Dear Prayer Partners, Greetings from Nepal. I know that many of you will have been following the events in Nepal over the last few weeks, and, no doubt, praying for a positive outcome - one that will bring sustainable peace, justice and righteousness. Thank you so much for your prayers. We have witnessed many amazing things and seen the power of the people to bring about huge changes in the political scene. We are also confident that prayer power has played a key role. We were under curfew for several days in April which delayed the Prayer Update. We apologize for this late edition. Due to the rising postage costs (over 100% in the last year); we are now planning to send the Prayer Update four times a year, starting from this edition. Please send us your email address, if you have one so that we can reduce the postage costs. Thank you, Jennie Collins, Executive Director P O Box 126, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: (977 1) 4228 118, 4268 900 Fax: (977 1) 4225 559 E-mail: marketing@umn.org.np Website: www.umn.org.np Seeds of new opportunity
Seeds of new opportunity Before the cock crows every morning, Phool Kumari is already in her fields looking after the vegetables. The small piece of land is full of cauliflowers, cabbages, lady s fingers, and pumpkin shoots each arranged in perfect rows. She looks for caterpillars, ladybirds, larvae and other insects which eat the leaves of the vegetables. She carefully eliminates them and then starts the motor to pump water for the vegetables. By the time she has finished watering all the plants, it is already mid-day. She then starts picking and uprooting the vegetables to send them to the nearby hat (local makeshift market). Paddy, lentils and wheat previously these were the only crops the people in this part of Sunsari grew, due to lack of irrigation and in-depth knowledge. They did not have the understanding of crop rotation, nor the use of right type of fertilizers and pesticides. They used to grow vegetables for their families consumption only. However, with the growth of local markets, people like Phool Kumari have started commercial vegetable farming. She started growing vegetables five years ago with the help of Sewa Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd., one of UMN s partners in Sunsari. Sewa provided her the seed money to rent the land and technical advice to start growing a wide range of different vegetables. She has rented 10 kathhas (1 kattha = 338 sq. mtrs.) of land for Rs. 5000 per year (US$ 70). She is able to grow four crops each year on that land. She has already sold vegetables worth Rs. 20,000 (US$ 280) this year and her land even now is full of vegetables that can be sold to make more money. She is planning to rent more land next year. With the continuous help from the technical staff of Sewa and UMN, she has learnt the new skills and knowledge. She has involved many other people in these new opportunities. The chain of development has started and they thank Sewa and UMN for helping them plant these seeds of new opportunity. Give thanks that the King s announcement in which he reinstated parliament, effectively meant that the huge potentially violent demonstration was turned into a victory parade. Please pray for all those injured and the families of those killed during the demonstrations. The Maoists have declared a unilateral ceasefire for the next three months. Please pray that they support the interim government in moving forward N E P A L towards peace, justice, and economic prosperity. Pray that the political parties will actually deliver on promises that they have made regarding new initiatives. Also pray that there will be the minimum of inter-party arguments which could delay progress.
4 5 May Thank God that we have signed Agreements with five Potential Partners in Dhading. Pray that we are able to address the needs of the poor by working through these partnerships. Please pray for the women around Rupandehi border who have accepted prostitution to provide for their daily needs. Ask God to help us work with them to find alternative work through which they can earn their livelihood. We are hoping for the granting of free visa status for all UMN expatriate staff. This has obviously been delayed because of the recent events. Pray that we will be able to get visas sorted as soon as possible. Remember Deependra and Dewan in our Visa Section as they deal with frustrating delays. Lord, give us your love and compassion for the people who are living in North Dhading which is very remote and lacks roads and basic infrastructure. Please guide us how to respond to their needs as Christ would. Pray for safety of all UMN staff as they travel to and from Clusters, Projects and Kathmandu, especially for safe travel during the monsoon season. Also pray for the Rukum cluster team as they move to Rukum in May. Pray for God to speak into the hearts of our team members to work with love and compassion for the poor and underprivileged. Please pray for the appointment of a dentist for Oral Health Focal Point (OHFP), so that we will be able to build their capacity to implement the National Oral Health Plan. The Oral Health Programme supports the recently established OHFP in the Ministry of Health. The Long Term Plan 2006-2011 for Okhaldhunga Community Hospital has been finalised and is now being submitted to the donor. Please pray that I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3 the plan would be acceptable to the donor so that the hospital s capacity would be strengthened and sustained for the coming years to continue serving the people in these remote and very poor districts in Nepal. Many people in Dhading