June 2010 Gourkha

Gorkha, June 2010

In June I travelled to Gorkha district with PFR. I travelled with a Christian lady Bimala, who previously I didn’t know well, but she killed me with kindness and by the end of the trip we were sharing a bed!

Initally we stayed in a village, Arughat, about 6 hours from Pokhara. Oh how I don’t do wild life and creepie crawlies. The ‘shower’ room had a wasp’s nest and spiders too numerous to count! Each morning we had a bat curled up on the pillow on the spare bed.

19 patients turned up at the clinic! In the west for an initial assessment day the maximum seen would be 6. We did our best to give advice and provide therapy activities which the families could take with them and use at home.

After Arughat we took a 3 hour bus ride and climbed 2 hours up the mountain to an area called Thumi. Here I stayed with a Nepali family, who were so welcoming and friendly. To reach the toilet I had to negotiate a step ladder and a filed planted with corn.

The first morning we left at 6 to do a home visit where Bimala had to carry out an assessment to make adaptations to a home for a man who had received a wheelchair through Green Pastures Hospital. Living in a room in this house was a young mother of 20, with her 3 year old daughter and 11 year old brother. Their parents had both died of aids, and her husband had left her for another lady and was now living in Kathmandu, but gave her no support. As she had to do manual labour to earn money, often her brother could not go to school as he had to look after the child. This girl had tears in her eyes as she told me their story. We are trying to get them support from INF’s Partnership for Rehabilitation

Another 1 hour walk up the mountain took us to the health post. This day 11 patients attended, all of them had complicated speech and language difficulties. It was lovely to meet one little boy with cerebral palsy that I had met at Green Pastures hospital the previous year. At that time he had been very ill and thin and I had given advice on helping him to feed. He now looked well and healthy. We’re hoping the family will return to GP hospital for more treatment. Many of the patients who attended had walked either up or down the mountainside for 2-3 hours, to reach the clinic.

The night before I returned to Pokhara it rained the whole night, which hadn’t helped the road. The road resembled a ploughed field and I lost count of the number of times the bus had to be dug out! It took 12 hours to return to Pokhara!!

Although I returned exhausted the trip for me was great. To be in such remote locations, living and sharing closely with Nepalis, many who are extremely poor, was rewarding. Although I can only offer limited speech therapy support, at least I was able to offer something. And I hope I am starting to increase awareness that children with learning disability can benefit and develop if helped. I plan to travel again to this area in December. When the roads will be good and hard!