Nepal Challenge by Steve_Shears

One thing that Nepal is very good at is disturbing your perspectives - what we think of as a biblical disease of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) is still casting a shadow in India and Nepal. Even when is is tackled effectively by multi drug treatments (MDT) there is still the damage that has taken place in the form of ulcers and nerve damage to contend with. We visted the Nepal Leprosy Trust and learned about their work to help support survivors and their families. I bought some Batik prints there -including one for my mum of a Nepali version of the last supper! I suppose it was an attempt to at least give a little to this good work. We also visited a Fair Trade craft producers organisation that was doing it's bit to ensure that it's craft producers were not exploited by foreign businesses. By the end of that tour I could appreciate further why Emma was so passionate about fair trade and was doing her bit through Hatti.

The evening brought it's own share of further disturbance - we encountered some of the street kids (maybe 10-12 years old) settling down for the night in shop doorways and sniffing from bags of glue/solvents - no social services to call here! This doesn't make you sleep easily as you settle into your hotel bed.