have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict. They have fled from their homes in different parts of the district. Pray that these Internally Displaced People (IDP) are rehabilitated and can return again to their homes. Pray for the Mid Strategic Plan Evaluation. We have just completed year three of our Strategic Plan. Please pray for all the people participating in the evaluation, that they have the energy and extra time and willingness to give to it, and that we all learn from it. We give thanks for the safety of the staff, patients, and townspeople during the attack in Tansen, Palpa on 31 st January. Pray for safety as Tansen is regular cut off by strikes and blockades. We also give thanks for the completion of our new ward block that take the burns and orthopaedic patients, as well as children. Let us praise the Lord and give thanks for the faithful support of our donors who continue to provide the financial resources needed for UMN to carry out its work. All activities planned for this 2005/06 year have been fully funded. We are in the middle of Budget preparation for next year and approaching donors for their support. Due to recent change in Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) Constitution and absence of other council members, the Council has not been able to meet and approve the new Constitution of Tansen Nursing School (TNS). This will allow TNS to operate as an independent body
6 7 under CTEVT and TNS would be able to obtain visas for the UMN appointees independently. Continue to pray for quick approval of the Constitution. TNS offers three year certificate level training to 30 students each year. The two cohorts that have graduated have had excellent results and many of the students come from remote areas of Nepal and poor families. We are developing our strategy for working with the Christian community and getting input from different sources. We see Integral Mission as being an important thing to share and want to also model this in the way UMN works. Pray for clear thinking for all involved in putting this strategy together. We still need suitable staff, both expatriate and Nepali, to fill all posts especially the urgent and critical vacancies. Please pray that qualified candidates will apply for the vacant posts. Pray for a tutorial group teacher to teach appointees children at Tansen from July 2006. Food scarcity is a grave problem in Mugu. In Mugu, UMN is working in Food Security to overcome the problems. All UMN staff will meet together from 16-18 May for the UMN Celebration - a new event which will replace Annual Conference. Pray that we will be refreshed physically and spiritually as we take time to worship, work, share, learn and play together. Pray that the Lord Jesus will fill the team in Sunsari with dedication to be a strong and effective team to address the needs of our partners and community. Also that the right potential partners will be selected for the third phase of the work those who have the vision and commitment to work with the needy communities in Sunsari and Morang. Pray too for the workshop in June when we, with our current partners share what together we have achieved, the constraints and difficulties in implementing the work and also identifying improvements for the coming year. Praise the Lord for the successful completion of Yala Urban Health Programme (YUHP) Impact Evaluation. Please pray for the staff and all relevant partners in Lalitpur, as YUHP is being phased out by July 2006 and for the signing of the agreement with Lalitpur Sub Metropolitan City (LSMC). YUHP is working closely with LSMC and local communities to establish a sustainable system of primary health care. What a wonderful gift to the city and its residents. June The new constitution of Patan Hospital is now at the final stage of approval at the Ministry of Health, which when passed, will ensure an autonomous governance structure for the hospital. Pray for its quick approval by the council of ministers. Pray that the future board would have capable members who would be committed to promote the hospital s interest and ensure that the hospital continues to treat poor patients and has an emphasis on training. Four new people have been recruited in various positions (Women and Children, Organisational Development, Food Security and Education) for the UMN cluster in Rukum. Pray for God to provide them with wisdom and encouragement as they commit to the work for the poor and oppressed in rebel s heartland. Give thanks to Kirsti Kirjavainen for her commitment and significant
8 9... and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever." 2 Chronicles 7:21 contribution to Mugu people. She will soon be going on furlough in Finland, pray this will be a refreshing relaxing time. Pray for all of the UMN Teams as they review their last year s activities, and as they realise the contribution they as teams have made towards UMN s Mission, Vision, may they be encouraged. Particularly those Teams that work to obtain the different resources for UMN Personnel, Marketing and Finance Teams and Operations which provides the services and logistics that permits us to function. There will be a Vision Conference held in Pokhara on 4-7 June for about 80 Christian leaders from that part of the country. This will promote Integral (Holistic) Mission through local Church congregations. Please pray that there will be enthusiastic participation and that those who take part will share the vision in their own congregations. Please pray for the Finance Team as it makes plans to cope with the extra workload that comes at the end of the financial year (16 July). We also thank God for Roger and Jen Marston as they will again be assisting the Finance Team at