HEAR Nepal was founded in 2005 and has carried out a number of projects since then.
Between 2005 and 2016, HEAR Nepal carried out health examinations in over 800 schools in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas. This included testing of blood, urine and stool, as well as examinations by a medical doctor. This work was financed mainly through government funding. This funding stopped after the 2015 earthquake, when all efforts were redirected toward reconstruction.
In 2017, as a pilot project in Kathmandu, HEAR Nepal established and trained 6 School Health Clubs with 8 students each for 5 days regarding the most important health issues facing them. All students were given a health check with analysis of urine, stool, and blood, including hemoglobin and a determination of their blood group. They were also examined by a medical doctor.
In 2018 a further 16 School Health Clubs were established and trained for 5 days in the remote district of Bajhang in far western Nepal.
Also in 2017 a 5-day health training was carried out with about 40 members of the disadvantaged Badi community in Bajhang. The Badi were traditionally musicians and dancers, but the Badi women now almost exclusively make a living through prostitution. In addition to emphasizing issues such as water, sanitation and hygiene, the focus of this training was on the topics of reproductive health, contraception, abortion, sexual harassment and gender equality.
Also in 2018, two 5-day health trainings were conducted with over 60 shamans and traditional healers altogether. They are often the first ones to be consulted regarding health issues, especially in remote villages. They also exert great influence on the beliefs of the community, such as the attitude toward menstrual taboos. It was our intent to give these shamans and healers basic information about WASH (WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene) and provide them with additional tools with which to treat their patients, such as how to prepare ORS (Oral Rehydration Salt) solutions for severe cases of diarrhea or dysentery. In addition, we educated them about how and why menstruation occurs, the need for menstrual hygiene and the health consequences of some of the traditions around menstruation, such as Chhaupadi. We expect to continue this work with shamans and traditional healers in the future.
