The Baobab tree

Adding 'fruit' to the Baobab tree

Rubbing shoulders on a stretch break

In addition to learning helpful new health information, we also had fun during our Nepalese training!  Using the African tradition of gathering under the Baobab tree to discuss issues,  each of us placed a 'fruit' on the tree at the beginning of the training.  In our closing service, each one removed his/her fruit and took it with them signifying they were leaving the Baobab tree and going into the community to spread good news.

Ram's story

Soyamsabika Ram

Ram Maya, one of our most engaged Soyamsabika, said that many people die in her village due to lack of health care.  She said the most important lessons to her were the " need to keep our bodies clean to prevent diseases as well as our homes and surroundings." Ram's village builds their homes and animal shelters right next to one another which leaves manure and flies in abundance in their little homes.  She said she was eager to go home to tell people what she had learned.


Here's a list of the main health problems the Soyamsabika identified
 -- in Nepalese and English for those of you who are proficient in both!

 

Depend on ourselves

Soyamsabak Bishnu

Bishnu, our sole brave Sayambabak (male volunteer) is a local pastor and said he wanted to share in the health training in Nepal because of the many health needs he observes when he goes into homes.  He wanted to be better prepared to help people.  At the end of the training he said "we are like parasites depending on others.  With training like this we can learn to depend on ourselves because we know what we should do and how to make things like oral rehydration solution."

Our Guest House meeting room for the training

Wonders of triple antibiotic ointments

Sita

Enjoying the Nepali food served at the guest house during the training

Like many of the Soyamsabika, Sita was eager to tell of the miracles wrought with the triple antibiotic ointment that is not available for purchase in the country.  She said her mother got a large thorn in her finger and the finger became very swollen and infected.  They went to the health post and received an ointment but the finger continued to get worse.  They finally went back and the Dr. said they would need to amputate.  Sita was able to get some of the antibiotic ointment provided by HealthEd Connect.  Within 2 days of applying it the swelling was almost gone and in a few days the finger was well.  She said the finger is a bit smaller now than it was before but they are all thrilled it was saved.  The wonders of a little ointment.

Bidding adieu to Kathmandu

Comparing the effects of lack of water on plants and people

Ishwori using a Coca Cola bottle to measure water for Oral
Rehydration Solution

Our "baby" that peed and had diarrhea but
recovered quickly when given water

We finished the training on a real high!  In our closing activity, each Soyamsabika was asked to tell one thing that she had learned that was especially helpful.  Each one wanted to recap the whole training but in the interest of time we finally convinced them to prioritize the most important lesson they would take home.  This is when I learned an important lesson!  Many said they were especially glad to know how to make oral rehydration solution with rice  for the babies with diarrhea.  I almost didn't teach that since it takes so much more time to soak the rice, pound it into a paste and cook it than it does to make an equally good solution from sugar, salt, and water.  I wanted to save them a little time.  They said the reason they were glad to learn about the rice was that they frequently did not have sugar in the village.  How much we take for granted.

[The slow internet prevented me from attaching pictures and sending blogs while in Nepal.  So even though Jac and I are back in the U.S. I will send the blogs I wanted to send from Nepal.]

Books!

Textbooks are wonderful -- but take-home story books are super terrific!

How many books do you have in your home? Most likely you have no idea. Such is not the case for our kids in Africa who have NO books in their homes. Imagine their excitement when a few little books were provided for the 4th and 5th grade students to check out and take home. Last term in Kasompe, books were checked out 225 times. The book checked out the most times was Tondo and the Helicopter. Now ALL of the kids want books to take home which means we need to raise money for more little books----what a wonderful problem to have!

No milk, please.

The guest house workers where we held the training spent every spare minute hanging around the periphery and curiously peeking in on the classes.  We now have proof they were also listening and absorbing the information.  In our nutrition lesson one of the health workers asked if it would be more nutritious to add milk to their tea.  I replied that recent tests indicate that the nutritional value of tea may actually be reduced when milk is added (the milk apparently binds with the antioxidants).  When the little waiters were getting ready to serve us afternoon tea, one of them said, "I assume  you would like to change your order from milk-tea to plain black tea?"  Looks like we are now changing the world one cup of tea at a time....