S.E.E.D.S. clinics in remote villages have had a profound effect on the health of local communities. Four health posts are now operating in the Nubri and Tsum valleys with two more under construction.
We also provide funding for an amchi training program and hope to fund as many as 18 new clinics to be staffed by amchis in the near future.
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| Nubri Women's Health Training |
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The SEEDS Board of Directors, during a visit to the Nubri Valley of Nepal, was approached by community Women's Associations, with requests to provide basic child and maternal health education. In January 2001, 42 Nubri women between 16 and 56 years old, completed the SEEDS sponsored Nubri Women's Health Training Workshop in Kathmandu. The Nubri Valley is one of the most isolated in the Himalayan border region, lacking any basic services except the recently established SEEDS sponsored clinics and schools. Villagers have limited knowledge of western medicine, and indigenous healing traditions sometimes fail to save lives.
Health problems in Nubri are a major concern. 40% of the children die before age five; childbirth is often difficult; frequently women die in labor. A single health post, sponsored by SEEDS in 1999, combining Tibetan and western medicine, serves over 3,000 people. The nearest hospital is in Gorkha, a five to seven day walk. After an arduous five day trek and ten hour bus ride, the Nubri women arrived in Kathmandu for the week-long workshop which focused on primary health care, reproductive health, and maternal and child care. Topics included household sanitation, environmental health, and avoidance, identification, and treatment of diseases common to the Nubri area, as well as feminine hygiene, reproduction, fertility, and problems associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Evening lecturers highlighted Tibetan and aruyvedic medicine, and the importance of cultural preservation. Instructors included female Tibetan doctors and nurses, and female Nepali doctors with experience in rural health care. The program culminated with a banquet at Hotel Tibet, and a speech by Dr. Tika P. Pokharel, Member Secretary of His Majesty Government's Social Welfare Council. The participants proudly received certificates of completion and photographs to commemorate the event.
Manjughoksha Academy in Boudha hosted the participants. For many Nubri women this was their first time in a school environment, and away from the responsibilities of family, household, fields, and livestock.
