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Dedicated to
improving the lives of people -- especially women and children -- in the
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Bright Futures Foundation
funds
the
“People ask me: why Nepal? I answer that we are helping people in Nepal because
The immense wealth of its scenic beauty belies Nepal’s dire economic condition, for it is one of the least developed and poorest nations in the world. In a land area half the size of Oregon, Nepal has an estimated population of 25 million people, the vast majority of whom struggle to survive in crushing poverty. Life is hard in Nepal. Prolonged internal political instability is wreaking havoc on the country's weak economy. Government corruption is rampant. A violent Maoist guerilla insurgency, once confined to the far western regions of the country, now creates widespread fear and causes massive disruption of business and transportation in and around Kathmandu, Nepal's crowded capital city. An ancient caste system, outlawed in 1963, is so deeply entrenched in the country's collective psyche that it nonetheless continues to dictate social behavior. Women, conditioned to accept both male supremacy and their lowly station in society, suffer the most and are often the victims of physical abuse. Access to healthcare is limited. But for the people of the village of Bhotechaur, hope and help have arrived.
Bhotechaur, in the foothills of the magnificent Himalaya mountain range, can be reached from Kathmandu by taking an hour’s drive by bus or taxi to a trailhead on the outskirts of the ancient city of Sankhu. From there, a narrow footpath winds seven miles up the steep hills, passing through terraces of rice and millet. There is a sometimes-passable rough track road, but it is treacherous at best.
A Nepali civil engineer hiked the long trail to Bhotechaur with Catherine to inspect the old building, determining that it was structurally sound and appropriate for use as a healthcare center. Catherine met with the villagers and helped them form a construction committee, and then forged an international partnership between the Rogue Gateway Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Kathmandu. The funds needed for the project were raised by Rogue Gateway Rotary, Rotary District 5110, and Rotary International.
The work was completed in November 2003. Rotary funds paid for the materials and labor, but money to equip, furnish, staff and operate the Clinic had to come from elsewhere. This is where Bright Futures Foundation came into the picture. To equip and furnish the Clinic, we conducted a highly successful "Sponsor-a-Room" fundraising campaign. Additionally, we raise the funds necessary to staff and operate the Clinic for the first 18 months. Equipment and furnishings were installed, pharmaceuticals were purchased, medical and non-medical staff were hired, and the lights were turned on. The Clinic opened for business in December 2003.
The Clinic is run by a local volunteer management committee, and an executive director oversees the day-to-day business operations. The Clinic is fully staffed by Nepalis. There is a very small patient registration fee and a small fee for prenatal pregnancy checkups. Medical care is provided free of charge for those who cannot afford to pay. The Clinic relies on Bright Futures Foundation to fund its operating expenses since it is not likely that the Clinic will become self-sustaining in the foreseeable future. The 2,400 square foot Clinic is the most modern building in Bhotechaur and the surrounding area. It has 12 rooms including a delivery room, lab, emergency room, outpatient surgery room, a kitchen, and a visiting physician's guestroom. It is the only structure in the area to have hot and cold running water and a generator to provide a backup electricity source in case of a service failure.
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Bright Futures Foundation Copyright © 2007 Bright Futures Foundation. All rights reserved. Last updated 11/2/07 |
Nepal — the very word evokes visions of Shangri-la, that remote, idyllic land
where life approaches perfection. It is true that Nepal, astride the Himalayas
between China and India, has within its borders some of the most exotic and
magnificent scenery on earth. Eight of
the ten highest mountain peaks in the
world are there, mystical Mount Everest foremost among them. The casual tourist
or trekker will revel in Nepal’s breathtaking beauty. But Nepal is not
Shangri-la. 
d would stand in line
for hours to be seen. For the rest of the year, a Community Medical Assistant
and an auxiliary Nurse Midwife provided rudimentary first-aid
treatment at a
small, ill-equipped office. People with more serious health problems had to get to
Kathmandu for treatment, perhaps by being carried on someone's back. Once there, they would have to pay for medical services. In a country
where 82% of the population survives on less than $2 per day, and nearly 40% on
less than $1 a day, most serious illnesses go untreated. 
But
the people of Bhotechaur had a dream. They dreamt of a healthcare clinic in
their own village, arising out of the shell of a long-abandoned building in
their midst. The building, constructed in the early 1980s, sits at the top of
the hill above the village and has a commanding view of the Himalayas. When the
building's original occupant left the area, the building was donated to the
village. Over the years it was infrequently used, most recently as a school. As
the building aged, however, it became unsafe and was finally left empty. The
Rogue Gateway Rotary Club of Grants Pass, Oregon enthusiastically adopted the development of the Bhotechaur
Health Clinic as a World Community Service Project and sent Rotarian Catherine
Wood to
Nepal on a fact-finding mission, to investigate and get the ball rolling. 
After long delays due to political strife, the monsoon, and the difficulty of
getting building supplies to the site, reconstruction work was finally begun in
February 2003. Local people were given jobs portering concrete blocks, mortar,
beams, and all other building supplies up the trail to the site, and helping
with the construction work. 
-Clinic-In.jpg)
The
Clinic provides medical care for about 500 patients each month. In its first two
years of operation, more than 10,000 patients received treatment at the Clinic. The
major ailments treated are those common in a crowded poverty-stricken rural area
where water is contaminated and cooking is done indoors over wood stoves —
gastric disorders, respiratory problems, vomiting/diarrhea, fevers, worms and
parasites, maternal and perinatal disorders, and nutritional deficiencies. The Clinic is also providing
much-needed healthcare for the female population in the region who are
over-worked, under-nourished, and overlooked. Almost 60% of the patients
treated thus far are female, and 34% of the patients are under age 5. A
small area of the Clinic is set aside as a birthing room and women’s annex where
women can receive specialized information and treatment.