Project: Healthpost (Completed in 2016)
About
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This is one of the first major projects we have undertaken so far. A health post is a healthcare centre that is similar to a clinic, and is common in villages in Nepal as they cannot afford to maintain a hospital.
The existing health post in Phulphingkatti, Sindhupalchok, which was the area most affected by the earthquake, was destroyed. The devastation wrought by the earthquake was further aggravated by the floods and landslides that followed soon afterwards. During our summer in Nepal, we met with a local member of the Phulpingkati VDC of Sindhupalchok (Mingmar Sherpa), who was already taking initiative to help the people in his village and discussed our plans; thus we agreed to fund the building costs for the new building which will be earthquake resistant. |
WHY? |
Akin to many of the villages in Nepal, Phulpingkati also rests on a hill far from the luxury of modern health care and facilities. Phulpingkati is a village development committee consisting of more than 10 villages, and to get to the nearest health post, the locals must travel through treacherous trails. Therefore, a few years ago, a health post was built in the midst of these villages, so that all villagers could have safe access. Moreover, the central village, Narayanthan, is the only place that actually has road access - though a highly treacherous one. Sadly, during the earthquake, the health post that once stood there was destroyed and hence we decided to rebuild and improve the health post in collaboration with the villagers themselves.
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New Building |
The earthquake and the annual occurrence of landslides have destroyed the roads and rendered the construction site inaccessible. The blockade in the Nepal-India border has made oil very scarce in Nepal, further aggravating the situation. But, thanks to our hardworking collaborator and person in charge, Mingmar Sherpa, we were able to evade these obstacles and finish our construction.
To us, this health post construction is more than just an achievement - it is a beacon of hope and inspiration to aid us in our other and future projects. |
Current Status:
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We are pleased to announce that the health post was completed in May 2016, and forecast that it will be ready for full operation starting December 2016. The team personally inspected the health post in our trip to Nepal last June and were satisfied with the work.
The team and its contacts in Nepal are handling paperwork required by the government for full operation and are currently finding ways to sustain the health post through the local people. Moreover, the interior is being carefully furnished to ensure that the health post will be fully capable of handling the needs of the local people. |
