I sort of stumbled across the H for H website as I was beginning to plan my trip to Nepal and I’m glad I did. I’m currently a third year medical student in Canada and was hoping to do some international health work during my summer between 2nd and 3rd year. I didn’t know much about H for H at the time so I emailed a few previous volunteers and asked Anil a tonne of questions about the organization, Nepal, etc. and decided that it sounded like something I wanted to do.

In going to Nepal I was hoping to visit a country unlike anywhere I had been before and I definitely got that wish. I’ve travelled quite a lot and been to a few third world countries in SE Asia before and so I was actually quite surprised that I was hit with culture shock in my first few days in Katmandu. But Anil and Badri, along with the two other volunteers (Kris and Edoardo), quickly made me feel right at home and in no time I adjusted to my new life in Nepal. My first week of orientation was filled with Nepali lessons, Dahl Baht, Dahl Baht, and oh did I mention D.B.?? . . . Joking aside, I actually had quite a lot of free time to explore Katmandu and to hang out with the other volunteers and Badri’s family. Although it wasn’t officially arranged as part of my volunteer work, during my orientation week I spent a few days at the Orphanage for Helpless Children and it ended up being one of the highlights of my trip. It’s really something to see the children’s’ eyes light up when you play even simple games like “Ring around the rosey” or “London bridge” with them. The hardest part is leaving the orphanage without wanting to take one of the kids back home with you.

After my orientation week I took a 2 week break from H for H to do a trek to Everest Base Camp. I highly recommend doing a trek to everyone. I feel like it really completed my trip to Nepal and I truly saw some of the most amazing views in the world. I’d be happy to tell you more about it if you’re interested.

On my return to civilization I went to my new home in Sunderijal (about a 45 minute bus ride from the H for H office/Badri’s house) where I was going to be volunteering in the Alapot health post, only a rice paddy’s walk away. I lived with Jaggat, who essentially functions as the health provider at the health post, and his family. We spent the first half of the day in the health post and then the afternoons working in Jagat’s medicine shop in Sunderijal. Luckily there were only a few times that we got really muddy walking between the two. . .it was monsoon season after all!

Working in the health post was a great learning experience for me. It was great to see what health care is like at a grass roots level in Nepal. A lot of what comes into the health post is fairly simple ie. Patients dehydrated from diarrhea, infected wounds, strep throat, childhood immunizations, etc. Anything requiring investigations has to be sent into the city since there are no x-rays, labs for blood work, etc. Although I didn’t do a lot of hands on work I did get to see a lot of patients and I hopefully improved my Nepali as time went on. I also spent a day in the Emergency room at the Tribivan Teaching Hospital.

It was quite a contrast to the health post and I was thoroughly impressed with the training that goes on there. However, being fortunate enough to have universal health care in Canada I was shocked at the fact that patients have to buy all their own supplies for their stay in the hospital, and I was really sad to see some patients have to leave the hospital because they couldn’t afford the treatment that in some cases they need to survive till the next day.

I would highly recommend volunteering with HforH and going to Nepal. The country is a beautiful blend of culture, religion (Hinduism and Tibetian Budhism), and amazing people. I really think volunteering with an NGO and living with local families is the best way to visit Nepal. Unlike some other countries where a large part of seeing the country involves visiting monuments and seeing artwork, the highlight of visiting Nepal is really getting to know the Nepali people and learning about their way of life.
Feel free to contact me with questions.

I volunteered with Hands for Help in June and July of 2003.  I volunteered teaching English to elementary school children in Kathmandu.  I requested to live with a family while I was there and Hands for Help found a great family for me to live with.  I was able to learn a lot about customs by living with a family and I got a sense of how close families are in Nepal. 

I appreciated the people who work at Hands for Help.  I was able to visit regularly with the director of the program, Anil Bhusal, and ask him for advice or for information.  He is a good listener and a good source of information.  His co-worker, Badri Rai, also listened patiently and gave me good information. 

I learned a lot about living in a humid and warm climate while there.  It's important to bring rain gear such as an umbrella and a rain jacket.  It is also a good idea to bring lightweight clothing and shoes for walking.  These items are really necessary for getting around since it rains almost every day and one has to walk virtually everywhere. 
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Cheers,
Heidi