Tough Conditions Make the Mission Sweeter
October 21, 2019
Nepal is a mountainous, landlocked country in southern Asia. Nepal offers a variety of geographical features, including the Tarai Valley in the south, a flat river plain with a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests. In the north, Nepal's geography is that of the majestic Himalayan mountains.
When we first heard about medical camps being conducted in the region by the Karma Thalo Foundation, we did not hesitate to join the entourage and help the cause. Lisankhu is a remote village on the foothill of the Himalayan mountain ranges and there our team stayed in tents with limited access to electricity, water, and plumbing. Our team walked about 25 minutes through the mountainous terrain to get to the mission site. Despite the lack of resources and unfavorable climate, we were ready to support the people waiting eagerly for the gift of hearing.
Samiksha, a sweet young girl, was diagnosed with hearing loss at just four years old. Originally, a hospital told Samiksha’s family that she required a cochlear implant. Unable to afford the cost of the procedure, her family took her in for a follow-up visit at the age of six. During this visit, her hearing loss was re-confirmed, but this time, they advised that Samiksha get binaural hearing aids. Again, her parents could not afford the hearing aids so they brought her to the medical camp where she could get her ears checked and cleaned, in hopes that that might eventually help. This mission provided Samiksha with an opportunity that she may have never otherwise seen. We were able to finally fit her with the hearing aids she needed. Samiksha’s face lit up with happiness and her joy was so contagious that everyone around her had tears in their eyes. At the end of her visit, some of our team members advised her mother on speech rehabilitation and mainstreaming.
An older gentleman named Tej was referred to our mission by Nima, whom we met at our Afghanistan mission. We contacted Tej to inform him of our upcoming Nepal mission. Tej traveled hours to receive the gift of hearing from our team and we were thrilled that we could help him. After the mission, Nima shared that Tej is very satisfied with his hearing aids and grateful for the help we provided him.
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