Much like the first day of school, my first day was spent getting acclimated - less about the pencils paper and my desk, however than it was about the logistics of Kathmandu which seems a bit daunting even to the most seasoned of travelers. Fortunate for me, I did not need to drive!
"Bim G", the driver seems to have the logistics down pretty well keeping to the left side of the road and managing not to hit anything or anyone despite the chaos around us.
I met with the project leaders who report directly in to the World Bank and Health Ministers. They are managing a multi-faceted project whose scope is all-encompassing in an environment with tremendous turmoil (no focal point for leadership within the ministry of health, multiple Directors recently 'sacked' and a variety of programs ranging from HIV/AIDS, Maternal Health, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion in various stages of execution) that must be harmonized in order to bring sense to resolving distributive equities in the healthcare sector. Good stuff, but admittedly not for the weak of heart.
The Ministry of Health Facility, shown in the picture, is home to the minister of health and headquarters for those charged with impacting the health and lives of the Nepali citizens - particularly the poor and marginalized. While the building looks rather modern (by developing country standards) on the exterior, don't be fooled, it is poorly lit and spartanly equipped, however, it does have WiFi!
Given the disparities in the healthcare sector and the multi-caste system that lingers despite efforts to minimize the focus on a particular ethnic or religious sect, the government has elected to utilize visuals whenever possible to help explain what is going on. This schematic was designed to demonstrate how to transport the injured. And, much to my chagrin, the Nepali language is aligned with Sanscrit with characters that look more like Arabic than Chinese or the Roman alphabet.
Rolling blackouts, or "load shedding" as it is known here, occurs on a schedule where the city experiences 14 hours without power each day based on a schedule. The power-on hours shift among the different areas of the city so that no one area gets power at the same time for a hot shower or reading in the evening - just as I write this paragraph, the power in my hotel apartment went out, but fortunately we have a generator here so it was just a few moments before the power went back on. The streets however are very dark at night - darkness like I've only experienced on the 'dark continent' of Africa, although it seems to get dark early as the sun sets beyond the Himalayan Mountains.
The streets are lined with power lines that are grouped in nests of wire, much like you would coil a hose or power cord. It seems rather wasteful of wiring, but there must be a reason for it, .... right?
"Bim G", the driver seems to have the logistics down pretty well keeping to the left side of the road and managing not to hit anything or anyone despite the chaos around us.
I met with the project leaders who report directly in to the World Bank and Health Ministers. They are managing a multi-faceted project whose scope is all-encompassing in an environment with tremendous turmoil (no focal point for leadership within the ministry of health, multiple Directors recently 'sacked' and a variety of programs ranging from HIV/AIDS, Maternal Health, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion in various stages of execution) that must be harmonized in order to bring sense to resolving distributive equities in the healthcare sector. Good stuff, but admittedly not for the weak of heart.
The Ministry of Health Facility, shown in the picture, is home to the minister of health and headquarters for those charged with impacting the health and lives of the Nepali citizens - particularly the poor and marginalized. While the building looks rather modern (by developing country standards) on the exterior, don't be fooled, it is poorly lit and spartanly equipped, however, it does have WiFi!
Rolling blackouts, or "load shedding" as it is known here, occurs on a schedule where the city experiences 14 hours without power each day based on a schedule. The power-on hours shift among the different areas of the city so that no one area gets power at the same time for a hot shower or reading in the evening - just as I write this paragraph, the power in my hotel apartment went out, but fortunately we have a generator here so it was just a few moments before the power went back on. The streets however are very dark at night - darkness like I've only experienced on the 'dark continent' of Africa, although it seems to get dark early as the sun sets beyond the Himalayan Mountains.
The streets are lined with power lines that are grouped in nests of wire, much like you would coil a hose or power cord. It seems rather wasteful of wiring, but there must be a reason for it, .... right?
The cow in Nepal, because of the high Hindu population is revered and so when I exited the bank to a loud mooing sound, I should not have been surprised - but I was, given that I was in downtown Kathmandu!
I hope you have a great weekend!
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