1997 Progress Report
Our key development activity during the past year focused again on assistance with drinking water systems to the hill villages of southern Mahabharat, as part of our current three-year drinking water program. During the past twelve months, we have already completed Phase I of the program and have provided assistance with the construction of drinking water systems to twelve villages. These twelve new water systems provide a benefit to 251 households with a population of 2,946. We have constructed a total 102 tapstands to facilitate an easier access to water within the benefiting communities. A total of 37,410 metres (23.25 miles) of pipes were needed to bring water to the twelve villages. The Phase II of the program will bring safe water to an additional 262 households and a population of 3,166. We also want to acknowledge the generous financial contribution made by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) toward our drinking water program.
In addition to assistance with drinking water systems, we continue the assistance with primary school and health post construction within the southern Mahabharat. During 1997, we have assisted with the construction of two newly established primary schools, one in the Dhap village, Gokule VDC, the other in the Patharchok village, Dandagaon VDC that was still under at the end of the year. The above illustration shows the Dhap primary school. The Dhap school was constructed with funds donated by friends of Woody Strong on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
The Nepalese government continues to implement one of its objectives that calls for the establishment of one sub-health post in every Village Development Committee of the country. Such facilities are urgently needed, especially in remote regions of the country, such as the southern Mahabharat, that are situated a great distance from available medical facilities and the difficulty in reaching them due to an absence of any means of road transportation. In order to illustrate what impact the lack of emergency health care has on the mortality rate among Mahabharat's population, we shall quote just one recent incident in the family of one our apprentices. Within a span of just nine days, three members of his family died: his mother, a sister and a brother. Although the rural health posts are usually lacking adequate medical supplies, they can at least provide a valuable diagnostic service and advice to the sick person's family on what to do in order to prevent a premature death.
The southern Mahabharat occupies about twenty five
percent of Kabhre district's territory and until relatively recently, only one health post
was established there in the western part of the region. Yet, it is the southern
Mahabharat's population within the entire district that has the greatest difficulty in
reaching available health care facilities. During the past four years, the government
established three new sub-health posts, two in the eastern part of the region and one more
in the central part. We have already provided assistance with the construction of two
these facilities, one in Goltar in the Bankhu VDC and the other in Dhap in the Gokule VDC.
The Dhap health post illustrated above was constructed with financial assistance from
Woody and Penny Strong. We are also providing assistance with the construction of the
third H.P. in the Budhakhani VDC, which is currently under construction. We provide
assistance only with the construction of the H.P. building and associated facilities.
On completion, the health posts become part of the country's health care system with
government appointed and paid professional health workers and other supporting staff.
Michael R. Rojik, Executive Director