Welcome to one of our favorite days of the year!
Exactly one year ago, Project for a Village arrived in Nepal for our 2018 health camp. Today, our volunteers leave the U.S. to launch our seventh camp and visit our friends and partners in our favorite place on Earth. We’re thrilled to have some familiar faces as well as new friends joining us this year, and we appreciate good thoughts and prayers for safe travels!
Today is also International Women’s Day, and – like last year – we love that it coincides with our trip to Nepal. A huge part of PFAV’s mission has always been to elevate the needs of women and children, and celebrating #IWD2019 is a great time to recommit to these goals as we set out once again.
In thinking about International Women’s Day and our trip to Nepal, PFAV co-founder Gaby remembered Bill and Melinda Gates’ 2019 annual letter describing their commitment to service. They wrote about how reading an article about the children worldwide who die from preventable illnesses each year motivated them to make a difference. “We believe in a world where innovation is for everyone—where no child dies from a disease it’s possible to prevent,” they said. “But what we saw was a world still shaped by inequity. That discovery was one of the most important steps in our journey. We were surprised, then we were outraged, then we were activated.”
That arc of activation really rings true for us as PFAVers and has fueled our work over the years. We – and those who have joined us along the way – have been surprised by what we’ve found facing the women of Nepal: inequality, lack of resources, lack of education, lack of opportunity. It’s angered us. And it has spurred us to action.
Our partnership with Days for Girls and the Dhading Single Women’s Micro-enterprise, which support education, employment, and enfranchisement for women and girls, is a big part of our work in Nepal. Our health camps focus on the needs of women and children in particular by offering pap smears and gynecological exams, prenatal vitamins, deworming treatments, and multivitamins. On this trip, we can’t wait to serve and celebrate the women of Nepal and continue doing our small part of making a difference there in the lives of individuals, families, and communities.
Follow along on social media as we share updates along the way. Check out the hashtag #pfavinnepal2019 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay informed. And if you’re moved to take action with us, consider donating to our health camp! As always, 100% of the gifts we receive go directly toward our projects on the ground.
Thank you for joining us on this journey, not just today, not just this month, but for the long haul. Thank you for your support, your time, your gifts, your well wishes, and your prayers.
(And don’t forget to celebrate the women in your life this #InternationalWomensDay!)
