If you are interested in the work of the Britain Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT), the charity I'm trying to raise money for on the E4 walk, then please take the time to watch the video below. Dr. Gillian Hodsworth, a BNMT Trustee, and Sadhana Shrestha, one of the BNMT co-directors, give a succinct introduction to the work of the charity and how it is addressing some of the key health issues in Nepal.
Dr. Gillian Hodsworth, who worked for the BNMT as a field doctor in the mid-eighties, is also an accomplished trekker. In 2007 she raised money for the BNMT by completing a 71 day trans-Nepal trek. She can be regarded as a pioneer for the Nepalese leg of the emerging Great Himalaya Trail. This will eventually cross six countries and involve a 4500 kilometre journey going east to west. The full story of Gillian's walk is on the BNMT website.
Child Malnutrition Project
Having met the Britain Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT) in Nepal a couple of weeks ago, they have now a sent a description of how they would like to spend the money if I'm successful in reaching my E4 fund raising target. It's a really exciting project, inspiring for my walk, and hopefully something which will attract sponsors.
At the start of this I only had two criteria for the charity I wanted to work with. Firstly to able to talk to them and try and develop something specific for the E4 project. Secondly I wanted the E4 funding to go to something which might interest people who share my passion for trekking and walking.
On our recent Nepal holiday, Christine (my wife) and I met the people who run the BNMT and spent an afternoon talking about what they needed and whether or not we could help. It was a brilliant afternoon and I learnt an enormous amount about how the BNMT works and, in particular, what makes it special. I also discovered that money raised by a project like mine could be really important.
The BNMT is a Nepalese led charity, run by the Nepalese for the Nepalese. More than 40 years old it operated through the civil war and is a key contributer to the difficult process of post-war reconstruction.
Being a Nepalese led charity has a huge upside in terms of successful projects but a downside when it comes to fundraising. Obvious with hind-site, but a revelation to me when I met the BNMT in Kathmandu, is that a charity essentially based in Nepal finds it much harder to raise money than a western charity. As a consequence the BNMT is much more dependent on funding from national and multi-national bodies like the EU than would otherwise be the case.
While the charity has been very successful in the delivery of programs from funding bodies there is less scope for innovation. Funding from the E4 project, therefore, could be particularly important.
When we met, the BNMT had a number of projects that fell outside the criteria set by the funding bodies, but they were particularly keen on the "Community Based Child Nutrition Programme". Since our meeting, and working around the constraints of the funding target I'm trying to hit, they have given it more thought and the detail of the program is can be found via this link.
I think it's brilliant and I just hope I can raise the money.
Given the interest we have in the west in child obesity, the fact that around 45 per cent of children under 5 in Nepal are underweight, and consequently stunted, is shocking. Halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger is part of the first of the 8 Millennium Development Goals and addressing the issue of children who are underweight a specific target. Malnutrition, of course, not only impacts a child's growth but is also a challenge to both their survival and cognitive development.
Central to the BNMT approach, and underpinning its commitment to sustainable health improvement, is the empowerment of individuals and communities through a "rights based" approach. Essentially this involves raising expectations about health and using this to change behavior from all those involved in receiving and giving health related services. The core elements of this approach will be used in the "Community Based Nutrition Program".
Working with a particularly poor (even in Nepalese terms) Musahar/landless community in the Kapilvastu District (Nepalese visitors may be familiar with the nearby the Chitwan National Park), the program will focus on raising the nutritional status of children under 5.
The attached program recognises that while food security is an issue, much can be achieved by getting people, throughout the "system", to raise their expectations and consequently change how they behave. The program does have a "Feed the Meal" element but most of the activity will be with mothers, community leaders and people involved in health care.
If it works, and like all good programs there will be clearly defined ways of measuring success, it will have a sustainable impact. By influencing the development of Government and donor programs more widely, it can then be replicated.
Please let me know what you think about the project, either through the comments or by email. I'm know the BNMT will be pleased to get any feedback.
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| BNMT Hospitality |
On our recent Nepal holiday, Christine (my wife) and I met the people who run the BNMT and spent an afternoon talking about what they needed and whether or not we could help. It was a brilliant afternoon and I learnt an enormous amount about how the BNMT works and, in particular, what makes it special. I also discovered that money raised by a project like mine could be really important.
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| With the co-directors, Sadhana and Bhana |
The BNMT is a Nepalese led charity, run by the Nepalese for the Nepalese. More than 40 years old it operated through the civil war and is a key contributer to the difficult process of post-war reconstruction.
Being a Nepalese led charity has a huge upside in terms of successful projects but a downside when it comes to fundraising. Obvious with hind-site, but a revelation to me when I met the BNMT in Kathmandu, is that a charity essentially based in Nepal finds it much harder to raise money than a western charity. As a consequence the BNMT is much more dependent on funding from national and multi-national bodies like the EU than would otherwise be the case.
