Himalayan Health & Hearing  AGM Minutes 2015

Please find below the minutes of Himalayan Health & Hearing Inc. 2015 AGM, held on March 1st, 2015.

Please take the time to read through these, as it gives a good summary of where we are at as an organisation.

The most significant activity in 2014 was the change of name for our organisation.

The 2015 Board of Management

President: Sue Tuck

Secretary: lew Tuck

Treasurer: Bronte McNamara

Management Committee Member / Legal: John Formosa

Management Committee Member / Media: Katie White

The inner circle of consultants to the management committee
(they will be circulated with all management committee relevant issues)

Program Evaluation Adviser: Dr Debra Setterlund

Health Adviser: Debbie Leigh

NAHOH Representative:  Keshab Dangol

General Adviser / Program Development:  June Young

Click on this link to download the pdf version of the minutes.
Himalayan Health & Hearing Inc. MINUTES of AGM 2015

Thanks

lew
Secretary
Himalayan Health & Hearing Inc.

Himalayan Health & Hearing Program President’s Report
Year ending December 2014

In August 2014, the Program adopted a name change from HearingNEPAL Program Inc. to Himalayan Health and Hearing Program, approved at our last AGM.
This decision was taken based on several factors:

  • Work is now being requested outside of Nepal, with Ear Camps having been run in southern India at Bylakuppe, and also twice in Ladakh in northern India. A request has been in the pipeline for a series of Ear Camps in Sikkim, and discussions around the name were commenced in January 2014 based on the perceived identity of the program by officialdom outside Nepal.
  • Our scope of service delivery has begun to expand from purely providing Ear and Hearing services, to other areas of health on an “as-needs” basis, and where the capacity to help is clear. This has involved support of a disabled young woman for a period of her rehabilitation, and provision of wheelchairs to several needy individuals.
  • Several projects have been delivered in conjunction with an Eye specialist, Dr Detlev Gueck from Germany, to multiply the benefits of attendance at these remote camps.
  • In the course of his work, Keshab with his background training as a Community Medical Assistant, is at times able to help treat other related primary health conditions, such as respiratory and other minor infections using the drugs available from the Ear Camp stocks.
  • The regular weekly work Keshab is now undertaking in conjunction with Karuna-Shechen Clinic and Hospice involves working with a medical team who provide general and specialist health care in outreach camps in the Kathmandu Valley. This has enhanced the scope of these clinics so that attendees are able to access a specialist ear clinician as well as a doctor, pharmacist and nurse for general health checks and treatment. (The model under which Shechen works is highly compatible with the guiding principles of this program, with the tagline Compassion in Action being a common goal in evaluating our practice.)

Name change

  • Required setting up of new website and all associated documents amended (Katie), and banking details were altered to reflect the name change.
  • For AusAid purposes, the bank account for DGR receipt of funds, remains under the name of HearingNEPAL Program Inc.

Vehicle
In August the Program purchased a vehicle for the combined use of HH&H Program and any related work in which Keshab is engaged, including NAHOH and Shechen activities.
The vehicle finally purchased is a Mahendra Scorpion 4WD diesel. This was used for the first time on a remote Ear Camp in October 2014 to the villages of Prok and Lho, on “slopes” of Manaslu. This trip was really a test for this vehicle, and the report on this trip is available on the website.
We are also able to travel to Shechen Clinic & Hospice medical camps in the KTM Valley…and they joined with us in camps organised by NAHOH (our Nepal partners), so now , with other medical services on offer, we return for followup camps.
HH&H has been loaned the funds for the vehicle and an agreement made that it will be repaid at a minimum of $1500 per year.
Keshab has now obtained his car driver’s licence.

Kathmandu Valley Ear clinics
On Mondays Keshab and Sarita hold a hearing clinic at Shechen Clinic & Hospice (SC&H) in Boudhanath, other days, Keshab consults at the NAHOH clinic and other areas eg Bhaktapur (monthly), and other places by request.

In the last 13 months, various combinations of staff from NAHOH, SC&H and Kopan Monastery have held 31 camps in the valley, with 2788 attendees.