this busy time. The UMN Board meeting to be held at the beginning of May has been postponed due to the security situation. The meetings will now be held on 27th and 28th June. Please pray that the postponed meetings will go smoothly, and pray for God s wisdom and discernment for the Board members as they make important decisions. Some of the Board members are planning to visit UMN clusters. Please pray that these visits will be a good time of interaction between the Board and the Cluster staff and that it will be a time of learning for everybody. Philip Iszatt, Consultant, for Teamwork for Life (TWFL) is coming to UMN from late May to early June. TWFL is a training programme which gives all UMN Teams the opportunity to discuss issues and build practical skills for working together to help fulfill UMN s Mission and Vision. Philip will spend time with TWFL Development Committee members and also do some cluster visits. Please pray that the TWFL Development Committee members will learn skills needed to facilitate TWFL meetings and also get a deeper understanding of the TWFL material. Give thanks that Betsy Osborne will come back as a consultant for the month of July, she will work with the Personnel and other Teams on Personnel related issues. Please pray for opportunities for recently trained dentists to use the knowledge and skills to pass on their skills to Primary Health Care Workers. Through this training the Primary Health Care Workers will be able to provide basic oral health care services in the community. Pray for water availability in Tansen, this is the driest year anyone can remember. The hospital has to buy water to supplement the insufficient town water supply. This is money that could otherwise be used to treat poor patients. Pray that the Agreement between His Majesty s Government of Nepal and Human Development and Community Services (HDCS) will be signed soon, so the management of the Tansen and Okhaldhunga Hospitals can be handed over to HDCS. A new constitution has been drafted for Butwal Technical Institute (BTI) to run as an autonomous institution within the framework of the Development Board Act. Please pray that the approval process for the new constitution will move forward. BTI trains young men and women to become skilled workers in practical engineering related trades. Once trained they can earn good salaries which in turn benefit their families and indirectly, the community.
10 11 July Ramgunja Youth Club (RYC), one of the partners of Sunsari Cluster works to provide preventive knowledge on Sexual Reproductive Health, HIV/ AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Infections and drug abuse for the community people. They do this by the mobilising of Peer Educators especially adolescents. During action planning with RYC, UMN Staff identified the needs to build their capacity on how to do peer education and mobilise young people effectively. Innocent young girls are frequently trafficked to the Indian cities from Dhading. They are forced into prostitution. Please pray that we will be able to raise awareness to prevent the trafficking. Along with this, pray UMN will find ways to help communities to have sufficient food and resources so they do not need to resort to selling their girls into prostitution. Pray for the first exposure visit by the Technical Advisors and Orientation Visit to locate a suitable place for Rukum cluster office. Pray that the exposure visit is fruitful and the right decisions are made. Ask God to help us set up the office and build relationships with local people. Please pray for improving the quality of Information Communication Technology (ICT) services and the UMN ICT infrastructure. Please pray that we are able to eliminate all pirated software and that critical operational activities of ICT Team are funded. We rely so heavily on this technology for our communication both in and outside Nepal. Please pray for the follow up of Oral Health Programme s (OHP) current research on using chemicals including tea extract from tea leaves for better oral health. Also pray for the funding of new research on weight loss due to oral health problems. The new research will open frontiers for OHP to serve the communities better. Pray for the different training programmes in the UMN hospital, Tansen: for midwives, nurse anesthetists, interns and Medical Doctors/General Practitioners (MDGP) doctors. These trainings will provide knowledge and skills needed to serve the people of Tansen and its surrounding areas in a better way. Pray for newly arrived General Practitioner (GP) Nepali doctors as they start working in Okhaldhunga Hospital. Also pray for the safety of staff and outreach health programmes being implemented in the remote rural areas of Okhaldhunga District. Pray for current leadership of Patan Hospital, particularly the Acting Medical Director. Pray the Hospital will continue to provide the same level of services to the needy patients as in the past; pray too that the new Medical Director would be appointed soon. Please pray for the regular follow-up and coaching to our partners so that they are equipped to address the needs of those among whom they work. Representatives of RYC working on the Action Planning with UMN Staff Ramgunja Youth Club (RYC), one of the partners of Sunsari Cluster works to provide preventive knowledge on Sexual Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS/ Sexually Transmitted Infections and drug abuse for the community people. They do this by the mobilising of Peer Educators especially adolescents. During action planning with RYC, UMN Staff identified the need to build their capacity on how to do peer education and mobilise young people effectively.