HHC has been fortunate to form a partnership with The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation, a humanitarian organization active in Vietnam and Nepal.
The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation is not-for-profit organization that develops gift items that can be manufactured by rural villagers using local materials and traditional handicraft skills. The organization conducts workshops with villagers to identify suitable items and to teach them to produce acceptable products.
The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation pays the villagers to produce these goods and then sells the goods to consumers and retailers in the developed world. Profits from the sales are reinvested in the target communities, either to develop additional income generation projects or in programs like those of HHC.
Recognizing that poverty, malnutrition, and ill-health are closely related, in mid-2002, HHC and The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation conducted the first handicraft workshop in Kathmandu for villagers from Tipling and Sherthung. A large number of products are made from recycled materials, helping to enhance ecological awareness in target communities.
Gift items developed during that and subsequent workshops include clothing from Angora rabbit hair wool and other local textiles, dining room and kitchen accessories, pillow cases and blankets, jewelry, and many other beautiful items. These gift items are designed with an awareness of—and a goal of preserving—the traditional handicraft heritage of the Nepalese people.
From June 2002 through December 2004, The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation has returned $187,817 to Nepal, supporting income generation through product financing, as well as the Ilam clinic, medical and educational services in the Shertung, Tipling and Lapa villages, workshop training and shipping costs.
Please visit our partners at The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation. You may purchase gift items that support HHC's programs in Nepal and provide income to numerous villagers. You can see the items available from The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation's Nepal program at www.PassifloraNY.com .
Himalayan Healthcare, Inc.
a not-for-profit organization
WHO WE ARE
HHC is a small and efficient organization founded in 1992.
We are an all-volunteer organization outside Nepal and have numerous paid and volunteer workers in Nepal.
The director of our Nepali operations is Sharad (Anil) Parajuli, who works full-time on HHC activities. In 2001 Anil won recognition for his work with HHC by being declared an Ashoka Fellow.
In October 2004 he was Boss Business Excellence Award's Social Entreprenuer of the Year 2003-2004. He has also been named as one of the top fifty personalities in Nepal for four consecutive years between 2004-2007 by The Boss magazine .
The International President of HHC is Dr. David Johnson, MD. Dr. Johnson is supported by numerous volunteers, from both medical and other fields.
With the opening of the Ilam clinic in early 2004, the Nepali staff of HHC increased markedly. One of our major initiatives at Ilam in the years ahead will be to continue to train and develop our staff.
All of us at HHC are proud of our accomplishments and pleased to make a difference in the lives of the people of Nepal.
WHAT WE DO
HHC provides primary health care, education and income generation assistance to people living in remote and impoverished regions of Nepal.
Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world and suffers from extreme levels of poverty, particularly in rural regions.
We provide humanitarian assistance unobtainable from government or other organizations. We accomplish our mission by creating and supporting programs that provide healthcare services, education programs, and income generation opportunities.
In 2004 HHC significantly expanded its investment in Nepal by opening the Megh Bahadur Parajuli Clinic in the town of Ilam in eastern Nepal. This small hospital serves a region of approximately 300 thousand people.
HHC encourages local participation and involvement in all of its programs to ensure sustainability of benefits. Above all, HHC strives to help people help themselves.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help HHC achieve its goals by donating time, services, goods and money.
We welcome volunteers, both in Nepal and around the world. Medical treks in Nepal have been an important means for our friends to contribute to our efforts. You can also volunteer to help at the Ilam clinic or participate in other activities that support HHC's activities.
Of course, we are pleased to accept monetary donations. Our administrative and fundraising costs are only about 10% of our revenues, an extremely low percentage. In other words, almost all of the money that is donated to HHC goes to the people that need it.
Each year in the late spring, we host an annual dinner in New York City. This is a chance for the friends of HHC to get together, share stories, get a report on recent activities, and learn more about what we are doing. It also helps raise funds for HHC.
If you are interested in donating medical equipment or supplies, or in working with HHC, please contact us for more details. Also, please see our warning page.
HHC relies on donations from our friends.
We need your help to buy basic medicines and medical supplies, including vaccines and vitamins, and to pay and support our Nepali medical staff. We are expanding and developing the Ilam clinic Each year we supply villagers with educational materials, conduct classes and promote income generation schemes. Your gifts will help us do these things and more.
Remember that HHC operates with a very low overhead of only about 10%; all of our international staff are volunteers. This means that your gift will go to help the people who need it.
Unrestricted gifts offer HHC the greatest flexibility in using your donations; however, some of our friends want to provide direct support for individual students. If you are interested in this program, please contact us for more information. We can help you identify a student to support and make all the necessary arrangements.
International physicians, dentists and other healthcare professionals can volunteer at the Ilam community hospital.
In the spring of 2004 we opened our Ilam community hospital in Eastern Nepal. This modest but fairly well equipped hospital has a full-time Nepali staff, but there are plenty of opportunities for volunteer physicians and dentists to make a contribution to local healthcare needs. Moreover, international healthcare professionals often have expertise that can help improve the training and development of our Nepali staff. Our volunteers often find that the experience fundamentally changes their lives.
At the present time, we are seeking volunteer physicians in the following specialties: family practice, ob-gyn, pediatrics, internal medicine, infectious disease, and general surgery. We also have a need for dentists and physiotherapists.
You can volunteer at Ilam for as long as you would like, but we request a minimum commitment of two weeks. HHC will provide housing for volunteers near the community hospital, but volunteers must pay for their own transportation to the town of Ilam. Volunteers will be able to obtain inexpensive and hygenic food at the Ilam community hospital canteen.
Costs for the volunteers:
* Nepal Medical Council Registration
doctors - $85
other health professionals - $ 40
* Hotel in Kathmandu ($25 - $125 \ night, choice)
* Two way airfare to Bhadrapur + airport tax - $335
* Car drive to Ilam (two way) - $80 (shared if more than one volunteer)
* Food at hospital canteen - $ 10-15 \ day
* Handling charges - $200
While you are working at Ilam, HHC can help you make trips in the surrounding region to see more of the people and places of Nepal.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Ilam hospital, please contact Himalayan HealthCare at info@himalayan-healthcare.org. Also, please see our warning page.
HHC sponsors 40 children in school and 15 high school graduates in technical schools.
There are only two high schools in northern Dhading and most students stop after primary school due to lack of financial support to attend high schools which are outside their village.
In 2006/2007, we supported 23 girls, orphans and blacksmith children in the local schools and 15 in private schools in Kathmandu through the help of generous friends. So far 30 sponsored students have graduated from high school.
Many of the high school graduates are further supported when they attend technical schools and colleges. They receive training as health providers, teachers and other skilled technicians to take over the running of their village health posts, schools, and other services or trades in their villages. In the past students have been trained in carpentry, plumbing, tailoring, sewing, and knitting in the cities to provide services as well as income.
Costs:
Child at village school (fees, books, uniform, etc.) - $40 \ month (min. 1 yr.)
Child at Boarding school in Kathmandu - $100 \ month (min. 2 yr.)
Technical School - $200 to $300 \ month (total duration 1, 2 or 3 yrs.)
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