Updates from Val – Light Education Development

Nepal: Health Post Plans

LED — Tue, 17 May 2016 08:11:07 +0000

In Val’s Spring Update, you will have seen that we are going to be working with the Nepal Youth Foundation to build a LED health post in Gorkha or Sundalpulchok, funded by Faith Harckham and friends.

In April, Val went with the Nepal Youth Foundation to visit schools in the Sundalpulchok area and to see some of the buildings provided by the Nepal Youth Foundation.

The buildings have concrete fibre walls and then either brick or stone and a metal roof plus steel structures, all bolted to allow movement in tremors (unlike welded pieces). We’ll be using a similar design for the health post.

Big thanks to Lalit from NYF for his immense time and effort on the site visits, and to Riswor and Anjita at the NYF main office in Kathmandu for helping coordinate arrangements and for information on the building design and materials.

Val says “The local staff working with NYF are all so friendly and helpful and a true delight to see in action”.

Here are some photos from Val’s visit:

News from Nepal

LED — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 10:45:04 +0000

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GPs and Greenhouses in the Cordillera Blanca

LED — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 15:02:09 +0000

We are also hoping to have a GP and her husband from the Lakes join us in Quishuar in June and we will be making more greenhouses using plastic bottles following the success of a project that has been running in Scotland with great success.

This will help the local ladies who can then sell some of their produce in the markets in Pomabamba and Lucma along with helping improve the diet of their children.

The greenhouses can be done with a simple set up and the local children will all be involved in the making of each greenhouse.

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Quishaur health post: summer volunteers confirmed, and welcome Nurse Carmen!

LED — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 14:57:54 +0000

We’re also really looking forward to welcoming Paul, Alex, Joshua and Hugo – medics at Leeds uni – to Quishaur in the Blanca to our health post where they will be volunteering for a month this summer. They are currently raising money for medical equipment and supplies for their trip.

This is fantastic news for us and Carmen, our new nurse there. Carmen has been doing a fantastic job recently with it being the rainy season in the Blanca making it very difficult for folks, so she has been seeing more than the usual accidents as there have been some pretty bad rock falls and floods in the area.

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April and June will see 490 solar lights distributed in Nepal and Peru

LED — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 14:43:02 +0000

Thanks to all who have very generously donated in this last month with the money received so far we will be providing 275 homes with solar lights this spring in Nepal and already have 90 solar lights on the way to Peru. In June Val will be with some Canadian friends who will be helping deliver those lights along with a further 125 in the Blanca area.

In March / April Val and some friends are delivering solar lights in Tsum area with the much valued help of Anthony the engineer from Canada who has designed the latest box light now with a mobile phone adaptor attached to it.

A great start to the year – thanks everyone!

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LED Update – December 2011

LED — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:33:00 +0000

Nepal

In the spring of 2011 solar lights were delivered to Dolakha district and also medical supplies were given to Samagaon Samdo and the Tsum valley.

In the autumn of 2011 school supplies were delivered to Samagaon Samdo along with some books. Then solar lights were taken to Sebugaon, Gum Gaon, Tong Gompa and Huyanya Gompa. Some individuals who live by themselves and villagers who live above Tong Gompa received lights. These villages are very hard to reach and the bridge crossings proved to be very interesting!

More books and 10 solar lights were donated to Samagaoan school hostel. We received the following message from the headmaster, Phurba.

Hello HAPPY NEW YEAR. and i hope you are injoing New year in your home town.We are in Kathmandu. And hopfully will stay here about a month.And very very thank you for your portable solar system to my school. That is working very well. Good bye . phurbu.

Requests were received for help to build a library for the school with books in Tibetan Nepali and English along with help with pens pencils text books and writing books. Hopefully we will be able to assist with this during 2012.

Peru

More lights were delivered to villages in the Cordillera Blanca and now over 400 homes have solar lights in the region. Lots of help was provided by Fulford School.

School supplies delivered along with solar lights to many villagers in the Cordillera Blanca near Quisaur. Again, lots of help was provided by Fulford School. You can read more about how the students helped LED in Peru in the next section.

Peggy Brosnan and Dave Linthicum also spent a week working at Quisuar School and teaching.

1200 tooth brushes kindly donated by East Farleigh Primary school have been given out to 5 primary level schools so that the kids will be able to do teeth brushing everyday at school. A big programme, and Fulford School students did an amazing job of making laminated pictures showing how to clean teeth and wash hands and then spent 5 days in the village helping show the kids how to use the tooth brushes, as well as delivering lights, handing out school supplies and repainting the health post. Exceptional students.

The health post in Quisuar is now wired for electricity which hopefully will arrive this next summer and also new concrete steps have been built and a new retaining wall has been created behind the post. Cathy, our new health worker is excellent and an extra trainer spent time there in September teaching health hygiene for local mums and kids and some pre natal training for Cathy.

Looking ahead

For 2012 we are planning to support the following projects.