While the charity has been very successful in the delivery of programs from funding bodies there is less scope for innovation. Funding from the E4 project, therefore, could be particularly important.
 |
| With the BNMT team |
When we met, the BNMT had a number of projects that fell outside the criteria set by the funding bodies, but they were particularly keen on the "Community Based Child Nutrition Programme". Since our meeting, and working around the constraints of the funding target I'm trying to hit, they have given it more thought and the detail of the program is can be found via this link.
I think it's brilliant and I just hope I can raise the money.
Given the interest we have in the west in child obesity, the fact that around 45 per cent of children under 5 in Nepal are underweight, and consequently stunted, is shocking. Halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger is part of the first of the 8 Millennium Development Goals and addressing the issue of children who are underweight a specific target. Malnutrition, of course, not only impacts a child's growth but is also a challenge to both their survival and cognitive development.
Central to the BNMT approach, and underpinning its commitment to sustainable health improvement, is the empowerment of individuals and communities through a "rights based" approach. Essentially this involves raising expectations about health and using this to change behavior from all those involved in receiving and giving health related services. The core elements of this approach will be used in the "Community Based Nutrition Program".
Working with a particularly poor (even in Nepalese terms) Musahar/landless community in the Kapilvastu District (Nepalese visitors may be familiar with the nearby the Chitwan National Park), the program will focus on raising the nutritional status of children under 5.
The attached program recognises that while food security is an issue, much can be achieved by getting people, throughout the "system", to raise their expectations and consequently change how they behave. The program does have a "Feed the Meal" element but most of the activity will be with mothers, community leaders and people involved in health care.
If it works, and like all good programs there will be clearly defined ways of measuring success, it will have a sustainable impact. By influencing the development of Government and donor programs more widely, it can then be replicated.
Please let me know what you think about the project, either through the comments or by email. I'm know the BNMT will be pleased to get any feedback.
Countdown to Tarifa
I'll be setting of from Tarifa, heading to Budapest, on the 1st of March. That's less than 12 weeks away. The countdown for the E4 walk has really begun.
Definitely having second thoughts, a lot more than just second thoughts to be honest. I did anticipate this a year ago when I started to put the idea together and deliberately wanted to paint myself into a corner. Coming out with the plan, giving up work, and making the commitment to the Britain Nepal Medical Trust were partly at least designed to prevent any last minute turnaround. The fact that it's worked doesn't reduce the anxiety however but it does mean that I'm definitely going. Tarifa here I come!
One excuse I could use to get out of it is that there is just too much to do. I could really turn planning the walk into a full-time exercise and never get round to actually doing it. Some of this is Parkinson's law applied to long-distance walking (although Murphy's law kicks in on the technology) but part of it is the amount of detailed information you could assemble for a 180 day work.
At the moment I'm working on three things:
• the detail of the walk - getting all the maps and navigation in order (paranoid about wasting time by getting lost);
• the actual schedule of overnight stops - really important for people who might want to join me, might even be a source of sponsorship;
• sponsorship - set myself a £20,000 target and only raised £2,000 so far so a long way to go - a lot of heavy pestering needed.
Getting lots of feedback from all over Europe which is nice, lots of emails as well as the comments. Going to try and blog more often as the walk gets nearer and build to a level I can sustain once I get started.
Definitely having second thoughts, a lot more than just second thoughts to be honest. I did anticipate this a year ago when I started to put the idea together and deliberately wanted to paint myself into a corner. Coming out with the plan, giving up work, and making the commitment to the Britain Nepal Medical Trust were partly at least designed to prevent any last minute turnaround. The fact that it's worked doesn't reduce the anxiety however but it does mean that I'm definitely going. Tarifa here I come!
One excuse I could use to get out of it is that there is just too much to do. I could really turn planning the walk into a full-time exercise and never get round to actually doing it. Some of this is Parkinson's law applied to long-distance walking (although Murphy's law kicks in on the technology) but part of it is the amount of detailed information you could assemble for a 180 day work.
At the moment I'm working on three things:
• the detail of the walk - getting all the maps and navigation in order (paranoid about wasting time by getting lost);
• the actual schedule of overnight stops - really important for people who might want to join me, might even be a source of sponsorship;
• sponsorship - set myself a £20,000 target and only raised £2,000 so far so a long way to go - a lot of heavy pestering needed.
Getting lots of feedback from all over Europe which is nice, lots of emails as well as the comments. Going to try and blog more often as the walk gets nearer and build to a level I can sustain once I get started.
High Altitude Training in Nepal
No blogs in November - I've been away. Nice to call it "high altitude training" for the E4 but actually have had a extended trekking holiday in Nepal with a bolt on visit to Delhi.
The walk was great - a trip to Kanchenjunga (the third highest mountain in the world) and its north and south base camps - a 21 day camping trek with KE Adventure Travel. The walk had everything, lovely Nepalese villages and welcoming friendly locals, as well as the spectacular scenery of the high Himalaya. It was cold at night, and when it was cloudy in the day time as well, but we got some amazing weather particularly when were at the base camps. The north base camp is particularly stunning and, unlike Everest, you get the views of Kanchenjunga right from your tent.
