Final Dispatch from 2004 Service Trek for Mt. Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nepal and Tibet

John Vavruska writes:  As I write this, snow is falling outside my window and Northern New Mexico is getting its first good blanket of snow.  I’m back home again with my family after 15 remarkable days in the remote hills of eastern Nepal.  How different our worlds are.  It now all seems like a dream.  Actually, it was a dream….fulfilled!  I knew I would return to Nepal one day - its wonderful people and magnificent landscape are irresistible to those who “get the bug”.  I was fortunate twenty years ago to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal.  And once again, I’ve had the privilege to return to Nirmalidanda and be welcomed back with amazing hospitality.

The focus of our Service Trek in support of the Mt. Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nepal and Tibet were the Sherpa village of Patale in northern Okhaldhunga district and the village of Nirmalidanda in Khotang district.  Overall, I am encouraged by what I saw and experienced in Nepal compared to twenty years ago.  On the positive side, sanitation has improved with the construction of many latrines in villages that did not have a single one before.  The forests everywhere we visited look larger and healthier than before thanks to community forest protection programs implemented at the village level.  Health posts staffed by trained health workers and stocked with appropriate medicines and supplies are more common than before, thanks to the efforts of organizations like the Mt. Everest Foundation.

Sadly, the construction of gravity flow drinking water systems which were being supported by both the government of Nepal and UNICEF when I was here before now appear to be a thing of the past.  The systems that were built at that time are almost all in a state of disrepair due to a lack of funds for their upkeep.  And of course the Maoist insurgency remains a source of tension for Nepalis.  It has tragically taken many lives and negatively impacts the hill villagers.  As foreigners, we always felt safe as we walked through the hills, even when we did encounter Maoists. The insurgency vs. the government is an issue that will have to be resolved by the Nepali

people and let’s hope in a peaceful manner.

In the coming months, I look forward to giving slide presentations about our 2004 Service Trek and hope that we can count on support for the new Health Post in Patale and upgrade of the water system in Nirmalidanda.  These two projects are directly improving the lives of people in remote hill villages who deeply appreciate it, by providing basic human needs - health care and clean drinking water.  If you would like to host a slide show or would just like to talk about rural development in Nepal, please contact me at

I want to thank several people who helped make our journey a pleasant reality.  Dan Mazur’s enthusiasm, understanding, and love of Nepal along with his encouragement led me to finally say, why not go back to the village this year?  Elselien te Hennepe’s curiosity about Nepal and care for it’s people were an inspiration and positive influence throughout our trek.  Our Sherpa staff, all from the villages of Patale - Jangbu, Gyaluk, Shera, Tenzing, Sapte, Kandu, Lhakpa, and Gyalzen can’t be thanked enough for their constant care, loyalty, and desire to do this Service Trek as a team. Equally appreciated were the cheerful contributions of our Rai porters Niranjan and Raj Kumar from the village of Gudel, a place we’d all like to visit someday.  Many thanks to Murari Sharma of Parivar Trekking for successfully getting us in and out of a logistically difficult region on schedule.  Finally, I really appreciate the support of my wife Laura and daughter Annie, who understood how important this journey was to me and encouraged me to go.

Thank you very much, and I am looking forward to hearing from you. Yours Sincerely, John Vavruska

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