Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Bloody busy

I haven't written in awhile, mostly because I have been so bloody busy. I am finishing up my report in the next week and a half, and then heading to Dhankuta.. well flying to Biratnagar (yuck) then turning north and riding hours and hours into the mountains. So, Dhankuta is a hill / mountain region in which BNMT has many program districts. I have seen and examined the districts in the Terai region, now, obviously, I must travel to the other component of their targeted program districts, the hills / mountains. For example, I have seen what increased floods or change in precipitation patterns can do to a topographic plain, but now I must go see what this climate change phenomena will do to high elevation hills (we're not talking Mt. Everest high, but high enough for substantial human population). So I expect this to be change in patterns of artesian wells, timing of ephemeral natural springs, and lots of LANDSLIDES!!

Lately, in these meetings with different INGOs (International Non-Governmental Organizations) in the development sector, they have basically said that no one, absolutely no one in Nepal looks at climate change and health. Organizations focus on more funneled aspects such as climate change and water quality, or climate change and agriculture, or rural health and disaster management, but none with the focus that I would like to take. In one way this is sick, because my proposal will definitely be able to get BNMT funds to take the approach of health in terms of climate change (because it provides this organization with a unique niche in the development sector), but at the same time, I feel like Christopher Columbus, a little (understatement) blindly plowing through untamed waters.

Oh, yea, by the time I am finished, I will have a grant proposal written for BNMT to submit to USAID and other international agencies for funding to approach climate change and health in BNMT's program districts.

Busy busy busy.

I think I am going to stay for a week longer than I originally expected, mainly because this project is taking so much longer than I intended. I am going to finish this next week and a half with interviews and meetings, and hopefully write a good deal of it. Then, to Dhankuta - for almost a week because it is so remote and takes so long to get there - Then, back to KTM finish up, take a break and go to the mountains, "El Himal" for some exploring and head home! (so that's my next month in a nutshell)

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