Charity Rides Beneficiaries

NEPAL BENEFICIARIES

The aim of this ride is to raise a minimum of US$20,000 to help fund some or all of the urgent needs and ongoing costs for the Sewa Kendra Leprosy Relief (SKLR) hospital, outreach clinics and associated 'Little School on the Roof' The money raised, from both the tour and separate donations made directly into the Saffron Road Charitable Trust Fund, will be released to the registered charity in Nepal, Sewa Kendra Leprosy Relief. Its use will be governed by the SKLR Board of Trustees.

Click here to view how funds raised will be distributed.

SEWA KENDRA LEPROSY RELIEF
THE HOSPITAL & OUTREACH CLINICS
'LITTLE SCHOOL ON THE ROOF'

SEWA KENDRA LEPROSY RELIEF
The Sewa Kendra Leprosy Relief (SKLR), generally known simply as Sewa Kendra (service centre), is an organization dedicated to the care of leprosy victims in Nepal . It was established in September 2002 and is registered with the Government of Nepal, District Administration Office, Kathmandu (Registration Number 149/059/060). The SKLR hospital and clinic is located in Gaushala in the vicinity of the temple of the great Hindu deity, Lord Pashupatinath to whom thousands of devotees pay homage every day.

For numerous destitute people in the country the temple is a place of refuge. Many leprosy victims end up here also and live by begging because, due to ignorance and lack of education, they are mercilessly ex-communicated by their relatives and neighbours as soon as their affliction becomes public knowledge. Therefore, by locating itself here, Sewa Kendra has been able to reach out to many leprosy patients as well as the large number of other poor and destitute, including the 225 residents of the government old age home in the area.

THE HOSPITAL & OUTREACH CLINICS
SKLR operates a FREE 15-bed hospital and clinic in Gaushala. Patients from the Khokna Leprosarium who need ultra-care are brought here and provided free medication and board while receiving treatment. After recuperation they return to the leprosarium. The tiny outpatients clinic caters to low-income earners, charging a nominal fee of approx 20 rupees (28 cents!) a visit.

SKLR also runs a FREE outreach clinic at Dolalghat, 55kms (34miles) en route to the Tibet Border. The clinic operates every Wednesday and checks up to 250 patients each visit. When leprosy cases are detected, the patients are transferred to the Gaushala hospital for treatment.

In addition to the hospital and clinic, every Tuesday and Friday, SKLR offers free check-ups and medical support for the residents of the Government’s Pashupatinath Old Age Home in Pashupatinath.

Dr Pradhan and her team are also the only organization allowed by the government of Nepal to provide medical care to the some 350 residents of the leprosarium. Although there is a nurse in residence, the medical team of two doctors and nurses from SKLR also run a FREE clinic every Monday and Thursday.

'LITTLE SCHOOL ON THE ROOF'
Quite literally, this small two-room pre-school and after school care centre catering to the children of leprosy patients, is on the roof of the two-storey hospital. The school was forced to move to this location after losing the use of its previous building, when the owners took it back for commercial use. Currently, the school is built of corrugated iron, has no insulation, no fans and no heating ~ and only a ‘safety’ rope around the roof perimeter to stop children falling off!

With our help a wall can be built around the roof, classrooms can be insulated, heated and cooled, and educational equipment can be purchased.