This past October I had the opportunity to return to Nepal and participate in a handful of acupuncture health camps for victims of the April earthquake. This was a heart-opening experience, and I wanted to share some of the experience with you.
The program was organised through the TCM-Sozial Forum, and the OPS-MTC. We were a handful of Swiss volunteers… some newly graduated acupuncture students, and some experienced practitioners…and joined a small group of Germans and Nepalis working though BenChen Monastery in Kathmandu.
I have visited Nepal as permitted since my first trip there in 1998. It is a place where religion, philosophy, and culture are tightly woven into the social fabric…a fabric that remains strong despite the turmoil and upheaval of recent times…civil war, growing pains of fledgling democracy, corruption, and natural disasters seem to be taken in stride by the people…
This is a place where a few needles can go a long way to enhancing well being, and offering an alternative form of health treatment, and social outlook. The health camps are organised by the President of the Nepali Acupuncturist association, in coordination with local business associations, monasteries, and social programs. They provide a service to at-risk populations, poverty stricken populations, and most recently earthquake victims.
Each day of the camps, volunteers gathered to prepare to treat 100 people or more in a half day. People come seeking relief from pain and stress, and find a moment of calm and healing. Unofficially this service also seems to function as a first point of contact for people with questions about their health, and they can be referred to traditional medical treatment when indicated.
This year’s camps were somewhat particular due to complications following India’s ‘unofficial blockade’ of fuel and medicines at Nepal’s border. As the weeks passed, this blockade strangled the supplies of gas and fuel to the country….restaurants closed because they could not cook, taxis prices tripled, buses were overloaded, fuel was rationed, and the blackmarket boomed. Despite these practical issues, the health camps continued more or less as planned.
I was truly inspired by the chance to combine my love of Nepal with my love of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. I hope to return annually to participate in the health camps in one form or another.
Please find below a few movie clips from the trip…these show the long lines of vehicles waiting for fuel rations, as well as an overnight visit to Ramche village in Sindhupalchowk to visit with my friend’s family and see the destruction that the earthquake had wreaked…everyone is living in tin roofed shelters after 95% of all structures were destroyed.
