Here is a report and photos from our team member Coleen on the most recent mission to Nuwakot
Success on this sweet venture! We left yesterday morning out to Nuwakot District, wanting to set up two birthing sites in separate remote villages. After a difficult drive, we arrived to Thakura Village and began setting up the tents...well, the rest of the team did...and I admit, I had to play with the children! So while they worked hard and long, I broke out the bubbles and stickers and we had ourselves some fun smile emoticon these mountain people are absolutely beautiful, and although so many of them have had their homes completely destroyed, they exhibit a resourcefulness and strength that would put many of us to shame. We were honored to be there and help them.
That night we had a monsoon deluge! It rained so hard that the guys' tent completely flooded, and I awoke in the middle of the night to sounds of thunder clapping and the guys with shovels and pickaxes digging a trench to fix the mini river flowing thru their tent. In the morning we finished up the details and were about to head out when we got word of a rock blocking the road out... It was a boulder the size of a VW bug and half as high! Out came the shovels and pickaxes again, and they cleared a path between the boulder and mountain side. We said our goodbyes and drove off, only to find that someone had beat us to the rock...and had gotten themselves thoroughly stuck! Three hours later...and this time we were on our way. We would have to postpone our second site as there was no way to navigate the road to the next village safely in the dark.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for us. The aftershocks continue (we had six just this morning!), and this health post was badly cracked throughout. These precious women have a safer place to deliver their babies
Posted by Matt E.