Reports

LED Update – December 2011

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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

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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

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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

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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