The beneficial work of the Nepalhilfe Beilngries has many fathers. One of them: the decision to rely on a permanent point of contact in the Himalayan country from the very beginning. That person was Sunil Shrestha, for over 30 years. But NHB would not be NHB if it had not found a suitable successor and had Sunil Shrestha at its side as an advisor. So the prospects are good for achieving great things in 2025 and beyond. And that is what those in charge intend to do.

But first, back to the important personnel issue. Sunil Shrestha has worked as the ‘Country Representative’, i.e. as the regional representative of Nepalhilfe Beilngries in his country, for over 30 years. In July, in the presence of Ralf Petschl, the organisation’s deputy chairman, the 65-year-old handed over the baton to Hari Prasad Adhikari and retired. Adhikari is no stranger to the aid organisation, having been in contact with the 39-year-old for around 15 years. The 39-year-old family man will now direct the organisation’s efforts on the ground together with Shyam Pandit, while Sunil Shrestha will support them both with his wealth of experience.

Large and small buildings and another staff appointment

Apart from this internal change, the NHB has a lot to report in its review. Eight construction projects are worth mentioning, all of them in the Sindhupalchok district, where the NHB has been particularly involved from the very beginning.

The commitment to a family from the lowest caste in the Hindu religious system, the Dhalits, is perhaps the best example of how the Nepalhilfe works and how a small amount can bring great blessings. In October 2023, the aid organisation’s attention was drawn to the fate of the family of six. Until September 2024, they lived in a ground-level, fragile corrugated iron structure with a tamped clay floor for eight years after the devastating earthquake. While the grandparents looked after their two grandchildren, John and Jenish, aged six and nine, their mother, 28-year-old Sagita Nepali, managed to get a job in Jordan six months ago, while her husband took care of the small farm with goats and chickens at home. The Nepalhilfe has made it possible for the family to find a permanent place to live in a new building. By the way, it is a two-storey building that cost around 8000 euros.

The boys and girls also had to attend school in the severely earthquake-damaged building of the Jalapadevi Secondary School in the small town of Bahunepati for more than eight years. The three-storey building housed twelve classrooms and had cracks through which you could stick your hand. After the construction management had given the green light for the earthquake-proof renovation, the work began and in October the building was renovated at a cost of around 90,000 euros and could be officially handed over in the presence of representatives of Nepalhilfe.

Another infirmary has been built in Bushlung. The Nepalhilfe had already left its mark there with the construction of the Samaj Bikash primary school, which prompted the local representatives in May 2023 to request the construction of a new infirmary, which had previously been housed in a small corrugated iron hut – providing health care for 1500 people. Thanks to the commitment of the ‘Beilngriesers’, operations began in October 2024. Since then, trained staff have been providing first emergency care, dealing with everyday ailments and serving as a point of contact for contraception, hygiene rules and pregnancy care. To ensure all this, appropriate equipment is available, which cost around 10,000 euros. This is about one-tenth of the amount needed for the construction and its surroundings. The spacious grounds were provided and prepared by the community.

A side view is also provided of the passive solar house in Chharka in the Dolpo region. This project was completed at the end of the year, after two large dormitories had been built there during the summer and equipped with solid furniture and 40 beds. Together with the repeatedly mentioned passive solar house, the school and accommodation now form a perfect symbiosis that will enable school to operate at 4300 metres above sea level for a further three months. From the point of view of those responsible, this is a project that stands out – after all, remoteness not only presents logistical challenges.

Another milestone in 2024 was the opening of the Ramadevi Basic School for 350 children in Tanjakot/Humla. The two buildings were handed over at the beginning of April. More than 1000 people attended the event in the far west of Nepal. The Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and the Cologne journalist Stefan Nestler played a major role in financing this project, which is now almost complete.

We would also like to mention Shirish Shahi, a medical student from a small mountain village in the Kalikot district, whose studies are financed by Nepalhilfe. He is currently in his fourth semester at the Maharguni Medical Institute in Kathmandu. We hope that he will follow in the footsteps of Sabina Parachuli and Prabeg Dangal, who now work as an ophthalmologist and a country doctor respectively.

What will happen in 2025?

In 2025, the ‘doers’ around their chairman Manfred Lindner are eagerly awaiting the partial completion of the future Madhyabindhu Hospital in the Nawalpur district, in the Terai. The two lower floors of the four-storey building are to be handed over at the end of January, financed by Nepalhilfe. The neighbouring Midpoint Hospital, which is bursting at the seams, will then be a thing of the past. When the construction of the building, which is planned as a 100-bed hospital, will be completed is then in the hands of Nepal’s government, which is responsible for coordinating the remaining measures and funds. In any case, the new building is the most significant financial contribution that has been made from Beilngries so far.

Furthermore, two schools are to be handed over, which are also located in the Terai. One of them is in Tanahun, where the partial extension of the Khaireni Secondary School has been progressing since autumn 2023. The other is being built in Kahare, where the Shree Marsyangdi Basic School is a school for around 150 children.

A new infirmary is currently being built in Selang. The shell of the building is complete and the opening is planned for the beginning of May. This means that the days of the single-storey sheet metal construction are numbered.

A flashback, because there is an anniversary behind it: in April 1995, the official opening of the Shree Kali Devi School in Kadambas took place. It was to be the cornerstone for many other schools in the Sindhupalchok district. In the local parlance, it bears the name of Michl Dacher, one of the most successful German high-altitude mountaineers, who distinguished himself by his modesty and strength of will. This anniversary will be commemorated in April. At that time, the fact that more than 30 other educational institutions would follow seemed like an unrealistic vision of the future.

Donations ensure further measures

All the successes mentioned, along with the numerous small and large measures, could only be realised through a corresponding level of donations, the commitment of members here and in Nepal in particular, and certainly also with the often-cited bit of luck or ‘Commissioner Chance’. There they are again, the ‘fathers of success’.

‘Let’s get started, there is a lot to do in the new year too!’ And: Everyone can contribute! Because it is only possible to implement new projects with a solid financial platform. Further information can be found at: www.nepalhilfe-beilngries.de.

Image captions:

Image 1: Ralf Petschl, Deputy Chairman of Nepalhilfe at the handover from Sunil Shrestha (centre) to Hari Prasad Adhikari;

Image 2: The newly built house for the Dhalit family;

Image 3: The school building of Bahunepati;

Image 4: The Bushlung infirmary;

picture 5: The school in Khaireni

picture 6: Inauguration of the school in Tanjakot

picture 7: Rebuilding of the Madyhabindu District Hospital