‘PROJECT HOSPICE NEPAL’ – A ROTARY CLUB FUNDRAISING PROJECT
Twenty years ago, four Nepalese doctors who were school friends got together and started the first Hospice for terminally ill patients in Nepal.
Today, from those very humble beginnings, Hospice Nepal has become a centre of excellence for palliative care under the guidance of its medical director, Professor Rajesh Gongol.
In late 2018 one of our Fairfield Rotary club members Dr Stuart Brown, spoke to our club about his work as a palliative care specialist. In particular, he talked about his work in Kathmandu and Hospice Nepal. After his presentation, a number of our members got together and decided that we had to help.
My reason for writing is to ask for your help with ‘Project Hospice Nepal’, a project being driven here in New Zealand by members of the Fairfield Rotary Club of Hamilton. After twenty years the current 8 bed Hospice in Kathmandu is now too small. It has no facilities for children, in fact, there are no hospice facilities for children in the whole of Nepal. The hospice also needs space for training the next generation of medical and nursing staff in end-of-life and Palliative Care.
Owing to the Covid-19 outbreak seriously curtailing our fundraising ability, we are now urgently seeking help to make sure that our patients can continue to receive the care they will need. With our Rotary friends and partners both in Nepal and the UK, we are seeking to build a much larger 24 bed hospice, with more modern facilities, a children’s ward and a training centre.
The good news is that our project team has already raised $550,000 USD, which is enough to purchase the land for the new hospice. However, we now need to build the hospice, and are working hard to ensure that this happens. British actress and long-time friend of Nepal Joanna Lumley, has kindly agreed to become our Ambassador and Rotary clubs in New Zealand and the UK are showing strong support for the project. Whilst fundraising for building the Hospice is underway, we are also seeking partners from Rotary Clubs, Foundations, Trusts and the commercial sector to help support our work.
If every club in New Zealand was able to donate or raise $2,000 we would have enough to build the hospice.
During this time of enforced isolation can you and your club help? A donation of any size will help.
(New Zealand) PO Box 15512, Dinsdale, Hamilton 3243 New Zealand
Donations: gogetfunding.com/hospicenepal
Project Hospice Nepal - A Fairfield Rotary Club Project www.hospicenepal.com
The details of all donors who donate $1,000 or more will be added to the ‘Wall of Stars’, which will be established in the foyer of the new Hospice.
Our Project Teams are also actively seeking sponsorship of the children’s ward, the training centre and other areas of the Hospice. Should this be of interest to your club, please do not hesitate to contact me.
We have invited the Rotary International President to sign a Commemorative Certificate, which will be given to all our donors and sponsors.
I have added the Fairfield Rotary Club Bank details below, should you wish to make a donation via direct bank credit transfer.
The Fairfield Rotary Charitable Trust - Nepal Fund
SBS Bank Account Number: 03-1355-0509839-01
Please remember to reference your Rotary Club details and forward an email to nepal@xtra.co.nz to advise us of the deposit.
Please visit our website and Facebook page and watch our videos to learn more about the work of Hospice Nepal; www.facebook.com/projecthospicenepal
If you are able to help in any way or wish any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely in Rotary service,
Michael Cahill MBE
Project Hospice Nepal Fairfield Rotary Club (District 9930)
Tel: 021 328 084