The Siddhi Shaligram Briddhasram (Home for the Elderly) is the only state-sponsored nursing home in the country of Nepal.  The home is located inside the Pashupatinath Hindu temple – the largest temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the world.  The temple sits on the banks of the Bagmati river, a holy waterway that flows to the Ganges.  Cremations are performed here daily, and the smoke plumes from the fires drift overhead as worshipers offer marigold garlands to Shiva.

The conditions at the Biddhasram  are a bit shocking at first to Western eyes, but the residents here are actually among the lucky few.  Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of the population living under the international poverty indicator of surviving on less than $1.25 per day [source].  While steep ancient steps and slick stone walkways pose a danger to the residents, the benefits they receive of hot, regular meals and a stable living environment outweigh the risks.

I spent most of my time at Pashupatinath in the ward that houses residents with disabilities.  The ailments of the patients range from manageable tuberculosis to severe mental handicaps.  Many of the people in the following photos could no longer verbally communicate, perhaps in these photos a bit of their lives can be seen without needing words.

This gentleman is almost totally blind and spends much of his time in his bed alone, yet when I asked him in Nepali how he was doing he replied with an enthusiastic “I’m beautiful!!”  His spirit stayed with me long after I left the home.

Speaking of spirit, this man greeted me with a smile and booming namaste every morning that I came to the home

These two are husband and wife and came to the home together.  She is quite disabled, and he never leaves her side.  A true love story

This women is severely mentally handicapped and is prone to spontaneous hysterical ranting fits. Only two things keep her calm. 1. Helping with the daily chores and 2. Having her hand held. When volunteers come to help clean the ward they offer their hands, otherwise one of the other residents sits quietly with her. They don’t speak. They just sit. Hand in hand.  The last portrait is of the hand-holding friend.

xo,
klc

I have spent the last three weeks volunteering in the rural Terai region of Nepal.  I was based in Narti, a very small village in the Dang district.  Dang is home to a large population of the Tharu people, an ethnic group that was immune to malaria and enjoyed their way of the region for many years undisturbed.  When malaria was eradicated, hill people from the north began to move in and seize the land of the Tharu.  Today, over 70% of the population of the Terai is landless and live in extreme poverty.  In the face of their difficult lives, all of the people I met during my time in Narti were warm and welcoming, happily offering a smile, which is often all that they had to give.

These are some of their faces.

I’ve been feeling a bit homesick around this holiday season, so I’m glad to be able to share with all of you a taste of what my home has been like for the past month.

Much love

klc