Alan and Megan Barker
July 2024
Hope and Heartbreak
Before we write a new letter, we like to check back to see if there is anything on which we need to update you.
Last time we mentioned that Kathmandu was suffering with very poor air quality, sometimes topping the charts as the most polluted city in the world. About a month ago the monsoon rains started across the country which brings both hope and heartbreak. Hope that the rains and accompanying winds wash away the pollution, and the air quality has certainly improved over the last few weeks. Hope too that after the long dry season the farmers can start planting the rice and other crops that they rely on for their families. It is estimated that about 70% of the working population in Nepal rely on subsistence farming, so if the rains come too late or are too much, then these people have nothing to fall back on and there is no national social security system to help.
The monsoon season however also brings heartbreak. As we write, it is reported that up to now 128 people have died and 58 are missing because of the effects of the monsoon. These deaths have occurred in separate incidents across the country in landslides triggered by heavy rain, others in floods, but also 23 people have been killed by lightning strikes. On top of this there have been many more injured, as well as property and farming land destroyed, and livestock lost.
In our previous letter we also mentioned that Megan was going to Rukum to take part in a 'Wheels for the World' wheelchair distribution. We said too that there were problems with some of the wheelchairs being held up in India. Unfortunately, only 100 of the expected 350 chairs actually made it to Rukum in time for the distribution programme. The remainder were still stuck in India as more and different paperwork was requested by officials there. All the therapists and engineers arrived in Rukum and everything was set up for the assessments, adjustments to the chairs and training of recipients, but the camp was cut short because there were not enough chairs to give out. In the end about 70 people received a suitably adjusted chair and training in how to use it.
The remaining wheelchairs finally arrived in two trucks in Kathmandu about a week after Megan and the rest of the team had returned from Rukum. Megan got a call one evening saying that they would be arriving the next day and could she come and help unload! Alan also had some free time the next day so we both went along to lend a hand. Megan was given the job of recording all the chairs and other equipment, so there was a record of exactly what arrived. All these chairs will be given out at a rescheduled camp, possibly in early September, once the monsoon has begun to subside, so that both the team and the recipients can travel safely to the camp.
We're writing this letter in Pokhara where we are staying for a week while Megan supports some work with children with cerebral palsy and their families. She is also supporting the OTs here in the hospital where she used to work when we lived in Pokhara. More on this in our next letter! While we are in Pokhara, Alan is working remotely with the team in HDCS on some new projects on Disaster Risk Reduction (known as DRR). This is where communities are given help and training in how to prepare for disasters such as earthquakes, landslides and floods. These dangers are brought into sharp focus in the monsoon season, but they are important all year round in Nepal. UNICEF has stated that, “Disaster is a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' in Nepal”, citing research that puts Nepal as among the countries in the world most at risk from disasters, including climate change related effects.
That's reflecting on what's happened and now, coming up in the next few months:
It's our 40th Wedding Anniversary in August – where has the time gone!
At the end of August, we'll be attending the wedding of Dorothy, the OT that Megan has been supporting and mentoring over the years and whom we have mentioned many times previously. The wedding will be in a town called Nepalgunj which is not far from Surkhet where we used to live, so we'll take the opportunity to visit there as well.
The rescheduled 'Wheels for the World' wheelchair camp will take place in Rukum.
Alan is helping to co-ordinate a family retreat to enable families with disabled children to take a break in nice surroundings with special treats. The retreat will take place towards the end of September. It's part of the same organisation that runs the Wheels for the World programmes.
In August we should get our visa renewals, following on from the interview that Alan had as mentioned in our last newsletter.
For those who pray:
First of all, we give thanks that:
We continue to have many and varied opportunities to make a difference here.
We have good colleagues and friends here in Nepal
Many people received wheelchairs and that the other chairs have now arrived.
We ask you to join us in prayer for:
Safety in travel for us, especially during this season.
For those affected by the deadly monsoon season and for those involved in helping the victims.
Pray for the local leaders we work under, especially Kapil Sharma and Bijata Adhikari for ongoing wisdom for them and also for them to have the support and rest periods they need.
With our thanks, as always, for your interest and support.
We hope you're all keeping fit and well and enjoying the seasons of wherever you are.
Alan and Meganxx
Thanks to Panda Productions and Saathi Sewa Sundar Dhoka for permission to use the photos from the wheelchair camp. All people pictured gave informed consent to have their picture used.