Japanese volunteers providing crucial support in health and education sectors (Feature)

Hari Lamichhane / Sindhuli, Jan 6: ‘Nepal is my second home. All love me here. I have not got such love in Japan’, Japanese Public Health nurse Kanako Kon shared her feelings before representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Home and Education, and JICA. She arrived here as a volunteer two years ago.

Government officers, who reached at District Health Office, Sindhuli, in course of monitoring the economic and social empowerment programmes launched at different places of the Sindhuli corridor on the BP Highway, constructed by JICA, were very impressed by the works of Kanako.

She arrived in Sindhuli in the beginning of 2015, before the April 25 earthquake. She continuously provided health related information to women of Sindhuli and measures to be safe from diseases for two years. Kanako is also involved in treatment of uterus prolapsed cases as well as other sexual diseases.

Sharing her feelings, Kanako said, “Many women were found suffering from uterus prolapse and living without treatment. In the beginning, the women used to laugh at me for not understanding my language. I taught them about the measures to be safe from uterus prolapse after learning the Nepali language.”

The Japanese volunteer said the rural women are vulnerable to many health related problems. She added the rural women are at high health risk as they are compelled to live under superstition and ignorance.

Similarly, she said the girl students have the same health-related problems and it is necessary to give knowledge about hygiene and sex education.

Another volunteer, Tomoko Nakano, a nutritionist, has been creating awareness about nutrition to rural women staying in District Hospital, Sindhuli. She has been teaching about the methods to prepare nutritious food in villages through guidelines.

The Nutritionist said, “I am teaching the locals about the methods to prepare nutritious food from local productions.”

Likewise, Kimiyo Nishida, has been providing support in the sector of health and hygiene at Dhulikhel Hospital as well as spreading health awareness in community schools in the area.

Similarly, another volunteer Umi Fukuoka has been working at Department of Gynaecology at Dhulikhel Hospital. She has been collaborating with doctors regarding how to make the disaster health service systematic. She also helps in the labour room of the hospital as a mid-wife.

Occupational Therapist Akiko Miwa is volunteering in the Psycho-therapy Department of the same hospital. Administrative Director of the hospital, Dr Rajendra Koju said that Akiko has been supporting the doctors in the treatment of the people suffering from Ortho-related complex problems.

She said that the volunteers assigned by JICA have good image and message in the communities.

Average life-span, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate and mortality rate of children below five years are the main indicators of the health situation. JICA has been stressing on empowerment of people in local community level to provide support in this sector.

The contribution of JICA volunteers to improve the community health is highly commendable. Senior volunteers of JICA have been collaborating with Nursing Council of Nepal. It has been helping the government hospitals of Nepal by sending senior volunteers, specialist in bio-medical engineering, to Nepal.

Similarly, JICA has been providing continuous support to the National Tuberculosis Research Centre, in the construction of nursing schools, expansion of the Kanti Children’s Hospital, construction of building for the storage of iodized salt and vaccination extension programme.

Education volunteers too

Education plays important role in poverty alleviation through human resource development. In this area too, JICA has been supporting educational reform programme of the government as well as reconstruction of school buildings damaged by the earthquake.

Hikaru Miyahara has been teaching students of lower secondary level of a local Kamala Higher Secondary School for the past two years. She also teaches locals mainly about physical education and disaster prevention.

Chief representative of JICA Nepal, Jun Sakuma, said that they are pleased to get the opportunity to help in education and health sectors in the rural communities of Nepal.

Under- Secretary at the Education Ministry, Nandalal Poudel, who reached Dhulikhel and Sindhuli to inspect the activities of Japanese volunteers, praised their activities, saying Japan has been providing great support in infrastructure, education and health sectors of Nepal. RSS