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First things first. Meet the team!

Front Left to Right: Tila Ale, Jhalak Narayan Khanal, Dipanjali Pradhan, Soniya Pradhan, Bidhya Basnet, Rija Mahajan, Jyoti Sharna, Eileen Waldow, Petal Niles, Carol Thompson, Min Bdr Ale, Dinesh Bika, Kazi Sherpa, Amrit Ale, Diwas

Back Left to Right: Durga Prasad Chapagain, Bibek Yogal, Mamata Dhimal, Sunita Adhikari, Deepa K.C., Del Endres, Marian Shaw, Gerald Quintana, Khambir Shrestha, Kate Ale, Sudeep Ale

Now onto day 1…

The first morning in Ale Gaun was thick with fog from the river below. Our warm breath pushed ahead of us in clouds as we set up camp and organized the boxes and bags of medicine, glasses, and supplies that have come great distances, like many of us, to arrive here. Just before noon we opened for registration and the patients already waiting in the lines made their way down to get their blood pressures read.

Some patients make long trips to see the doctors. One trio of patients standing outside the pharmacy with their new pairs of glasses walked four hours from their village to be at the health camp. The older man smiled and made his hands in the shape of a book to show how he can see up close now.

Day 1 in Ale Gaun and the pharmacy was already busy distributing medicine as the rest of the 125 patients seen moved from room to room where 210 visitations were completed. Room one was the center for eye exams. Room two distributed glasses. Inside room number three, teeth were examined, restored, and extracted. In room four, three doctors saw patients with a range of ailments, noting a large number with hypertension and diabetes. In room number five, patients received ENT treatment for ear issues and congestion as well as orthopedic counseling for back pain aggravated by the years of heavy lifting and the manual labor life in the village demands. Room seven, located upstairs, admitted female patients for women’s health examinations and education.

In rural Nepal, reproductive health and menstruation are not often an open topic of discussion. As part of their education initiative, the camp’s three midwives lead a women’s health class with the grade 8 students and distributed sanitary pads from Nepal Days For Girls for the girls to use in order to stay in school full term. The midwives reported that the girls were very grateful for the class and chance to talk about their health. Tomorrow, the midwives will lead a class with the grade 7 girls.