Earthquake Relief Fund: Rebuild Chanaute's Clinic

Sterling Davis, one of our volunteers at the Chanaute clinic, shares her experience:

Chanaute has a very interesting climate. It is in the foothills of the Himalayas, but there are tropical banana and papaya trees growing. It gets very cold at night, mid-forties in late December, early January. During this time I wore long underwear, fleece pants and jacket, and a hat. I also brought hand warmers, which were so nice after washing dinner dishes or face wash in the morning. I kept one and gave the other to my roommate/host. In the mornings she will sometimes make fried rice from leftovers from the night before. Otherwise you can buy fresh pastries, eggs and milk. I would strongly suggest bringing a huge container of oatmeal and toppings from home! Nepali breakfast doesn't really exist unless you want chow mein at 10am! Also, everyone shares food here so keep that in mind. I like to buy a bag of tangerines and split a few up between everyone. Other times someone might bring bananas. If you are a snacker, bring snacks from home! You will be invited for tea often. They drink it hot and fast. Don't be afraid to enjoy food and drinks slowly. I am always the first one to eat, the last to finish. Some patients will arrive at 8am and in a hurry to get treatment before they catch a bus. Others will come at the very end of the day. You learn to go with the flow, as every day is different.

The biggest day was 18 patients. Inside the clinic it is very dark and cold so if there are no patients, I will sit outside in the sun and watch the world go by. Currently many people are re-building their homes from the earthquake damage. This region was badly affected. All homes became piles of bricks and about 100 people lost their lives. Some patients will show up with injuries from the earthquake nearly 3 years ago that they have never been treated for. I watch workers unload 100 lb sacks of cement off of the trucks and onto their heads. Many people load their supplies onto the tops of busses or haul it themselves. I did see a few wheelbarrows here, but they are expensive. They cost 4,000 rupees, which is about $40 USD. At the end of the day we play badminton. I bought a set to leave at the clinic. This is a fun way to hang out with the local community if you don't speak Nepali.

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