HELPING HANDS HEALTH EDUCATION

FEEDBACK

We would like to express our gratitude to all medical volunteers for sharing the views and experiences on their visit to Nepal.

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Lessli Honrung: A medical student volunteer from University of Washington. Volunteered during Summer of 2002.

She expresses her experience as follows:

“In the summer of 2002, I had the pleasure of volunteering in Nepal with Helping Hands. This extraordinary experience is truly one in a lifetime! Despite and perhaps in part because of the political instability, this is a country in great need of medical and dental volunteers. My month was spent volunteering at free medical camps in various villages around Kathmandu, performing health screenings for fifth graders at schools in the city, assisting in the established Helping Hands Clinics in Chabahil and Gongabu, and participating in a 10-day trek through the Annapurna Himalayas.

From the moment you step out onto the runway in Nepal and embark on the chaotic drive to your new "home", you realize you're in for an amazing experience.  Helping Hands has done a tremendous job of providing adequate housing (with your own private Nepali chef), facilitating opportunities to integrate into the Nepali culture and ensuring your safety. Each day as you walk through town to clinic you can see the lack of adequate housing and sanitation - no matter which way you turn. Yet the glowing, receptive and generally inquisitive faces of the people makes you feel welcome. Invitations to join in a game, conversation, or exchange a cry of "namaste" (hello) abound. Everyone there is truly grateful that you have come to visit; to help them. The Chabahil Clinic is very busy, clearly starting to outgrow its space. At any moment the doors may open to reveal an elderly woman suffering from congestive heart failure or perhaps a young child with bleeding rectal polyps. One afternoon we arrived to find an entire family with second degree burns from an explosion in their kitchen; the staff calmly dealing with the situation because the family could not afford to be treated in the hospital emergency room. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Helping Hands is that they will not refuse care to anyone; often providing services for a fraction of the cost at other medical facilities in Kathmandu. Engaging in the free medical camps is definitely the most rewarding time we spent in Nepal. We drove out to remote villages and set up one-day clinics in vacant schools, post offices, or even abandoned Red Cross facilities. People had walked for miles to see a doctor; many not having seen one in years. As reward for our hard work, we participated in a trek to the Annapurna Base Camp. Nepal's countryside is amazingly beautiful. Vast lands covered in tiers of rice paddies, the people carrying tremendous loads on their back, and beautiful mountain ranges that stretch as far as the eye can see. This is the beauty that is Nepal.”

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Dr. Thomas Sun: A physician from Torrance, California. Volunteered at the village camp in Bandipur during October 2002.

He shares his experience as follows:

“Dear Helping Hands,

Thank you for helping to make my experience in Nepal truly wonderful and fulfilling.  My time there far exceeded my expectations.  Everyone at the Boulder office, to the Nepali medical staff, to the cooks, porters, and guide could not have done any more to ensure that my time in Nepal was worth the time and energy.  Nepal is a country filled with tremendous beauty, generosity, warmth, and pride--it was a pleasure to be able to provide my services to the wonderful Nepali people.  My recently developed photos just do not do justice to the land and people that I encountered and, in turn, enriched my life.  

It has been said, “You come to Nepal for the mountains, but you go back for the people.” This certainly applies to the wonderful people I encountered in the village of Bandipur.Our group arrived for the two-week health camp in October, about a year since Helping Hands was last there.  Our primary challenge lay in providing medical services with limited supplies and resources; one had to be satisfied with just ‘doing your best’ with what we had.  Of course, it should be noted that the villagers have had to ‘do their best’ to function daily without regular access to health care. I believe that this mutual understanding between our group of Western health care providers and the villagers is what made our health camp a success.  I was able to feel a sense of trust in our abilities to manage and treat many of their chronic problems as well as acute ones such as asthma, abdominal pain, and a variety of infections.  In return, we were made to feel more than welcome as we wandered the village, visited local shops, and accepted invitations into their homes.  Bandipur has been regarded as the Switzerland of Nepal, but I believe its true beauty lies in the hearts and attitudes of the people. I am indebted to the Helping Hands staff, volunteers, and my colleagues for giving me such an extraordinary experience, and I will value the new friendships I have developed.  My deepest gratitude again goes out to the Helping Hands organization.  This experience is one that will be remembered for a lifetime and has inspired a desire to continue seeking medical volunteering opportunities in the future.  Best wishes to the organization and to the success of future health camps.”

