Updates from Val

Val was back in Nepal from late March to early May, spending time in the Khumbu and Manaslu-Tsum areas which provided the opportunity to review LED projects, to deliver solar lights, medical supplies and school supplies, and to hold eye clinics.

In June, Val heads out to Peru for the summer and will be carrying out LED work in Quishuar and the surrounding valley communities, and meeting the medical students undertaking their medical electives at the health post in Quishuar and Huaraz Hospital.

Nepal

In Khumbu, Val had the opportunity to visit Thame to see the impact of last August’s Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and the work the community is doing to recover from the disaster.

Thame Flood Relief: Val attended a Thame flood relief meeting with the villagers to discuss their ideas, deciding the main focus would be a water culvert diversion programme to protect the remaining village homes and lodges, some repaired and others rebuilt after the flood last August. LED is helping to fund the construction costs.

Thame School: The school building was destroyed by the flooding. The community has decided to repair and reinforce the former community centre between Thame and Thame Teng, which was previously damaged by earthquakes, so that it can be used as the community school. LED is helping to fund the rebuild through the Himalayan Trust.

Val also delivered LED caps to the schoolkids. The caps were Pat Booth’s suggestion to protect eyes from UV. Thank you to Mingmi and Ang Rita for organising the caps.

Thame Health Post: Val met with the community health worker about rebuilding the health post in Thame, the original having been destroyed by the floods. The likely location will be above Thame. In the meantime the health worker is working out of the community building between Thame and Thame Teng.

In Lukla Val had a meeting with Pasang Dawa, chairman of Himalayan Trust, about the health post and other Thame flood Relief projects.

Solar Lights: Val delivered solar lights to folks who needed replacements following the floods.

Next stop Tsum and Manaslu with the Wonky Wombats from Australia who were trekking with Val and delivering solar lights, medical supplies and school supplies.

Eye Clinics: Eye clinics were held in Nile and Chumling in Tsum and Prok in Manaslu. In Bihi, Val and the Wonky Wombats delivered glasses donated by Pat Booth and the Wonky Wombats to Dr Ruit the famous cataract eye surgeon from Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology who was holding a cataract eye surgery in the area. His team were also teaching local health workers how to test for eye glasses and LED was able to provide eye glasses to his team running the Nubri clinic out of Bihi.

Val was also able to provide sunglasses / eye protection for a team of road workers encountered en route.

Solar Lights: Val and team delivered solar lights and carried out repairs.

Val met with Ang Rita of The Partners of Nepal about the projects LED supports: One Day One Tree and Bung old people’s home. Val and the WWs handed over 2 boxes of medical supplies plus a box of eye glasses and instructions to go to Bung old people’s home.

Big thanks to the Wonky Wombats for all their generous donations, and to pharmacist Chris for the 6 full kit bags of medical supplies.

A big thank you to Mingmi, Tenzi and Daley for all their help on the trips.

Thank you to Dr Kami and Dadoma for all their incredible work and support Thame side.

Peru

Welcome to Cambridge uni medics Franco Magjuni and Riyaad Ali, who’ve just arrived in Lima and will be spending a month in Huaraz and Quishuar at the hospital and health post respectively completing their medical elective.

In July fellow Cambridge uni medic Dan Lloyd-Davies will be coming out to spend a month in Huaraz and Quishuar on his medical elective.

Val will be heading out to Peru later this month and visiting the health post and delivering school supplies medical supplies to Quishuar and solar lights to remote families in the valleys around Quishar still without electricity.

Thank you to Melky and Antonia for their ongoing help with the Quishuar health post and Melky’s perseverance in working with the local government on the construction of the replacement Quishuar water supply and to Juan for providing support to the medics while they are in Quishuar.

We’ll be providing ongoing updates via Facebook at Facebook/LEDCharity and donations are always welcome using our JustGiving page justgiving.com/lighteducationdevelopment.

And don’t forget registration is open for our Annual Fundraiser event this September!

Photos from Thame

Photos from Manaslu & Tsum

In Val’s Spring Update, you will have seen that we are going to be working with the Nepal Youth Foundation to build a LED health post in Gorkha or Sundalpulchok, funded by Faith Harckham and friends.

In April, Val went with the Nepal Youth Foundation to visit schools in the Sundalpulchok area and to see some of the buildings provided by the Nepal Youth Foundation.

The buildings have concrete fibre walls and then either brick or stone and a metal roof plus steel structures, all bolted to allow movement in tremors (unlike welded pieces). We’ll be using a similar design for the health post.

Big thanks to Lalit from NYF for his immense time and effort on the site visits, and to Riswor and Anjita at the NYF main office in Kathmandu for helping coordinate arrangements and for information on the building design and materials.

Val says “The local staff working with NYF are all so friendly and helpful and a true delight to see in action”.

Here are some photos from Val’s visit: