Kermi

In 2000, the Nepal Trust, funded by the Rotary clubs of Wells, and Avalon in Rotary district 1200, built the Buddha Sewa Health clinic in Kermi, a small village of approximately 80 households, two days walk from the Humla district headquarters of Simikot. 

The following year, we installed a micro hydro plant, ran electric cables to the houses and installed lightbulbs.  The Kermi electrification project was funded by the Rotary clubs of Carse of Stirling (d.1010) and Landeilo (d.1150).

Like so many other facilities in the area, the clinic was badly damaged by the Maoists during the civil conflict.  The building was ransacked and medicine, books and equipment were stolen.  The health worker had the foresight to remove the solar panels and take them to the local monastery for safekeeping, but still the clinic was forced to close for over a year.  The Rotary Club of Antrim came to the rescue with funds to renovate and refurbish, in the memory of the late David J. McConnell.

In October ’07, a small group of Nepal Trust representatives, including myself (Alison Read, NT Communcations) and NT Chairman, Mike Love, visited Kermi, to review the projects. 

It was a fascinating insight into the life of a Humla community.  You can read the full story of what we found in the following pages.

List of pages in this section

The road to Kermi - getting to the village

Kermi clinic - insight into healthcare

Powering the village - at the micro hydro

The homecoming - meeting a local family

Next steps - resolutions