We completed many treks out to the villages to screen for malnutrition. I enjoyed these treks which allowed me to see the surrounding areas and where/how people live. Everybody was very hospitable as we wandered through their homes. The days were both physically and mentally exhausting. I much prefer going down the mountains than up the mountains, but as we kept going farther down, you know that you must go up at the end of the trek! Our typical day would just include us going from one house to the next and measuring all children 6 months to 5 years old. We got lots of crying kids that were afraid of us, but they are still so cute!!! If a child is moderately malnurished than they got some counseling on what kinds of foods to feed the child, if they were severely malnurished we give them the same counseling and strongly encourage them to come to the hospital for further care and treatment. There are many reasons why malnutrition is a problem here, and after walking through these villages I have a much better understanding of the challenges and difficulties that families have in providing for their families!
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| taking arm circumferences |
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| such cute little ones =)
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The Hospital
The hospital here has 45 beds. There is a small Emergency Room, one Operating Room, a Maternity ward, a Post-op area, 2 general wards, a waiting area, outpatient exam rooms, pharmacy, lab, a nutrition room and a leprosy exam room. One of the unique things to me is that on the general wards, beds are given to the next person in need - so men, women, and children all share the ward.
Most of the hospital staff are Nepali, and all of the nurses are female.
There is no place for women who are in labor - so they have to labor in the streets until they are ready to deliver.
There is also no food service, families have to provide the food. A project is underway to complete the construction of a small cantine attached to the hospital where food can be easily obtained for patients and families.
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| Front entrance of the hospital |
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| The hospital |
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| Waiting room |
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| One of the hospital wards |
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| one of the delivery rooms |
Out to eat in Dadeldhura
Besides the Manna Bakery, there are not a lot of options of places to eat out. There are a few hotels that can have decent food - sometimes it makes people sick, othertimes it doesn't. One night we ate at a little place run by a family from the church, and it was so good and a really fun time!
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our restaurant |
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| A typical Dal Bhat meal |
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| Making roti
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Leaving Nepal
There was a group of us leaving Dadeldhura and the hospital at the same time. It was nice to travel together, and I was thankful that the motion sickness was not as severe as the trip to the hospital. Just before I left I had the priviledge to be at a home birth of one of the missionaries. She delivered a beautiful baby boy, but he needed a little medical attention and we were watching him closely both at the hospital and at his house during the days after his birth. He seemed to be doing better when I left, but then began to have problems again after I had left Dadeldhura, it was decided that he needed to be transferred to the capital city for additional testing. Since I was in the capital city for a few days I was able to visit the parents and hear updates about how he was doing. It was a blessing to see them again, although we all would have loved for it to be under different circumstances! The little baby is now discharged from the hospital and doing well, I'm so thankful!!!
I enjoyed my time in Nepal and was so thankful for the month I had there. God allowed me to meet some amazing people and see breathtaking scenery!!!
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| My roommates |
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| Enjoying a pizza party the night before I left |
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| My traveling buddies |
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| We stopped at this little place along the way for some yummy rice pudding |
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1 comment:
Such a neat experience! I'm not sure how I feel about that no place for women to labor bit! Once it's time to deliver, I don't want to have to more. :) So glad you were able to go and that you're home again!
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