November 28, 2005

Dear Friend of Nepal,

Let us think for a minute: What is the real problem tormenting Nepal? Is it the Maoist insurgency, political conflicts or militarization? We believe the root cause of all the political and social instability is lack of resources. While the rest of the world is going through the age of electronic revolutions and genetic breakthroughs, most of Nepal is still struggling with basic problems - illiteracy, malnutrition, poor sanitation, high rates of infant and maternal mortality, and limited access to healthcare. There is not only a huge disparity in healthcare between North America and Kathmandu, but there is even a wider gap between Kathmandu and rural Nepal. We think this is where all of us can make a difference. Our contributions in terms of voluntary time and donations can make a significant difference on the lives of thousands of Nepalese.

For example, with the help of its members and friends, ANMF is able to support the Genital Prolapse Project, conducted by physicians in rural Dolakha district. Through the rural health camps in 2005, this team provided services to more than 200 women with genital prolapse, a disease which is otherwise not discussed by women. A full report was presented at ANMF’s 9th Annual Conference in Phoenix and a summary version is available here.

Similarly, hundreds of children in rural Nepal with repaired cleft palates are receiving the benefit of speech therapy. Training of rural paramedics in speech therapy was sponsored by ANMF. Despite the instability in the country, ANMF members and volunteers continue to travel to Nepal to provide medical education programs. A brief overview of recent ANMF activities can be found at 2005 Highlights.

ANMF wants to continue support for the ongoing Genital Prolapse Project for women in rural areas of Nepal. ANMF also wants to continue to support telemedicine as a tool for providing real time consultations and education for Nepali physicians and other healthcare workers. We need your help to do this. The list of needs in Nepal is very long, but ANMF tries to prioritize them as we receive the requests.

We also had successful fund raising events in Chicago and New York for which we would like to thank all the organizers, volunteers and participants. Our members in Canada are creating a separate Canadian organization to encourage participation there. Updates on various ANMF activities are available here on the ANMF website.
We would like to thank you for your past support and urge you to renew your membership, or take membership if you have not done so. Memberships are an important resource for ANMF. All ANMF members are volunteers, except the office coordinator in Nepal. Please let us know if you would like to participate in various ANMF activities as a volunteer and also indicate the area of your interest.

Please help ANMF by paying membership dues and by contributions for projects in 2006. Donations are possible by check and credit card on the website, and by contributions of securities. ANMF is a tax-exempt 501(c) (3) organization and your gifts are tax deductible.

We wish you a very joyous holiday season and a brilliant new year. We hope peace and happiness will prevail in Nepal and to all of humanity.

Sincerely,

Janak Koirala, MD, MPH, FACP President	Julia Shepardson Executive Director