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Dr. Bill Chase: A Physician from New Hampshire, USA was one of the leading physicians in the group during October 2002 village camp to Bandipur.

He expresses:

“It was a wonderful experience; wonderful people, beautiful country with some significant political problems. We had a very rewarding medical experience in Bandipur. We will keep in touch”.

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Patti Steininger an RN from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin in the group and she writes:

“Dear Helping Hands,

Recently I had the opportunity to be part of a 2 -week clinic in Bandipur and it was the most interesting experience of my 30 -year nursing career. I just got back from the trip and I wanted Helping Hands to know how much I loved the people and country of Nepal. Our visit was outstanding and I will never forget the incredible joy I have that we have had this experience. I would have liked to stay much longer than the 2 months! Thank you so much for everything.  The Nepali people were enormously helpful and they also opened their homes to us offering hospitality and sometimes offering meals. When people from Wisconsin (where I live) ask me what stands out most in my mind about the trip, the answer is simple-the Nepali people. The Nepali people showed such appreciation and gratitude to us for the care the clinic was providing that not only was I happy to be part of the health camp, but I plan to do it again. Helping Hands is a wonderful organization because it provides health care to those in need, and also provides people like myself with an incredibly rewarding and adventurous experience. It has been a huge adjustment to come home and remember how stressful, rushed and many times impersonal our lives can be here in this country and I would love to take advantage of having this experience again. Thank you again…..”

Sincerely, Patti Steininger RN

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Ms. Barbara Chase also participated in the Bandipur Camp during October 2002 and she writes:

“Dear Helping Hands,

My mind continues to swirl with memories of lush green terraced hillsides, women wrapped in scarlet cloth, shining brown baby faces, watching the moon from our tent, welcoming smiles from the village people, day after day of snow capped mountain peaks and many new friends, both Nepali and American. It really is difficult to tell  how much I enjoyed this experience. 

Firstly, Helping Hands is to be commended for the excellent organization of our travel (I know Rajshree can be thanked for that), the establishment of our camp, the care we were given by our crew, and the ease with which the clinics progressed. The facilities are minimal and somewhat primitive, but our team worked together with the Nepali doctors, pharmacist, local nurses and paramedics, and great work was accomplished. AND it was really fun. I greeted each sunny day with eagerness and anticipation. Our group was hard working, cohesive, flexible, eager to meet any challenge, and very joyful. I really loved the village, the people, the land and the weather.

Secondly, I felt that the makeup of our group was key to its success. Having both generalists and specialists broadened the scope of what was medically possible. Having Nepalese doctors with us was wonderful. It was good to have them their to assist us with acculturation, translation and consultation. My heart aches, as I hear from those still in Nepal, about the increased Maoist activity, especially in our peaceful mountain village of Bandipur. The young men, who were our trusted interpreters and friends and playmates, are now in hiding in the jungles.

While in Kathmandu (I did not go on the trek) I really enjoyed staying in the apartment of Bhola and his family. They welcomed me into the celebration of the festival of lights, and once rescued me when I was VERY lost in the city at night! The permanent clinic at Chabahil is a well oiled machine. I know much work and energy went into making it so, but I was very much impressed by what is accomplished there. Gupta and Udaya kindly included me in there assessment of patients, and answered any questions I had.”

- Ms. Barbara Chase.

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In November 1999, Jeremy Graham participated in our clinic in Nepal. He was a mediacl student then and now is a physician.