Was a bit disappointed with KE if I'm honest. Have let them know about the specific complaints but really don't understand why a company claiming to support sustainable tourism used a non-Nepalese speaking western guide to lead a trip like this. Nepal has a really well established trekking industry and individual Nepalese leaders have made the effort to learn virtually every language under the sun and responsible companies wanting (and needing) a successful Nepalese trekking industry should use them. Not only is it good practice to support local leaders it also gives the trekkers a better experience (based on my trips) and at much lower cost (western guides cost 10 times as much as their Nepalese equivalent). The KE leader was a nice guy and, in a general sense, was very experienced. He didn't however speak Nepalese and had only been to Kanchenjunga once before. KE might come back to me with a response and I will update the blog if they do. I suspect however that they feel that they can attract more customers if they offer them the security of a western guide - if so then it really doesn't say much for "adventure travel".
I'm a bit annoyed with myself actually and should have checked it out before I booked. After all I am trying to raise money for a Nepalese charity and going on holiday with a company whose practices are off the pace in what I regard as good sustainable tourism practice is a bit of an "own goal". Fortunately the charity I'm working for does fit the bill in terms of sustainable development and the personal highlight of the trip was meeting the charity's leadership and staff in Kathmandu at the end of the holiday. Although initiated by British medics in sixties the Britain Nepal Medical Trust is now essentially a Nepalese charity successfully developing Nepalese solutions for Nepalese problems.
Spending an afternoon with the BNMT team gave me a real fillip and in particular a much better understanding of how the money raised from my walk could used to fund initiatives which struggle to attract money from the usual development resources. The final package is still being developed and will be subject of a blog within the next week or so.
Before travelling home I made my first ever visit to India and Delhi. Talk about noise, hustle and bustle - what a place - has certainly wetted my appetite for more visits. And then back to London, Brighton and snow - washed my thermals after Kanchenjunga and put them on again. The only thing that has warmed me up was watching the recordings of three amazing Spurs victories on the trot (have now revealed my true colours!).
The walk was great - a trip to Kanchenjunga (the third highest mountain in the world) and its north and south base camps - a 21 day camping trek with KE Adventure Travel. The walk had everything, lovely Nepalese villages and welcoming friendly locals, as well as the spectacular scenery of the high Himalaya. It was cold at night, and when it was cloudy in the day time as well, but we got some amazing weather particularly when were at the base camps. The north base camp is particularly stunning and, unlike Everest, you get the views of Kanchenjunga right from your tent.
Was a bit disappointed with KE if I'm honest. Have let them know about the specific complaints but really don't understand why a company claiming to support sustainable tourism used a non-Nepalese speaking western guide to lead a trip like this. Nepal has a really well established trekking industry and individual Nepalese leaders have made the effort to learn virtually every language under the sun and responsible companies wanting (and needing) a successful Nepalese trekking industry should use them. Not only is it good practice to support local leaders it also gives the trekkers a better experience (based on my trips) and at much lower cost (western guides cost 10 times as much as their Nepalese equivalent). The KE leader was a nice guy and, in a general sense, was very experienced. He didn't however speak Nepalese and had only been to Kanchenjunga once before. KE might come back to me with a response and I will update the blog if they do. I suspect however that they feel that they can attract more customers if they offer them the security of a western guide - if so then it really doesn't say much for "adventure travel".
I'm a bit annoyed with myself actually and should have checked it out before I booked. After all I am trying to raise money for a Nepalese charity and going on holiday with a company whose practices are off the pace in what I regard as good sustainable tourism practice is a bit of an "own goal". Fortunately the charity I'm working for does fit the bill in terms of sustainable development and the personal highlight of the trip was meeting the charity's leadership and staff in Kathmandu at the end of the holiday. Although initiated by British medics in sixties the Britain Nepal Medical Trust is now essentially a Nepalese charity successfully developing Nepalese solutions for Nepalese problems.
Spending an afternoon with the BNMT team gave me a real fillip and in particular a much better understanding of how the money raised from my walk could used to fund initiatives which struggle to attract money from the usual development resources. The final package is still being developed and will be subject of a blog within the next week or so.
Before travelling home I made my first ever visit to India and Delhi. Talk about noise, hustle and bustle - what a place - has certainly wetted my appetite for more visits. And then back to London, Brighton and snow - washed my thermals after Kanchenjunga and put them on again. The only thing that has warmed me up was watching the recordings of three amazing Spurs victories on the trot (have now revealed my true colours!).
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| Children everywhere |
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| Map reading skills essential |
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| Running wild |
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| Getting seriously cold - Jannu (7710) in the background |
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| Around the corner and it's Kanchenjunga (8586) |
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| Nice view to relax to - underpants drying |
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| Early morning view across the glacier to Kanchenjunga |
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| A lot of shouting children - assured it was friendly banter |
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| With co-directors of the BNMT |
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| Once in a lifetime photo |
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