Nepal Health Camp
Collaboration at the Core:
Shanti Sewa Griha & the TIO
Shanti Sewa Griha is a German, not-for-profit organisation based in Kathmandu, Nepal. They are a hospital, orphanage, school, and more all in one, and it was such a privilege to work closely with them during our time in Nepal! Not only are they a wonderful organisation, but their site is also beautiful and covered in murals by local mithila artists! In collaboration with the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO), which is next door to them, they regularly run these health camps in remote areas lacking healthcare accessibility. On these camps, Shanti Sewa Griha organises the transport and brings medical equipment and healthcare professionals from their site in Tilganga, while the TIO provides ophthalmologists.
Peninsula Rotaract:
Our Impact
Having heard about these health camps that Shanti Sewa Griha and the TIO organise, we were so keen to get involved and support this wonderful initiative! Therefore, we decided to pay for the fuel needed for transport to where the health camp would be run, as well as a donation of $800 AUD for approximately 500 1-dollar-glasses (1 dollar being in USD). These are how Shanti Sewa Griha sources the eyewear they provide to people they find to have eye problems, following assessment at a health camp. Therefore, by covering these costs, we enabled them to essentially run the camp free of charge, to help alleviate the financial burden of operating such large-scale projects as an NGO. Additionally, we all volunteered in various positions during the health camp day: Lily checking blood pressure, Quinney doing x-rays, Charlotte as dental receptionist, and our twin club president (RY 24-25) Shreeya Dangol conducting eye tests. It was such a pleasure and valuable experience for us to not only support such important projects financially, but to be involved in hands-on work and see the impact for ourselves. This allowed us to transcend a purely intellectual understanding of why volunteering is important, now we felt it.
The Health Camp & Our Experience
After an hour-long drive, we reached an area called Dakshinkali, situated in Kathmandu (though its desolate landscape makes it appear otherwise. The facility we were using for the camp was a small school close to a brick factory where many families worked during the summer months in the hope of pulling themselves out of poverty, though the labour was gruelling and living conditions grim. Over the 6 odd hours we were adminstering check-ups, we saw over 300 patients! Observing the sheer volume of people queuing up to be seen made us reflect on the importance of healthcare access and how easy it is to take for granted back home. We were told most people travel far to reach these health camps as this is their only opportunity to reach medical attention.
Upon arriving, all patients were weighed, measured, and given a sheet of paper for the different health professionals to record any observations/relevant information as they circled to the different stations we had available. The check-ups given were comprehensive, and stations included a general practitioner, ophthalmologist, gynaecolegist, dentists, physiotherapist, radiologists, a pharmacy, and vaccinations.
It was so interesting to learn about how such initiatives are run and to be given an opportunity to partake hands-on! The human connection with the people we felt was central to our experience, this connection easily persisted through language barriers. This was a fantastic way to feel personally invested in the causes we support. We left feeling touched and newly motivated to work service above self.
Also, to do it with friends from Kathmandu Mid-Town (our twin club) was a pleasure as always! We are so grateful that they made the effort to support all of our projects, including this one, their input and friendship is worth more than words can describe.