Keshab and SC&H team recently conducted a health camp in Thimi village, 205 attendees, which evolved out of an early invitation by NAFA to provide and Ear Camp at VSN school Thimi and at a local carpet factory in Thimi. Without this introduction and support to make these connections through NAFA, we would not be benefiting the wider community now, and we are grateful for this support and encouragement to bring it to fruition.

January 2014
Katie White accompanied us to Nepal, enabling her to see first-hand some of the project areas which she brings to life on the website pages, and to obtain a clearer idea of the program development needs.
A short (2 day) ear camp was conducted in conjunction with Indira Ranamagar, from PA Nepal, in Palpa region. The camp was held at the PA Nepal Boys Home, with 117 attending for ear checks and hearing aid fittings where appropriate.
A clinic was also offered at the nearby prison in Palpa, 71 attendees, where medicines and hearing devices were also provided.

Remote Ear Camps

Remote ear camps were run in: Palpa, Palpa Women’s Prison, Solu Khumbu, Ladakh(India), Prok, Lho (Manaslu) and Lumbini

  • January 2014: – Palpa and Palpa Women’s Prison
  • April 2014:- Chailsa-Solu Khumbu (with Kopan Monastery support)- our 5th camp there – 169 attendees
  • June 2014:- Ladakh, Saboo village (India) – 154 attendees – 2nd camp there
    We were joined by Antje (Germany), Robyn (Australia) and Saraswati (Nepal) for this follow-up camp in Saboo at the Ngari Institute. Antje continued with hearing aid training for Dorje, a local monk interested in helping develop the program there. He indicated some interest in studying Tibetan medicine, and we met with Ani Palmo for the Ladakh Nuns Assoc. to hear about their work and the courses they run in Tibetan medicine. Keshab also gave some basic training to Ani Palmo in ear care and what to watch out for.
  • October 2014:-  Prok/ Lho, (Manaslu region), 497 attendees and Lumbini, 680 attendees
    Dan attended from Australia and took video footage to help in program promotion.

Fundraising

  • PayPal facility finalized by Katie on the website for DD donations to the Program
  • Personal challenges were undertaken by 2 major supporters, James (beard shave off) and Jodie and Eddie(1/2 marathon)raising significant funds for HH&H
  • On-line shop established with a limited number of items in December 2014, (still being developed)
  • Small sales of items through local supporters (Zonta Club, Ethos, Goodness Gracious) and trading tables of Nepali goods.

Donations

  • Major monetary donations were received from Formosa Family, Mackay, and from Oceanic Marine Risks , Whitsunday Lions Club, and Whitsunday Zonta Club.
  • Compassionate supporters from around Australia, Oman, Switzerland, Germany and Russia brought our donation total to almost AUD$30,000.
  • Bernafon continues to pay Keshab’s salary
  • NAFA continues to pay rent for office space and improvements for NAHOH
  • NAFA donated $4000 to the Program
  • Donations of good second-hand hearing aids and parts for cochlear implants continue to come in from clinics and individuals all around the country.
  • Used audiology equipment in good working order has been donated from Margaret Blaszczyk, and freighted to us by Neurosensory Unit, Brisbane
  • The hearing aid manufacturers continue to give support through refurbishment of aids, supply of software and programming accessories, and through back-up support and advice.
  • Jade and James donated many hours of time in cleaning, checking and programming used hearing aids for use on the upcoming Ear Camps.

PoP Program
We have committed to a 12 month project of support of this Program partnering with Shechen Clinic to provide screening and treatment for women of Dhanusha district (SE Nepal, on border with India). The costs are US $13,000 or around AUS $17,000.
This will need to be funded in quarterly installments, the first of which will be funded through HH&H general funds and a separate fundraising adventure will provide the rest! We are keen to hear from you about ideas for fundraising for this specific program

Future directions:

  • Training – Khenrab from Kopan is waiting to hear from the ENTs at TU Teaching Hospital about a specialized training course in ear examination.

Sue Tuck
President
Himalayan Health & Hearing Inc.