Dear Friends,
Nobody can deny that the maoistic Prime Minister Barburam Battarai finally succeeded in including something in the country during the six months of his office, even if he is criticized sharply by the opponent parties and his own base. Barburam Battarai is an intelligent, incorruptible Politian, who has a true vision of his country's future. He does everything to realize it. Nepal's position is that one of a prisoner between India and China, and the Prime Minister negotiates adaptably with the two fast growing powers, so that his country can participate in this development - as much as possible.
Finally the financial help of the USA, Europe or the International Monetary Fund is used for great projects, and now the struggle against corruption in Nepal is the most important one.
Roads and bridges are built everywhere and most of the Nepalese who live without electricity at the moment, will get it in a few years, if everything works according to their plans of big hydro-electric plants. There is a network of roads of 1500 km in the Kathmandu Valley. 500 km of these roads will be enlarged or new built. Therefor many houses of the roadsides have to be destroyed, and their owners must be remunerated. But ten thousands of slum occupiers who have been living (amnd often built houses) on property of the government for thirty years, are offered on 150 Euros / 195 US $ per family to leave their settlements. They feel like getting a slap on the face in view of that ridiculous sum. Just these people, who made sure that the party of the Prime Minister came to power feel treated unfair and demonstrate, as soon as the government publishes a new date for the destruction of the slums.
The situation goes on and on, but the inhabitants of the slums still believe that they will win against the apparatus of state. Most of the settlements lie at the riversides of the city and their inhabitants simply ignore, that the gigantic bridges "grow" about their heads. Nobody can predict when the government suddenly will send their bulldozers in Order to flatten huts and houses. We adapt ourselves to the facts in our slum of Banshingat. Ewe go on looking after the children and continue our educational work and our program of nutrition. In spite of the uncertain situation we established a health station for abou 1000 Euros / 1300 US $ in a larger slum, where there are living 10 000 people. Muna (who nos has got a diploma in health care) and Sija are responsible for the medical examinations of children, women, and old people. They distribute medicine - free of charge. Muna accompanies people to the hospital, if it is necessary. Amit's right arm was amputated because of cancer (she is 17 years old). "Our" two young women "prepare" an arm prosthesis by a stringent physiotherapy. It is the lack of money but the ignorance of the parents who often are responsible for the hopeless situations of their children. Riya was an excellent pupil still a year ago. Suddenly she moaned about a very heavy headache and wouldn't go to school any more. Only after four weeks her mother took her to hospital, when she fainted. It was an acute meningitis that has destroyed the girl's brain completely. Now she is nourished by a tube in a dirty room at home and she has no chance to survive. And there is Saugat who urgently needs a kidney. His father refuses to spend one. His mother would like to do it, but her husband and her family forbid it because she works on building sites every day to support their family. So Saugat will die also.
All these cases are unbearable for us, because the parents themselves are responsible for the tragedy of their children. It is not difficult to give them some material help, but we feel helpless in consideration of the adults' great mental and psychological poverty. Many Nepalese suffer from diabetes, but they ignore their doctor's recommendation concerning their food and the prescription of insulin. "We have no money for that", they always say again 80 % of children, younger than ten months, suffer from anaemia. In the more distant regions people starve. Furthermore the seed of gene manipulated maize (ordered by the government) only produced gigantic plants, but there was not a single corn in the cobs.
Suicide is a big problem in Nepal. It is the most common cause of women's death, when they are childbearing aged. Every year the number is going up. If they are unable to give birth to a son, they are condemned by the society. The poverty, the impossibility to pay school fees and the violence of the husbands make the women get dull, depressive and unable to react in case of emergency. Now it is the task of Sija and Muna to cope with sex education- as much as possible. Because of her qualification Muna may give three months injections that shall protect the women from pregnancy. Unfortunately most of the women cannot stand that dangerous method of contraception. It is not useful to distribute the pill, because the women forget to take it always again, and condoms are refused by most of the men.
Sija and Muna do not only work in the health station at the moment but alsio organized a duty rota. It will make it possible for us to reach more people in other slums, who need help.
While the Prime Minister is modernizing his country, he goes on forgetting his people. Without organisations like ours the poor would be totally helpless and all alone.
Once more thanks a lot to all of you who give their loyal support to this help. We will get in touch with you with news from Kathmandu in the first days of September.
Yours sincerely
Elisabeth Montet