Here is a brief summary of our recent project trip, which, as always, was packed with appointments.

You may have heard in the news about the severe floods in Nepal, which claimed more than 100 lives. We were on our approach to Kathmandu at the time of the storm. Due to the heavy rain, the first landing attempt was unsuccessful, and the pilot had to go around and circle over Kathmandu several times. Although we were informed that everything was “under control,” we were greatly relieved when we finally landed safely after about 20 minutes and had solid ground under our feet again.

The next day, we became fully aware of the extent of the environmental disaster. Small streams had turned into raging torrents, flooding bridges, roads, and houses. Kathmandu was almost completely cut off from the outside world, all flights were canceled, and main roads were impassable.

Unfortunately, some of the projects supported by Nepalhilfe were also affected. The ground floor of the Siddhi Memorial Hospital was flooded for the second time in half a year. Fortunately, expensive medical equipment was brought to safety in time. Our children’s home in Lubho, like the Siddhi Memorial Hospital, is located slightly below street level, and due to inadequate and overwhelmed drainage systems, water from the street poured directly into the buildings. Furniture and carpets on the ground floor were damaged, but thankfully no one was injured.

The rain finally stopped in the afternoon of the following day, and the water receded surprisingly quickly. What remained was debris, mud, and destruction.

With a one-day delay, we were able to continue our project trip with a domestic flight to southern Nepal to visit the construction site of the new district hospital in Kawasoti. As we have described multiple times, this project is challenging and lengthy due to collaboration with the government. However, this time, we managed to meet the responsible government official and achieve a crucial breakthrough.

We were assured that the sections funded by Nepalhilfe Beilngries would be completed by the end of the year and that the hospital could start operations. The construction work overseen by the government is expected to be mostly completed by March next year. The inauguration date has been set for March 12, 2025, to which Nepalhilfe Beilngries is, of course, warmly invited.

Near the district hospital is the Red Cross blood bank in Kawasoti, which has been supported by Nepalhilfe Beilngries since 2017. During a short visit, we were shown the new PRP machine, funded by Nepalhilfe, which had finally arrived from India.

Back in Kathmandu, we met with former children from our children’s home who are keen to pursue education in Beilngries. One young woman, already a trained nurse, wishes to complete further training in geriatric care at a senior citizens’ home. Three young men are very interested in training in the hospitality sector in Beilngries. All four are diligently learning German to take the B1 language exam early next year, a requirement for obtaining a work visa in Germany. Two hotel owners in Beilngries have had very positive experiences with trainees from Nepal and are eager to offer training opportunities to more young Nepali.

Representatives of the home for disabled children in Lubhu, which is funded by Nepalhilfe, used the opportunity to discuss the purchase or rental of a minibus for transporting the children.

Lila Bandahri, the founder and operator of the DOCS children’s home, presented his plans for a new building for his children’s home. Due to a significant rent increase for his current building, he sees no other option but to move to the outskirts of Kathmandu, where prices are somewhat lower. Lila Bandahri has been doing excellent and important work, and Nepalhilfe has supported his children’s home for many years.

Difficult road conditions, caused by countless landslides triggered by the storm, took us to the Sindhupalchok area for two days, where we inaugurated the restoration of the Bahunipati School. We then visited schools built by Nepalhilfe in Sanosirubari, Melchaur, Irkhu, and Sangachok. In conversations with school principals and officials, we gathered updates on current conditions and inspected the schools’ states. We pointed out several urgently needed maintenance tasks. We were then praised for having “telescope eyes” for spotting many small issues that often go unnoticed by Nepali.

We also took the time for intensive discussions, further project planning, and training sessions with our colleagues at the Kathmandu office.

Our new Country Representative, Hari Adhikari, who has been leading the Kathmandu office of Nepalhilfe since July of this year, has settled in very well and is proving to be a great support with his experience and expertise.

We also had the opportunity to meet Sunil Shestra and thank him once more for his long-standing service to Nepalhilfe. Sunil Shestra held the position of Country Representative for over 30 years and is now enjoying his well-deserved retirement since passing on his responsibilities to Hari Adhikari.

This trip has once again shown us how important these visits to Nepal are. The breakthrough in our Kawasoti project would not have been possible from a distance. The face-to-face meetings with our colleagues, children at the children’s home and project managers provide us with information and insights that we would not have been able to obtain through exclusive contact via email, telephone and team meetings.