We need your help to raise funds to purchase the medical equipment and supplies needed to open the Chisang Clinic in Bhawanee, Eastern Nepal. Through GlobalGiving, we have raised more than $7,000 toward our Phase I goal of $18,440 to reopen the clinic. Every dollar you give buys $7 worth of medical equipment and supplies, thanks to generous discounts offered by our partner organizations.

Chisang Clinic remodel will increase service capacity

Please click here to visit our Support page for ways you can help!

Please click on the logo below to support us through Global Giving:

Other Ways to Help Online

You can also raise money for CMAF just by surfing the web or purchasing products online at no extra cost to you! CMAF is registered with the following online search/purchase services. Just type in your search information and select Children’s Medical Aid Foundation as your charity.

• www.goodsearch.com or www.goodshop.com
• www.igive.com
• www.we-care.com

Set up any of these sites as your home page and make it easy to raise funds for CMAF. Every dollar raised can make a difference in the lives of children in Nepal!

Please click here for Chisang Clinic flyer.

CMAF assists with the development of clinics to meet the basic medical needs of unserved rural populations in Nepal. CMAF Founder and CEO Carol Vernal met Debendra Karki when she was in Nepal in late 2010. Debendra introduced her to his village, Bhawanee, and a small empty clinic that he had built in 2003. The clinic was operated by a Nepalese NGO for five years, providing primarily OB/GYN services.  Political unrest resulted in the clinic closing, and it has been vacant now for more than three years, waiting for someone to adopt it.

Debendra has a PhD in Public Health, and a post graduate degree in Anthropology from Harvard University. He has worked with the World Health Organization and USAid. He is now dedicated to reopening the Chisang Clinic, and will partner with CMAF to achieve that goal.  As partners we can share our energy and experience to provide medical care for thousands of families in Bhawanee and surrounding villages.

Two percent of Nepalese children are born each year with a congenital defect that is easily detectable at birth. This is a higher rate than children born in Western countries. Some contributing factors are poor nutrition, inherited tendencies, absence of pre-natal care, and mineral deficiencies during gestation. For many children, surgical intervention may be their only chance to be freed from the stigma, shame and handicaps associated with a congenital defect. While some organizations focus on the important work of correcting cleft lip and palate defects, CMAF seeks to assist children with other types of birth defects – children that would have no other alternative if CMAF did not assist them. We help locate children in need (often by word-of-mouth), educate families about their options, and work to dispel the fears and beliefs related to the cause of the defects.

CMAF partners with a specially trained Nepalese Mobile Surgical Team, lead by world-renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Shankar Rai, to treat a broad range of congenital defects. These include syndactylism (webbed fingers), disfiguring moles, polydactyly (supernumerary fingers or toes) and hypospadius (male genito-urinary problems). Surgical reconstruction offers these children with functional and aesthetic benefits, transforming their futures with the hope of a normal childhood and better life. Villagers with post-traumatic injuries such as ulcerated wounds and disfiguring scars are also eligible for surgical treatment. Services are provided to those in need at no charge, regardless of caste, religion, or political beliefs.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, with many Nepalese children living in remote villages where medical treatment is unavailable due to geographic restraints, poverty, lack of medical supplies and/or absence of trained personnel. CMAF addresses these barriers by providing support for the Nepalese Mobile Surgical Team; soliciting, collecting and delivering needed medical supplies; and assisting with post-operative services such as physical therapy, dressing changes, and support for families.

When completed, this hospital will provide the following services:

• Reconstructive surgery for children with congenital defects
• Surgical repair of post burn contractures
• Pediatric Services
• Outpatient Department
• OB/GYN Services
• Emergency Room/Trauma Center for traffic accident victims

The Itahari Hospital Project is truly a collaborative endeavor. The local Itahari community has embraced the project and contributed funds to purchase the building site. The Itahari Hospital Construction Committee meets regularly in Nepal with representatives from the local Pakali Village Development Committee, phect-NEPAL and Nepalese Rotary Clubs. Rotary Clubs in Nepal and the U.S. work together to provide funding support as well as assistance in the selection and procurement of building supplies.

Carol was a nurse and worked in the medical industry for many years, and understands the deep and lasting impacts of working with indigent populations, especially in other parts of the world – like far-away Nepal.

“Nurses who want to get involved can do so many ways. Volunteers can work with CMAF mobile medical teams and as couriers to deliver supplies to Nepal. Stateside they can collect sutures and wound dressing materials for donations and advocate and inform about the quality of medical care in Nepal. By helping in any way, Vernal says that nurses learn about how cultural and spiritual beliefs impact Nepal’s healthcare and also see both the differences and similarities between Western and Eastern medicine. This fall CMAF is hosting a trip to Nepal open to the medical field where those attending can receive CEUs.

“Working to enhance the lives of Nepalese villages through increased access to healthcare has added significance and purpose to my life,” Vernal said. “Perhaps it can do the same for others.”

Click here to read the full article online.

A portable tourniquet system was purchased by CMAF  for $1,300 and donated to Kathmandu Model Hospital. This portable unit is used when working on extremities. It is a factor in reducing surgical time and making the surgeon’s work easier. Thank you to Delfi Medical, the manufacturer, for discounting the retail price by 50%.

Thank you to Med Share for donating sutures and surgical instruments to CMAF. These medical supplies were delivered recently by CMAF CEO Carol Vernal to Dr. Pawan, Namita (a surgical nurse) and CMAF co-director Dr. Shankar Rai. These donated items are essential in providing corrective surgery at no charge to families whose children have disfiguring birth defects.

Other participating organizations included Sahayeta, Community Health for Asian Americans, Tibetan Association of Northern California, Center for Asian American Media, Bhutanese Community in California and CAN-USA.

The goals of the Himalayan Youth Leadership Summit were to:

• Empower Youth: encourage young people to envision their capacity for affecting positive change in the world.
• Provide a Platform: facilitate youth to exchange ideas and share their talents, and
• Create an Alliance: provide a welcome space for youth and adult leadership to connect

For more information about the event, please contact Nisha Thapa, President of Sahayeta.org, at 415.297.7643 or by email at nishathapa82@gmail.com.

We highly appreciate the work carried out by Children’s Medical Aid Foundation in Nepal. It has helped to save the lives of children in the rural areas. The Foundation joins hands with other organisations working in the medical field. We need the help of Children’s Medical Aid Foundation to reach many poor children in the rural areas, mainly in the hilly regions.

We wish all the best for the Foundation’s future undertakings and assure our best support in the days ahead.

I met Carol Vernal through a mutual friend in Kathmandu, while she was visiting Nepal and helping many children on her own personal level. She has a medical background, and spent a couple of months with our medical outreach team to help children in remote areas of Nepal receive corrective surgeries for congenital and traumatic deformities (not including cleft lip and palate conditions, which are addressed by other medical programs). Carol was very much liked by all of our team members, which includes nurses, doctors, therapists and coordinators. Since then, she has been coming to Nepal every year to work with us and develop vital partnerships with Nepalese government agencies, NGOs and community groups. She has a thorough understanding of Nepalese cultures, religions, and social/political conditions that can impact our work.

Inspired by the opportunity to continue changing children’s lives, Carol went back to the U.S. and started the Children’s Medical Aid Foundation (CMAF). CMAF helps raise funds for our Corrective Surgery Program, enabling us to reach about 100 children annually who have birth defects. More than 600 children have already received life-changing surgeries through the support of CMAF. Most of these children could not have received these services otherwise.