Travel Tips for Nepal: Saving Lives for Such a Small Investment

When I lived in the US I really couldn't make a difference in my town. I volunteered at the elementary school to encourage children to learn to read better, but nothing on a larger scale.

Since I've been in Nepal that's changed. Last year we had a Nepali visitor at the guesthouse who was so happy to meet me. She said I had helped her sister and it really made a difference, something about school tuition or something. I really don't remember, but I remember a cleaning lady. I guess I gave her a little bit that helped her quite a bit during a difficult time. What a pleasure to be able to do this.

I recently learned about a couple of dangerous curves on the road coming to our village. What a pleasure it is for me to buy a couple of convex mirrors for the road to make a difference for Changunarayan, our village.

If you give money for an opperation you can only save one person, but if you put a mirror on the road or even fill in a pothole with some sand you can save a lot of people so much hardship. And that feels amazing!

I think the mirrors installed on the road will cost a bit less than $300. Between renting a taxi to go to Kathmandu to find them and buying the poles, paint and such, it's taken over a month to get this far, but we are so happy.

This first mirror is up and we'll have the other one up ASAP for the other dangerous turn.

This is the biggest reason for me to be in Nepal. I can just do fun stuff to make a difference. We can never know how many children will have a father who may have lost him due to an accident without the mirrors. And how much is a father worth?

If you'd like to bring something to change one person's or more person's life here are a few suggestions.

Ways Tourists Can Make a Difference for a Small Amount of Money:

1. Bring books when you come to Nepal. Don't buy books from your country; they are pretty cheap here in local shops, but few children actually own a book that isn't a textbook.

2. Bring gently used, warm clothing. Imagine being a child born in Nepal's high country. It's so cold and the people hardly ever get any cash. These communities are among the poorest people on the planet and they are so cold people still die each year from the cold. Contact Kay Garnay for Nepal if you need a letter from a nonprofit for the airline. We can send you a letter and you can give the items to whomever you wish. If you want to bring anything we can help you.

3. Bring your old mobile phone. Although it may seem like a mobile phone is a luxury for people in Nepal it can be a life saver. Make sure the phone is SIM card compatible or it won't work in Nepal.

4. Do you have a hearing aid, back brace or some other medical equipment no longer needed? You can bring such things to medical clinics and health posts. You can also go to the medical equipment outlets in Kathmandu to find lumbar supports for around $5 each. The women need them for working in the field or in construction.

5. If you are going to the high country for a home-stay it's a good idea to bring some rice. If you go to a home-stay at lower elevations it's a good idea to bring lentils. Check to see what isn't grown in the region and bring that.

6. Some tourists buy someone a bicycle to help change a life. There are bicycle shops in Kathmandu that sell the delivery bikes. You can feed a family for years by buying them a bicycle. They also sell shoe shine boxes, but they are probably mostly a scam because they sell them for around $200. A bike is a better value.

Things that are not a good idea to bring:
Medications that are expired.
Western attire that is not warm or is immodest.
New books-they are cheaper here and buying here supports the local economy.
Foods from your country to share. The Nepali generally like their local diet and won't want to eat peanut butter or other processed type foods. Of course chocolate would be an exception.