This summer, I will be travelling to Nepal as a voluntary occupational therapy student. I will be helping to care and support those in Western Nepal’s only rehab hospital based in the city of Pokhara before moving on to work with a primary healthcare team in one of the more rural villages.

I will be using the skills and training I have acquired during my two years as an Occupational therapy student and from my placements spent within the NHS to help the medical staff in Pokhara and surrounding mountainous villages of the Himalayas to deliver much needed care and rehabilitation to those in need.

Occupational therapy helps people of all ages and medical conditions to participate in and live life as independently as possible through carrying out everyday meaningful and purposeful activities (occupations). I will be helping and working with people to overcome the barriers that are associated with neurological and musculoskeletal conditions and potentially those with leprosy. Despite the Nepalese government declaring leprosy had been eliminated in 2009/10, cases are still being detected.

Over the coming months, I will be raising funds to help support the medical teams and to cover the associated costs of this trip to Nepal. As part of my fundraising campaign, I have set myself my own personal challenge and signed up to run my first ever half marathon, the Hackney Half in London on the 30th April.

I am truly grateful for all your support and know that all the money raised will go towards being able to help improve the lives of people in Western Nepal as I will be able to share the knowledge and skills I have gained throughout my training. I also look forward to being able to learn more and experience a culture that provides a healthcare that is different to what we have here in the UK and so often take for granted.

Thank you.
Pamela x