Friends of Chepel

Health Post

• After completion of construction work the opening ceremony of the mini-hospital took place on January 29th, 2025
• Equipment such as treatment further couches, portable ultrasound device, small diagnostic devices, dressing material
• furnishing of a recreation room for children/families
• Training support for employees such as midwifery/obstetrics certification, ultrasound course
• Providing of a common room for children/families
• Provision of a filter system for clean drinking water (WASH project – Water/Sanitation/Hygiene) with water supply from a 2000 l tank for continuous water supply even in winter
• Expansion of the mini-hospital into a health post with telemedicine services (planned with the renowned Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu, which has experience in telemedicine)

School

• School sponsorships (250 euros per child, which corresponds to half of the annual school costs per child)
• New school uniforms for 80 students
• New shoes for 80 students
• Musical instruments, that is a big wish of the teachers and students!
• Financing of the English teacher for classes in grades 1 – 8
• Equipping a science room for scientific education

Chepel is a small village with about 400 inhabitants at an altitude of approx. 2300 m in the district Solukhumbu east of the capital Kathmandu. When I first visited Chepel in 2012 it was a one-day jeep ride and thereafter a five-days hike over 3 passes to get there. Now, the “street”  goes closer to Chepel, however, it is still a very exhausting and long trip. Since Chepel completely lies aside of any tourist route, there are no real tourist lodges around and a trip to Chepel is really like a trip into the very and still natural heart of Nepal.

A center like we know it does not exist in Chepel. The village looks more like 70 houses dropped from 2 km height with corn and potato fields around each house.

The middle picture below is taken from a place which is on the same altitude than Chepel and around 6 walking hours away. Chepel is behind the 4th mountain on the right side. All in the back the Himalaya range of mountains with over 6000 m can be seen, behind these the 8000 m high summits would appear. To get to Chepel from the place of the picture you need to go down 1200 m of altitude, cross the 250 m long hanging bridge, and then 1200 m up again on the other side of the Dudh Khosi. There it goes on in the typical “Nepali straight” style – meaning up and down and up and down and…