Millie & Vikki in Nepal: flight

Sunday, 22 August 2010

Hello from Abu Dhabi!

Hello!
Just landed at Abu Dhabi airport (which is amazing by the way!) it's all very shiny and new! Flight was fine! Spent most of the 6 hours watching trashy rom-com films and reading the free magazines! It's 2am here and our flight to Kathmandu doesn't leave for another 8 hours. Should probably try and sleep a little in that time! Managed to get both the typewriters we're taking out for the charity through although the heavier one had to go into hold (&will probably be returned to us in a thousand pieces!)

Apparently it's 31 degrees celcius here! Looks very sandy outside (unsuprisingly!)

Hopefully we'll be able to find an internet cafe tomorrow when we arrive in Kathmandu!

Millie xx

(if you want to contact us, you can leave a message/comment below!)

About Nepal in Need

Nepal In Need work high up in the Arun Valley of Eastern Nepal providing basic health care to the indigenous Rai and Sherpa people. This is an area of steeply forested valleys, rushing glacial rivers and soaring peaks. Immense beauty and enormous logistical problems.In 2008 Catherine Blaiklock and Gyaljen Sherpa funded and set up the Khenpalung Community Health Centre in the Sankhuwasabha district . This is an arduous three day walk from the nearest road. The centre is staffed by two doctors and two nurses. A further health post has now been set up in the Sherpa village of Gontala, two days higher up . Previously, there was no provision for health in the area so sick people had to be stretchered down to the district capital and this took three to four days. Many died especially children and babies. Now for the first time children are receiving innoculations, women are being treated for the many gynaecological problems and antibiotics are being prescribed for TB.

LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS There is no electricity in any of these villages - it took four men, five days to haul a generator up to our health centre: across ragged cliffs, over high passes, sometimes balancing on precarious bamboo bridges and through jungle. 52 porters carried up an x-ray machine, solar panels, drugs and equipment.

FUTURE PLANS We would like to build many more health centres in Nepal. There are thousands of villages in this area alone with no access even to an aspirin. A small health centre can be built and equipped for £5000. A barefoot doctor costs £80 per month. Most generic drugs manufactured in India cost a matter of pence and can save a life. There are schools with no books, no stationary and no pens. There are no maps or posters; the blackboards are painted on mud walls making it difficult to read the chalk lettering. A number of schools have no toilets. We have 70 houses that are 9km from a water source. Can you help us solve any of these problems?