November 14, 2002

Dear Friends,

Greetings! I hope the past year was good for you and your family. The ANMF and I would like to thank you for your support and plead for continued support and encouragement.

We are working to fund three deserving new projects in the year 2003. The first is from Bir Hospital to train a physician and a technologist in renal histopathology. This project would finally provide the technical expertise to diagnose and treat common kidney diseases like IgA Nephropathy in Nepal. The second is from the Disabled Children’s Hospital in Banepa requesting one anesthetic machine to perform surgeries on disabled children. Third is from Kathmandu University Medical School (KUMS) to build capacity in medical school management of this new and brilliant school. We have sanctioned $10,000 but need additional $18,000 to fund all three projects. The ongoing developmental project to build a medical school/hospital for KUMS also needs support.

It has been a defining year for the ANMF and I am pleased to remind you about some of our accomplishments. This past year, the foundation changed its governing structure to meet requirements of funding agencies and to make the organization more contemporary. With the approval of the general membership, we have established more of a corporate structure for the organization. The Board of Directors directly governs the day to day activities of the ANMF. We currently have 19 Board members who were elected and have agreed to provide leadership for the ANMF. The Board has also established an Advisory Council to guide its decisions. Changes in Bylaws were voted into effect in June at the annual meeting in Los Angeles. Details are on the www.anmf.net/losangeles_2002.htm.

The annual meeting in Los Angeles organized by Dr. Libby Wilson was well attended and very productive. We were able to listen to presentations on educational opportunities and challenges in Nepal and exchange ideas on how to move further ahead. We finalized a mechanism for submitting project proposals from Nepal. The process was streamlined and made accessible through the ANMF website. This has already borne fruit with several proposals submitted and approved by the ANMF/Nepal this year.

The ANMF also created committees to provide leadership for its activities. The committees are: Administration (Julia Shepardson, Executive Director), Membership (Bhargab Dixit), Outreach (Donald Blair), Fundraising (Sharada Bhandary), Development (Shiva Gautam), Web Site (Fred Shepardson), Educational (Sunil Sharma), CME (Roshan Shrestha), KUMS Developmental Project (Cliff Tabin), Annual Convention (Gaury Adhikary), Projects (Fred Shepardson). The meeting approved $10,000 budget for project proposals in Nepal for the year 2003.

Other ANMF activities include preparation for supporting a grant application on behalf of Kathmandu University Medical School. If this proposal is funded, it will help establish a top-notch medical school and hospital in Dhulikhel under the auspices of KUMS. ANMF is working with Cliff Tabin from Harvard to submit the grant proposal in 2003. If we are successful in soliciting funds, ANMF will have the responsibility of administering this large grant. The HealthNet project of linking district hospitals in Nepal to the Internet is ongoing. We continue to provide educational materials to medical libraries in Nepal. Our membership has been a source of information exchange between people needing help and providing help in the medical field in Nepal. This is why we need your help. Please fill out the form attached to become a member or a donor of the ANMF.

ANMF website has been redone and is more user friendly and informative. It provides easy to find information about the organization, its activities and the projects submitted or supported. It also provides a forum to put up help wanted and help offered requests from and to Nepal. ANMF/Nepal has been formalized this year with its own membership. We are pleased to provide initial assistance to establish its offices in Kathmandu and congratulate Aruna Pant for coordinating the activities from Nepal.

The Continuing Medical Education activity this year is on Infectious Diseases in collaboration with the Society of Internal Medicine of Nepal on November 24th in Pokhara – see www.anmf.net/cme11-02.htm. These conferences have been very popular in Nepal with large attendance and have helped encourage Nepali medical professionals to gain the latest medical information from the experts in their field. We look forward to continuing these activities.

The next annual meeting of the ANMF with the theme “Supporting Medical Progress in Nepal” will be held on June 27th – 29th in Ann Arbor, Michigan under the direction of Gaury Adhikary – see www.anmf.net/ann_arbor_2003.htm. Please mark your calendars and attend the meeting. We hope to have good participation of local, national and international members.

Finally, let me remind you that these are tough and trying times for Nepal and rest of the world. One way to try to make this world a better place is to help people less fortunate than us. A small help on your part can touch the lives of many and even improve the livelihood of generations. You do not have to be a medical professional to help the ANMF. We would appreciate any help or advice from you to enable us to achieve our goals. The ANMF wants your help to make a difference in the lives of many in Nepal by supporting its endeavors. I wish you and your family a happy, safe and joyous holiday season and thank you for your goodwill.

Best wishes,

Sanjaya Khanal, MD
Chair, Board of Directors