Chitepani Trust

Chitepani is a subsistence farming village, situated 3200ft above sea level and approximately 9.3miles from Pokhara, Nepal’s second city. Although the Chitepani Trust was registered as a Charity in the UK in 2006, it had been functioning as a project since 2000 when Tika Ram Sapkota (a mountain guide at that time) and I, trekked to Annapurna Base Camp to celebrate the millennium. Tika told me about his home village Chitepani and of the need for some kind of small health centre. There was no medical provision in the village and it was necessary to walk a long way down a difficult mountain path and alongside the river before catching a bus to Pokhara and to the nearest doctor. A plan had been discussed but promised funding did not materialise. I decided to become involved at this stage. It took several years of fundraising in the UK before the health centre became well established with a full time health worker and regular health camps attended by a doctor. Health camps over the years have concentrated on issues such as eye problems, women’s health including smear testing, thyroid testing as well as general health and dental hygiene. Recently we have concentrated on providing information about Covid 19