He shares his experience as follows:

“Getting of the jetliner in Kathmandu was stepping into shock. As soon as doors opened onto the tarmac of Kathmandu, there was no doubt the differences in front of me. Meters out of the door in  a press of  hucksters and beggars, we tried to be smooth about lugging full duffel bags clumsily between goats and lepers, taxis and buses, all with absolutely no regard to whether anything was in their path. The Helping Hands coordinator met us there and gracefully  ushered us in for the short trip to the city. The clinic was another 50 rupees taxi ride away from the city.  Accommodations were comfortable but spartan and we unrolled our sleeping bags onto thickly padded wooden frames and bundled in against the cold nights.

The morning began with a hot shower and before noon we began our journey to the field camp – Phidim. You  reach Phidim in stages. First you take a domestic flight to Biratnager and it takes 90 minutes to reach Biratnagar. From the tarmac at Biratnagar, we clambered into a Land Rover, bumping heads on the steel walls, packed in under the pile of equipment loaded on the roof. Night fell just about the time we ran out of pavement  we’d already climbed from Biratnagar’s 300 meters and lush humidity into the middle hill altitudes.

It struck me as remarkable that until sundown, we were never once out of sight of people. Unlike the US, with its wide open range land, virtually every inch of useful land in Nepal in lived in. By the time we reached Phidim the encampment was already set up by the local Helping Hands staff. It took only few hours before the word was out and the hospital yard was filled, absolutely packed, with people waiting to be seen. Each day of the week was straightforward enough on the surface. Hundreds of people would arrive in the hospital’s front yard vying for tickets to be one of the limited number of patients we could see in a day. At Phidim, lone dentist was certainly the most utilized – she opened clinic before anyone else and there wasn’t a single evening that she didn’t come back to camp hours later than the rest of us. Three generalists, the dentist and one American medical student, saw hundreds of patients over six working days.

One brief narrative can only scratch of what Nepal teaches, even in a relatively short visit. But, my own experience may illustrate the kind of experiences that volunteers find for themselves. Nearly any clinician could gain something from the experience; it is immensely satisfying to do work that otherwise wouldn‘t get done. It would be useful to study and essential to relax and be willing to work with rapidly changing situation. Dealing with this diversity of human experience, firsthand and in crucial situations, has enriched the way I communicate with patients in the US. I encourage other students and physicians to work with Helping Hands, with assurity that their own experiences will differ from my own and offer even greater learning and rewards.”

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Annelisa Tornberg: A pre-nusring student from Seattle Washington volunteered in Helping Hands clinic in Nepal during Oct./Nov.2003.

She shares her experience with us.

Namaste!

This past autumn I spent two months in Nepal volunteering at Helping Hands clinics, along with Deep Trivedi, a medical student from New York.  I am sure that I speak for both of us when I tell you of the truly incredible experiences we had.  I could not have asked for a better international health care experience, or a better way to learn about the wonderful Nepali people and their culture.

As I landed in Nepal I was bit nervous about being in a culture so different from my own, as well as being unaware of how the current political situation would affect my time here.  I was soon greeted by two smiling young men and immediately welcomed into the hospitality and safety of Helping Hands.  While the clinic staff in Nepal consistently made sure I was happy and comfortable, the staff back in Colorado reassured my parents of my safety and plans for the next two months.  I am very grateful to Rajshree Shrestha for the time spent communicating with my family, letting them know about the experiences I would be having and that they were doing everything possible to ensure my health and safety.

