Barefoot Doctor Clinics, 1st update

Who are we?
The Barefoot Acupuncture Clinics (BAC) is a charity with a mission is to set up fully equipped acupuncture clinics that offer free medical support to those afflicted by disease and poverty while empowering local people with the knowledge, skills and clinical training to run their own clinics, after we have left. This vision will be achieved by running initial and ongoing training for local nuns and monks to reach clinical acupuncture practice standards, and by opening, equipping and maintaining a number of free acupuncture clinics. BAC is providing free, sustainable, empowering, targeted and culturally appropriate Healthcare in Nepal and India.

Background
My name is Leilani Lea and I am the founder of BAC. I have had 35 years of experience as an acupuncturist; it has been my absolute passion in life. The BAC charity is my second great passion and I feel it as my calling.

I worked voluntarily in the Maharaj Charan Singh Hospital in India in 1980/81, seeing around 100 patients daily. I experienced enormous success, particularly working with infantile paralysis. It was such a joyous experience to see a child walk for the first time, at 6years of age, and to see children using their previously paralysed limbs. Unfortunately, when I left, there was no one trained to continue the work I had started. Since that time, I have held a desire to return to India and Nepal to pass on these acupuncture techniques so that the population would have access to very needed healthcare, and the locals be empowered to provide it.

Earlier this year my dream finally came to fruition when I was invited by Thrangu Rinpoche to train a number of nuns and monks from his monasteries in Nepal and India.
I arrived in Namo Buddha, Nepal in March 2010 to commence training of 14 nuns and monks, who had come from India and Kathmandu and were Doctors of Tibetan medicine. For the next five months I conducted a comprehensive and intensive training program, which ran six days a week.

The students
The nuns and monks were amazingly keen and conscientious students. The love in their hearts made them a delight to teach. It was an unforgettable experience. We completed the study of a thick and comprehensive textbook on the fundamentals of acupuncture.
The students studied 14 meridians, basic anatomy, physiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment techniques and learnt how to locate hundreds of acupoints. The training included over 200 hours of clinical practice to apply knowledge and perfect their skills. We were seeing around 100 patients daily. The nuns and monks were meticulous, professional and caring in their approach, and achieved very high standards of clinical practice. Following an official graduation ceremony, all 14 students are now practicing.

The Clinics
There are currently 4, new, free BAC’s:  3 operational and another one soon to be opened. The first clinic operates as part of the Monastery Clinic in the hills of Namo Buddha where we did the training. The local villagers lead very tough lives and are hugely grateful for the service, which brings great health benefits and pain relief.

The second clinic was started by a monk, Dr Karma Choenyi, as requested by Thrangu Rinpoche, in the Thrangu monastery of Nubri, which is high up on the Tibetan border and a wild place with no running water and no electricity. People come from all the little outlying villages in the hills, sometimes travelling for miles on foot, to seek Healthcare. BDC ensured that Karma Choenyi had enough needles, moxa, acupuncture machines, etc to be able to start up his practice in the monastery.

The third clinic has been set up near the Tara Abbey in Kathmandu by the eight Doctor nuns from the course. BDC are helping them with the set-up costs and a kind Australian donor has paid their monthly rent of 85€ for 3 months. They also have been supplied by BDC with enough medical/acupuncture equipment for their initial months there.

Finally, two sisters from the course, Tsultrim and Dolma, are busy preparing to set up the 4th clinic in their hometown of Tatopani, which is also on the Tibetan border. After completing the BDC course, they wanted to return to their village to help their fellow villagers. They are currently looking for premises. For this project, we need to fund-raise and start from scratch. BDC will endeavour to equip them with everything they need.

Your kind support
I took with me 100,000 needles, 4 electro-acupuncture machines, sphygs and stethoscopes, moxa and all the other paraphernalia needed for setting up acupuncture practices, as well as all the necessary books and teaching materials for the course. We were very well equipped and, even after subtracting the supplies used for the clinical practice under training, I was able to ensure that the new clinics were given enough supplies to function for 4-6 months.
This abundance of needles and equipment was entirely due to the generosity of my kind donors. As BDC is entirely run by volunteers, any monies given go straight into the Clinics and to where it is needed. I am so grateful to all of you for your contributions and supplies. You can trust that your generosity has an ongoing impact in the work of the Barefoot Doctors and the well-being of so many poor patients.

Current tasks
Since being back in Europe, I maintain contact  with the clinics – apart from Nubri which has no electricity or wifi. So I bought a electronic camera for Dr. Choenyi, but we have to wait about 6-8 months for him to come down from the mountains to visit Kathmandu so he can email the photos.

I have spent considerable time and effort setting up the BAC charity and completing important administrative details. With the help of a number of volunteers, I have been busy brainstorming and seeking ongoing financial assistance to ensure BAC rents and medical supplies do not run out.

Next Stage
I look forward to returning to Nepal to see how the BAC are functioning. I will also provide post-graduate training after the nuns and monks have been in practice for approximately a year.

In addition, I am investigating opening new clinics in Sarnath and Varanasi in India. There is immense poverty in these towns, particularly affecting the elderly and children, which are the two groups I want to work with most of all. This stage will take time and a lot of funding, which is my priority in the coming year. To repeat the success of the clinics in Nepal, we aim to do thorough preparation and field research early in 2011 and then start opening new clinics in October 2011.

The Future
I am totally committed to the ongoing expansion and success of the Barefoot Doctor Clinics charity, and so happy that we have made such a positive start. with all of these things it is a real team effort and regardless of the part played, each element is vital in bringing the project to fruition.

 

Once again, thank you for your unfailing kindness, support and financial aid, which allows BAC to continue to grow and serve hundreds of patients in dire need of the health care and relief that we provide.

With love and thanks,

 

Leilani, and the 14 new graduate Barefoot Doctors.