Posted by Chintan Maru
On Thursday, under a banyan tree that has sheltered generations, the village of Ridikot assembled to discuss its annual development goals. Dr. Jhapat Thapa, Nyaya’s Medical Director, was invited to sit with community leaders including representatives of the major political parties, Dalit and women’s rights groups, and the sole member of the Ridikot Village Development Committee (VDC).
Community meetings are a critical part of the local governance. In this picture, Nyaya Co-founders Jason Andrews and Duncan Maru meet with community members to discuss the opening of the first Nyaya clinic (2007).
The VDC system of local governance has crumbled across Nepal under the constant pressure of political turmoil. For most VDCs, the only position that is filled is the one that the central government salaries—the secretary. Despite the absence of a formal governing body, here in Ridikot the whole community had gathered. Teenage boys and girls dressed for the occasion. Though most young men migrate south for work, their elders were present. Women arrived with notebooks, suckling babies, some with loaded baskets. Toward the end, the community allocated 50,000 rupees to Bayalpata Hospital and pledged to create an emergency fund that would pay for patient transfers from Bayalpata to the district hospital.
Nyaya Health seeks to engage this vibrant civil society in Ridikot and in the many other VDCs in its catchment. Though Nyaya has focused on smoothing its hospital’s basic operations during this inaugural year, a key component of its work in the coming years will be the development of robust community health programs.
I invite you all to offer your thoughts on how Nyaya can fulfill this mission. Tell a story from your own experience. Share a link to your community health blog. Offer a book recommendation on the subject…
I’ll close with my own book recommendation.
Nyaya Health is a bright star in Achham. The people have a lot of respect for Nyaya. The NGO might choose to work with the community in the following ways.
1) The Community Health Worker program is respected, but it currently serves only the nearby area. It would be great if we could expand further out.
2) Nyaya Health has many volunteers that come from outside. Perhaps they can conduct a school health program. School is where all students meet, rich, poor, Dalit, upper caste. If we provide them all knowledge about health they will bring this knowledge home. It could produce a good health environment.
3) Nyaya could also offer public health education workshops to community leaders and traditional healers so that they know how to address bigger health issues in their areas.
Lal Bahadur Kunwar, Health Assistant, Nyaya Health
Nameste!
My name is Carol Vernal, CEO of Children’s medical Aid. We have partnered with kathmandu model hospital to build a 50 bed hospital in Eastern Nepal. I would love to learn from your experience and knowledge being that you are now celebrating your birthday. Perhaps I can visit while in Nepal next october. I spen 6 to 8 weeks twice a year in Nepal now that we are in the development stage of building.