Hands for Help Nepal - www.handsforhelp.org.np

We arrived in Kathmandu around 9:00 pm after a short flight from Delhi. We purchased our visas at the airport which was very straightforward. Badri, from H for H, met us at the airport and after seeing the chaos that can occur as cabdrivers seek your patronage, it was a relief to have assistance getting to a hotel! H for H had arranged for our stay at Hotel Earth House, a low key and clean hotel in Thamel. Since our arrival date was two weeks later than our original expectation, our time in Kathmandu was short. H for H arranged language instruction which was very helpful and within just a day and a half we were on our way to the Chitwan District, with Anil, Badri and Karuna. The views coming out of Kathmandu were incredible which made the bus ride wholly worth it. The journey to Sauraha took about 5 hours and I had a hard time looking anywhere but out of the window!

The bus dropped us all off at Tadi Bazaar, a busy town with fruit stands, pharmacies and the majority of items needed for life in Nepal.

After a short ride in a tuk tuk were arrived at Tiger–Camp a hotel on the Rapti River near the Royal Chitwan National Park. We suddenly found ourselves presented with an opportunity to take an elephant ride which we decided to do. We went into the park and we were able to see 2 wild single-horned rhinos, deer and a variety of birds and plant life.

The following day we woke around 8:00 and walked around to take in sights! It was far from what we had imagined our stay in Nepal was going to be – elephants, jungle and warm weather! I even had an elephant bath in the Rapti.

We met our host, Yogendra and after which traveled with him to his house. We could see the Annapurna range from his back porch and after the chaos of Kathmandu, it was a relief to be in such a peaceful and beautiful place.

Yogendra and his family made us feel exceptionally welcome and we settled in, preparing for our month in Sauraha.

We taught English at Shree Malpur Lower Secondary School, a government school providing education to girls and boys roughly between the ages of 5 to 16. Even though the government dictates classes should be no more than 40 students, the lack of resources often means classes are up to 80 students, Shree Malpur has over700 students from grades 1-8. Our schedule was flexible, generally we taught for 2-3 hours in the afternoons, Sundays – Fridays. The students were terrific – well disciplined and excited to learn.

There are 12 teachers all of whom do a fantastic job with the limited resources. The school was significantly affected by flooding during the monsoon and lost many of its supplies to water/mud damage.

Teaching was an incredible learning experience and staying with a Nepali family was a wonderful way to meet new friends and discover more about the Nepali way of life. I wish I could describe in detail all our experiences it has been a life-changing adventure that will not quickly be forgotten!

My husband and I are doctors from the UK and we spent two months volunteering in a small hospital in a rural village called Phalabas in Nepal. Before

Rose & Andy with local people at the hospital

we went on our two month stint we had a three day induction course arranged for us by hands for help Nepal. This involved daily language lessons and local site seeing tours. The language lessons were invaluable for us as we were going to an area of Nepal where only a few people would speak English. Throughout the whole stay we felt reassured and safe that Hands for Help were taking care of us.

Our journey to Phalabas took a whole day. At 8 am we were put on a mini bus to a town called Kusma and where we were met by our host family. From there it was another two hour journey by jeep to Phalabas. We arrived in the darkness, were fed and promptly went to sleep.

In the morning awoke to a beautiful site. There were snow capped mountains in the distant and small houses and fields surrounding the hospital. We were introduced properly to the rest of the team working at the hospital and got straight to work.

The hospital has basic facilities including an X-ray machine, simple blood and urine testing laboratory and a pharmacy. It is run by a capable health assistant and many of the staff speak good English. Many of the patients we saw were not too different from the patient who turn up to emergency departments in the UK. Broken limbs were the most common complaint. We also saw many children with fevers,coughs and colds. The hospital is open from 10am - 4pm, however emergencies can knock on the door any time. Although this did not happen often. As we actually slept in the hospital, we were woken a few times to see patients.

The host family we stayed with treated us like their own family. Kaki (aunty) would cook for us every day, always greeting us with a smile. Her cooking was fabulous and we would always look forward to our meals. Kaki and her husband Kaka (uncle) would ask us everyday how we were and if there was anything they could do for us. They would do everything in their power to help us.

Saturdays were our days off and we would often go for walks around the local villages. We got to see some wonderful views of the Annapurna mountain range and well as the local wildlife. One day whilst on our usual walk around the nearby river, (lamaya chola) we saw a flock of vultures perched on a tree looking across the valley. This is a sight I will never forget.

For those of you wanting to gain a real, unspoilt experience of life in this fabulous country whilst giving something back to these people this is an essential destination. Overall our time in Nepal was a fantastic experience. What we remember most is the kindness of the people we met and the friends we made.