Clinic Nepal supports over 50,000 people in Meghauli, Chitwan District, Nepal through different projects, holistically providing basic health care, education, livelihoods and more.
Hari Bhandary, founder of Clinic Nepal, grew up in the remote village of Meghauli, Nepal, where about 99% of Nepali population lives by subsistence farming. Access to education during that time was difficult, and health care was practically non-existent aside from local traditional medicine practitioners using herbal medicine. Frustrated with the state of the health care and educational system, at 17 he left home and went to work in the city in order to save enough money so that he could return to Meghauli and start teaching local children.
One night, Hari met a group of people who were traveling through Nepal to improve the lives of people with leprosy and disabilities. Hari joined their team and was later given training as a health worker. With a group of friends he established an addition to the existing hospital in Kathmandu and while earning money there continued to personally sponsor students and teachers in his village.
In 1996, Hari returned to Meghauli and raised enough money to cover construction cost for Clinic Nepal. Finally established in 1997, Clinic Nepal focuses on improving medical care, education, and sanitation around the Chitwan area. One of its main projects is working to provide people in this area with sanitation education as well as access to safe drinking water–efforts which are being reflected in a reduction of the rates of water borne diseases that have been seen in the clinic.
In addition to its main Friendship Clinic, Clinic Nepal also runs a number of health camps throughout the year in the remote areas of Chitwan providing both medical and dental treatment. Last year, these health camps alone treated 6043 patients, including 3391 female adults and 1193 children. On the education front, some of the projects that they have developed to improve stability are a kindergarten program that works with families to teach lessons in daily living, health and hygiene promotion, a youth sponsorship program, and the Aasha ki Kiran Children’s home which provides a safe shelter to orphans and high risk children and schooling via individual sponsors.
Hari’s story in building Clinic Nepal and its many projects that are helping to transform a high risk area are an inspiring example of the power of individuals to make a substantial difference. Their efforts every year bring hope to the thousands of vulnerable patients and children who are protected by their safety net.
Please join AWHS in helping to maintain our support for the progress of this wonderful program and others like it. You can donate online or donate by mail by sending a check (payable to AMWA – AWHS) to
12100 Sunset Hills Road Suite 130 Reston, Virginia 20190
To help by joining the AWHS committee or for more information please email us at associatedirector@amwa-doc.org
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