6.8 quake hits Nepal and five lose lives in Kathmandu and Sunsari

An earthquake measuring 6.8 Richter scale jolted Nepal on Sunday, 18^th September 2011 at 6.25 pm. It was the strongest quake to hit the country in 73 years. The epicenter was between Taplejung in Eastern Nepal and the India state of Sikkim. There were 14 aftershocks of varying magnitude that were recorded. The number of casualties and extent of damage is still to be ascertained. However the Nepal home affair ministry had reported that 60 people were injured in a stampede whilst jumping off the building in Kathmandu. Three people died after the compound wall of the British Embassy collapsed in the aftermath of the quake.

The parliament session stalled 15 minutes after lawmakers rushed out of the the parliament building when the strong earthquake hit. 

My family was safe and we thank God for protection. Let’s remember to pray for families whose houses were damaged and those who lost their dear ones and friends.

When children live positively

In Nepal, some children are not spared HIV due to infection spread by migrant workers. A child is born with HIV virus because the family could not afford to meet their basic needs.  It happened because the father decided to go to India to look for a job and while there he was infected with HIV.  On his return it was transmitted to his wife and finally to the unborn child. 

According to a report published by the United Nations, labour migrants make up 41 percent of the total known HIV infections.  Nowadays people are more aware about HIV compared to the situation 10 years ago and the stigma faced by people living with HIV has decreased.  But no significant progress has been made when it comes to containing the incidence of HIV brought by migrant workers. UMN will expand its HIV work to focus more on migrants. The community’s capacity to reduce the impact of HIV will be developed and this will give hope to the affected people. If families are able to meet their needs then children’s lives will be protected. There are other cases of children who suffer silently and, because sufficient stigma still persists, the family is afraid to go for treatment, care and support. What kills is the stigma! 

Nepal has wonderful children

Pray for:

·        Children who are infected and affected by HIV

·        Migrant workers that God protect them

·        Female community health volunteers who are supporting  the needy children

·        Communities to protect the rights of children

Challenges for addressing HIV and AIDS in Nepal

A second national congress of people living with HIV was conducted in Kathmandu and 300 delegates attended. Most of the people living with HIV are poor and marginalized; poverty and low literacy remain the major factors that fuel the epidemic. Some could not access treatment due to stigma and living remotely. However, Nepal has made some progress as there are over 5000 people with access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

One of the challenges faced in the fight against the HIV is the fact that many people do not simply know their HIV status and also many discontinue Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) simply because the ART sites are far away from their homes. Viral load testing services are essential within six months of starting ARV treatment. Similarly drug resistance testing is also needed for those who are on ARVs for more than 3 years but such services are lacking. Livelihood support for people infected by HIV is limited and the media reports cases of discrimination against children affected by AIDS in Schools.

Please pray for the government here to ensure the rights of children affected by AIDS; formulation of a HIV bill to protect the rights of people infected and affected by AIDS; and for political commitment to respond to HIV and AIDS.

The United Mission to Nepal continues to support people infected and affected by AIDS for livelihood, treatment and care. The National Association of people living with HIV and AIDS in Nepal has been playing a crucial role ensure the right of women and children in regards to access to treatment services.


Women access information on HIV and AIDS. Some battle with effects of the epidemic and others are now educators.

 

Please note ...

... that I won't be able to access or update this blog for the next few weeks - sorry! Hopefully manage to blog more often starting end of July.

Prayers for a 'New Nepal'

UMN is partnering with the Nepali Christian Community to encourage churches to act on various social issues, and have input into building a “New Nepal”. Local facilitators are now trained to conduct workshops across the country for church leaders.

Please remember the following points in your prayer for New Nepal:

1. Local workshops with the Christian communities in Pokhara, Butwal, Damauli and Baglung next week to explore the social issues and possible Christian responses on them.

2. Local churches and Christian communities to initiate financial contributions for this movement.

3. Press Conference with local bodies next month to promote servant leadership pledge from the Christian community.

United Mission to Nepal's new logo

short break ...

This blog is taking a short technical break - back in a week or so!

Being with people living positively ... in Doti

I recently had a succesful visit to Doti where I was able to meet women and men ‘living positively’.

Doti District is a hill district in far-west Nepal. The neighboring district of Accham has the highest HIV prevalence rates. Doti has great needs with minimal presence of other working agencies due to lack of basic infrastructure and the nature of the terrain. The challenges include food insufficiency, poor education and lack of access to health care. Caste-based discrimination, negative cultural practices and violence against women are significant problems in Doti.

To support their families, many men, mainly productive youths, migrate to India as seasonal labour. Whilst in some ways seems positive, this also has had some negative impact. Unsafe sexual practices among the men (27% of migrants engage in high risk sexual behaviours in India) have resulted in HIV becoming a significant problem in this district in Nepal. In addition, farming has become neglected. Therefore, addressing issues of migration would try to curb the spread of HIV in Doti district.

In the village communities, virtually all the men had migrated predominantly to India for work and just women and children were left. The men return briefly to assist at harvest time. Children drop out of school to migrate and even those with a good education also leave. The groups of women who are HIV positive has been facing many challenges and often not particularly concerned about the longer term consequences of their HIV infection as their focus remains on the present and survival of each day. However, it is not just those who are HIV positive that find themselves in desperate circumstances since many have no opportunities for income generation. Since most of people are affected by HIV, stigma and discrimination seem to be reduced.

The greater need is to ensure improved sanitation, access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ARVs) and nutrition. The United Mission to Nepal, through its partner, has been working to support people living with HIV to have access to ARVs. Due to the remoteness of the communities, support with transportation to the main hospital for treatment and for CD4 count remains an area of need. I saw very few toilets in the village and UMN has been encouraging communities to install these. It takes time to change people’s attitude towards that but I was glad to see one toilet installed. This could reduce other infections for both children and adults.