Travel report by Dr. Andrea Harder (2017)

In April 2017 we travelled to Nepal with our two children. Thanks to the water project, Meghauli has become a model community – clean drinking water from the tap, a water tower visible from afar.

In April 2017 we finally travelled to Nepal again with our two children, in order to get a personal picture of the Clinic Nepal projects again after many years. Hari accompanied us during our trip and was an excellent tour guide.

In Kathmandu we could still see the traces of the earthquake. Many buildings, above all the traditional, old buildings of the city centre, were supported by scaffolding, in part simple constructions of bamboo poles. The temple complexes we saw had been partly restored, partly still with active building sites; sometimes there was simply only a large pile of bricks lying around... The government had decided to restore the entire water pipe network of the city at once. Therefore most streets were torn open and the asphalt layer removed, with the corresponding dust development in the whole city...

Another aim was to train the villagers in hygiene and nutrition matters through a team from Clinic Nepal and thus improve hygiene conditions. The villagers learned simple things like washing hands or washing dishes, use of latrines, which after initial critical rejection has now led to a clear improvement in living conditions. In April, too, a health camp was held in Thumka by a medical team from Clinic Nepal.

After visiting this village and marvelling at the extremely simple living conditions, our Western views were quickly put right again somewhat. The children in particular were visibly impressed by the completely different living circumstances of the people there.

Our journey then took us on to Meghauli, where we were warmly received by Hari's family and took up accommodation with his sister in the newly built guesthouse. She herself lives next door in a traditional clay house with a pretty flower garden and a small stable for two buffaloes, which she milks daily. From here we explored the area over the next few days and visited the various projects. Unfortunately it was holiday time, so school and kindergarten were deserted. But in the Wolfgang Linke Kindergarten we were able to marvel at the freshly and artfully painted walls - a project by two German women.

Immediately on reaching the town of Meghauli, clean streets and many signs stand out that call for nature conservation through recycling, as well as “rubbish bins” set up every few hundred metres – massive ring-shaped concrete structures. We had not seen anything like this anywhere on the whole trip, where carelessly discarded rubbish was part of the normal street scene.

The actual “clinic”, on which the name “Clinic Nepal” is based, has changed little externally in the last 15 years. It is now surrounded by an attractive outdoor area rich in flowers and trees. The rooms inside have remained structurally the same, with one larger and two small examination rooms, a storeroom for medicines and a small laboratory. New is a separate reception with shelves for patient files. The walls are decorated with nature photos and medical picture charts. New is an X-ray machine. Foreign doctors and medical students frequently spend volunteer assignments, accompanying the health assistants or the doctors both on site in the clinic and at the health camps held at regular intervals in the remote villages. Striking is the decline in infection-related illnesses and the increase in “diseases of civilisation” such as diabetes mellitus.

A project that is novel by Nepalese standards is the two-storey community house shining bright yellow in the centre. It serves as a meeting place for groups of all kinds, e.g. scouts, women's community, as an assembly or communication place.

Furthermore, a covered marketplace has been built somewhat outside Meghauli; here the farmers of the surrounding area were given a trading platform that had not existed in this form before.

Memorable was the “children's home” with attached kindergarten in Daldale, about 1 hour's drive away, where 50 children and young people aged 3-18 live, partly orphans, partly children from very poor families. They are looked after here by Bagwati, a sister of Hari, and her husband as well as some women. They are accommodated in simple, clean 6-bed rooms and go to the local school. Most of them are very eager pupils. The children's home is financed mainly by donations from a Spanish support association as well as by sponsorships. One problem is supporting the then 18-year-olds on their further path in life: in part, training, e.g. as a nurse or cook, is financed by Clinic Nepal.

The “showcase project” with a unique selling point in the wider area is the water project. The prominent main part consists of a high water tower visible from afar with a capacity of 250 m3, into which the water is pumped up – as far as the power supply allows with the recurring power cuts... Then the water is pressed under pressure into a drinking water pipe network which supplies about 1800 households in Meghauli. One can actually drink this water from the tap, by no means a matter of course for Nepal. A currently planned project is the installation of solar systems to guarantee the power supply for the waterworks.

A highlight of our trip were the jungle tours on elephant back and in a jeep, where in addition to beautiful birds (e.g. kingfisher, bird of paradise), monkeys and deer we could also see rhinoceroses and crocodiles. Only the tiger unfortunately did not want to show itself to us; only the trace of its paws proved its nearness... A special experience was bathing with an elephant in the river!

In summary, this trip again confirmed the necessity of supporting Hari's efforts. We were able to convince ourselves that the projects are successfully “running”. For the villagers, all areas of life have changed positively. Meghauli has become a model community both outwardly (cleanliness, water supply) and inwardly (social community, cultural). Environmental protection and the common good have a special significance in Hari's development work. After the two weeks we were deeply impressed and had the feeling that really every cent is well invested with a high return. Hari's vision, drive and ability to inspire others for the good cause of “Clinic Nepal” have now led to him being nominated for the Nepalese variant of the Federal Cross of Merit.

We are grateful to be allowed to support such a wonderful person.

Andrea and Jan Harder, July 2017.