While in Kathmandu I was welcomed into Mr. Bhola Nath Sharma’s home and family.  Dr. Gupta Bd. Shrestha gave us a warm introduction to the clinic and along with the other talented doctors and staff, Deep and I were made part of the Helping Hands team.  We formed lasting friendships with people in and out of the clinic.  We were invited by patients to visit their homes, explored the beautiful temples and landmarks of the Kathmandu Valley with clinic staff, and thoroughly enjoyed becoming part of daily life at Chabahil.  During Deepawali, one of Nepal’s most important festivals, we were honored to be invited to celebrate with Mr. Sharma’s family- sharing the beauty of many tea lights lit around their home and a delicious traditional Nepali meal.  During the Tihar festival, on a day when Hindus worship oxen, we visited Pashupatinah.  While waiting outside the temple, I met a woman who was very curious about where I came from and what I was doing in Kathmandu.  When I began speaking to her in broken Nepali, a smile grew across her face.  She showed me how to worship the oxen by giving them tikas, marks of blessing placed on the forehead, and flower necklaces.  Her genuine enthusiasm and willingness to share part of her culture left me smiling for days.

After several weeks of walking to and from the clinic we became friends with local shop owners and enjoyed visiting with them and improving our Nepali language skills.  It is true that Kathmandu is a very crowded and busy city, however, the people are among the most gentle and friendly in the world.  I felt welcomed and safe at all times.  One night as we departed a new friend’s home, we were lucky to find a lone taxi driving by.  What made this even more incredible was that the driver stopped because he recognized us as the foreigners who lived in Bishal Nagar neighborhood and worked at the Helping Hands clinic.  I suppose a 5’ 5” woman with blond hair does stand out on the typical Nepali street, however, it gave me a smile and feeling of comfort to know that this man took care to remember us and get us home safely.

Deep and I spent part of our time with Dr. Anil Suwal and his staff at the Helping Hands clinic in Khandbari.  I truly enjoyed my time in this beautiful village.  We became close friends with the neighbors, all of whom have the utmost respect for Dr. Anil and Helping Hands.  As we took an evening walk one night, several people ran out to greet us and say thank you for helping them, or that they would be stopping by the clinic the next day.  Although Khandbari was closer to anti-government activity than Kathmandu, I felt very safe at all times.  The Major of the district’s army even made a personal visit to the clinic to let us know that he appreciated our service and would provide any assistance and escort should we need to visit places after dark or outside of the village.  Everyone we met in Khandbari taught us something new about Nepali culture and we had many entertaining nights with Dahl Baht and traditional Nepali music.  Although I didn’t know the words to the Nepali or Hindi songs they were singing, I had a great time humming along and trying to dance in their style.  Their laughter suggested that my efforts were almost as entertaining as their beautiful music.  On our last morning, Deep and I were honored with Nepali tikas, flower necklaces, and katas, blessing scarves, to keep us safe on the journey back to Kathmandu.  The generosity of the people in Khandbari is incredible.  Many families struggle to be sure they have enough food to eat and that their children can continue going to school.  Yet they put so much effort into making sure that we were safe and took home only positive memories of Khandbari.  They were certainly successful.

Near the end of our stay in Nepal we decided to carry out our plans of exploring yet another part of the country.  Helping Hands helped us to organize a trek to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar.  For twelve days we explored the mountain trails and villages of the Khumbu region.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and helped us to safely reach our destinations.  We had an absolutely wonderful two weeks and our hard work was rewarded with some of the most beautiful mountain views in the world.

In just two short months I learned more than I would have ever imagined.  I gained knowledge of health care, patient interactions, Nepali culture, customs, and language.  I developed life-long friendships, experienced a fascinating part of the world, and learned hands-on about providing health care to underserved communities.  Although I have been back in Seattle for only short while, I am already planning and looking forward to returning to Nepal with Helping Hands in the near future, as a Registered Nurse.

I strongly recommend this program to students and professionals who have an open mind and an interest for international health care in underserved countries such as Nepal.  Helping Hands will help you have the experience of a lifetime.  Take a step away from home and enjoy the fascinating country of Nepal.  Chances are good that you will fall in love with Her too. 

Sincerely,

Annelisa Tornberg

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Welcome Aboard to Helping Hands and the world of service!