My visit to Nepal - Psychosocial Support Officer, Megan Cruise
A positive impact is being made in Nepal through our ‘Closing the Cancer Gap’ project that started in October 2020 with the help from you and the UK Government. Learn more about how the project is going and what we are achieving so far through your support.
In July 2022, I took my first trip to Nepal to visit our programme at Kanti Children’s Hospital in Kathmandu. I work as the psychosocial support advisor at World Child Cancer, so my role involves looking at ways we can improve the quality of life of children with cancer, their families, and the healthcare staff.
It was wonderful to meet all the fantastic staff at the hospital and we were very warmly welcomed.
We had really positive meetings with various staff members – the Director and Nursing Director of Kanti Children’s Hospital, the Head of Psychiatry, the WHO representative, Director General of the Ministry of Health and of course the incredible paediatric oncology team. All these amazing people are making great progress in improving the outcomes for children with cancer in Nepal. The country is certainly helping to lead the way for paediatric oncology across Asia.
The paediatric oncology ward is excellent, it is well organised, calming and the walls are covered with beautiful paintings, which were done by one of the fathers on the ward.
One of the nurses, Kabita Jirel, Senior Hospital Nursing Supervisor shares of her experience on the training provided through World Child Cancer:
It has helped to motivate me and work properly with patients, families, and colleagues, allowing us to maintain a good relationship with families. We are now supporting families properly and we have a better understanding from their side.
During my time at the hospital, a three day psychosocial support workshop took place for 15 nurses. This is a workshop that I developed with the aim of helping nurses to offer the best possible support to families, and to help them build their own resilience in their work. The training was delivered by one of the clinical psychologists from Kanti Children’s Hospital. All the nurses working on the oncology ward have now received this training, along with nurses working in intensive care and other paediatric departments. This will have a positive impact on many families throughout the hospital. This training has been delivered to 100 nurses globally.
All of this would not have been possible without the vital support from supporters like yourself. Our UK Aid Match Campaign enabled UK donations to be doubled and contribute to our “Close The Gap” project in Nepal.
We were also fortunate enough to have time to see some of the stunning country, including the breath-taking Himalayas. I had a feeling I was going to fall in love with Nepal and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
I believe that with all of our combined efforts and your continuous support, we will be able to close the childhood cancer gap worldwide and I can’t wait to see the progress in Nepal in the near future.
Join us and make this transformative impact together for children and families affected by childhood cancer around the world by donating today.
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