In Nepal we would like to develop the library for Samagaon School and provide school supplies and solar lights for 3 villages in the Manalsu and Tsum area. Hopefully we will also be abe to help a Dalit village in the Solu district. Additionally we would like to provide some lights for yak herders in the Khumbu Rowaling area who live full time out of the village, except perhaps for one month per year, the average altitude is 4400m.

In Peru we would like to provide solar lights for the Quitaracsa village. This village is approximately 4 days from nearest road. Once again we are hoping to provide school supplies again for 7 schools, and sustain our training programme at the health post in Quisaur. If funds allow we would like to run a mobile medical clinic in the Cordillera Blanca area.

Contributed by Val Pitkethly

Manaslu, Nepal, November/December 2011

LED — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:54:00 +0000

This was a quick 10 day trek, with just me and Tsering Sherpa, Khancha and Maila from Kathmandu. We delivered solar lights to the villages of Gumgoan, Sebugoan, Nyn, Shyalagompa, Honsampagompa, Hinan, Tonggompa and Samdu in the Manaslu region of Nepal. We also delivered solar lights to the hostel at the Samagoan school and medical supplies to Samagoan’s Phase health post.

This trip entailed crossing the scariest bridge ever, and consuming the standard Tibetan butter tea in copious quantities. I am very appreciative of the hospitality offered by Bhadur, the headmaster at the Samagoan school, his wife Latchme, and all the locals in this region, especially Mingma Dorje from Lhi.

We also followed up with the little girl with the facial burns. We arranged to have her go to Kathmandu and receive treatment for the infection at a volunteer plastic surgery camp. The doctor there agreed to provide plastic surgery over the next two years. LED will cover the travel costs to ensure she can get there and back as her village is a 4 day trek from the nearest road head. The nearest Phase health post worker will help coordinate this with us.

Contributed by Val Pitkethly

Manaslu, Nepal, October 2011

LED — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:52:00 +0000

On this trip we had a mixed group of clients from Canada and the UK. We delivered school and medical supplies to the villages of Samagoan and Samdu in the Manaslu region of Nepal. We also brought warm winter clothing donated by the group members.

The headmaster of the Samagoan school has requested help in establishing a school library so in 2012 we hope to deliver English, Tibetan and Nepali books along with posters, flashcards, etc. He also requested extra lights for the hostel at the school. Children who have to walk more than two hours one way to get to the school can stay at the hostel during the school week. We hope to deliver these on a return trip in December.

On this trip we also encountered a 6 year old girl with severe facial burns. Serious infections were setting in so we are going to try and make arrangements for her to see a specialist in Kathmandu. We will follow up on our return trip in December.

Contributed by Val Pitkethly

Update on Health Post in Quishuar, August 2011

LED — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:50:00 +0000

Our new health post worker, Kathy, has proved to be a great asset and is very popular. LED arranged for a senior health care worker to join her in Quishaur for the month of September to provide her with additional health training. Since the health post opened in 2009, I have noticed an improvement in overall basic health, particularly pre- and post-natal health, and fewer gastric problems in young children. This is due to better health awareness and the availability of medication to address issues sooner.

Kathy has been very pro-active in educating the villagers about basic health and hygiene. 2011 saw approximately 2000 patients with conditions ranging from gastric infections to heart conditions and broken bones that required treatment and evacuation. Patients are coming from six different villages, up to 4 hours walking distance.

We brought electric wiring, provided by LED, to the health post this summer in anticipation of electricity coming to the village in 2012. We hope to be able to buy ultrasound equipment and electrical sterilization equipment in 2012.

If there are any doctors, nurses or dentists interested in volunteering their time at the health post, please contact us.

Contributed by Val Pitkethly

Quishuar and Jancopampa, Peru, July 2011

LED — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:46:00 +0000

LED organized a trip for Dave and Peggy, teachers from United States, to spend a week in Quishaur at the teaching school, helping with basic repairs at the health post and showing the students how to read a map. On their final day they held an orienteering competition which was throughly enjoyed by all the village.

We then arrived with a group from the Fulford School from the UK. There were 14 students, ages 16 to 18, and 3 staff, along with the usual complement of Bedon family members. We trekked into Quishuar where the students helped with the distribution of school supplies and 1200 toothbrushes to several villages in the area, including Jancopampa. The Fulford students particularly enjoyed trekking to some of the more remote villages. They also educated the local school children on brushing their teeth and washing their hands. The UK students had made posters about dental hygiene and basic health.

Special thanks to the East Farley School in Kent, UK, for raising funds and donating the toothbrushes and football strips (ie, jerseys). Several football matches were enjoyed by students from both countries. The students made a great effort to blend in with the local culture by wearing local costume and were soon adept at the dancing steps, joining in with great enthusiasm with the local bands that are always part of the celebrations.

The Fulford students also helped with painting and decorating at the Quishaur health post, and distribution of solar lights to several villages in the area. Special thanks again to Juniper Trust for their donation towards the solar lights.

I would like to say special thanks to the Fulford school, students, and in particular, Dan Bodey, the deputy headmaster of Fulford, for a superb trip. All the Quishaur villagers are looking forward to your return.

Contributed by Val Pitkethly