.
I appreciate you for taking the time to read this. Any support you can offer will be greatly appreciated!
For more information, you can refer to the program website.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me and I'd be more than willing to answer them.
Thank you and please share this with anyone you might know who would be interested in learning about this project.
In conjunction with my interests in international health and community activism, I have joined Stanford's Nepal Medical Mission.
Since 2013, the Stanford Emergency Medicine Department has organized a trip to Nepal for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in global health and medicine. Our goal is to train local community healthcare workers, run a clinic to provide primary care for the local population, and collect data about their healthcare needs. The program has been highly successful at moving the community towards a sustainable healthcare system that meets the needs of the local community. In Summer 2017, we will revisit rural Nepal for one month to develop and continue with our mission.
Where am I going?
I am going to Chyangba, a remote Nepali village in the Solukhumbu district (where Mt. Everest is!). This beautiful Himalayan village is culturally diverse and home to many Nepali ethnic groups such as the Sherpa, Rai, and Magar. It is a largely agrarian community with about 50,000 people in the village and surrounding area.
However, there is only one government-supported aid post for the entire region staffed by two health workers. This makes it difficult for patients with serious illnesses to receive treatment and often underlying health issues go unaddressed. Additionally, as the region was afflicted by the April 2015 earthquake, health infrastructure is more sparse than ever.
Aiding in the Clinic:
We will be devoting a week to conducting clinics with local Nepali community health workers who survey the health of the communities and disease trends. The clinics serve two functions: to assist previously trained community health workers; as well as survey the health of the various communities. Typically mornings will be spent in one village; then our team will trek to a second village for afternoon community clinics. Typical days include 16 hours of student preparation and work.
Community Health Education:
We are also going to be teaching the community about various health challenges facing the village. Through translators, we cover topics ranging from maternal health to immunology to wilderness medicine. I will be lecturing on trauma, oncology, and orthopedics.
Our lectures are open to all members of the community and we get many children and young adults who come wanting to learn more about healthcare. We hope that our lectures will not only make the community more aware of their health but also inspire them to get more healthcare training and use this training to help the village in the future. Therefore, this year, we are also developing educational videos for villagers and community health workers to refer to after our stay in Nepal.
Moving towards sustainable healthcare:
The ultimate goal of the Nepal Medical Mission is to create an independent healthcare system - fully staffed, supported, and sustained by the local villages, with no need for outside influence or direction. We will be gathering data and stories throughout our time in Chyangba in order to determine what kind of resources and help the community needs in order to achieve our goal of sustainable healthcare.
Why am I fundraising?
I am asking you to partner with me to help the people of Nepal. My goal of $3,000 will not only contribute to my costs associated with travel, housing, food, and water for a full month, but also to the project as a whole. Your contributions will enable us to provide for clinic items, trekking equipment, rescue arrangements, insurance for all Nepali staff, etc.
I appreciate you for taking the time to read this. Any support you can offer will be greatly appreciated!
For more information, you can refer to the program website.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me and I'd be more than willing to answer them.
Thank you and please share this with anyone you might know who would be interested in learning about this project.
Organizer
Ashwin Reddy
Organizer
Stanford, CA