It’s 6pm. It’s pitch dark and I’m grasping for breath…. “I don’t think I can do this anymore…..” I call out to anyone that can hear me. I climb a few more steps and ask a local lady about the village I am looking for “it is just up that hill…. “ she tells me. Hmmm…. at this point of time I really wished god had given me wings to fly. There are no wings though – I must have missed those at the same time I missed the last jeep to the village of Dhampus!
Villagers in Dhampus
The reason I have walked for 2 hours, 45 minutes through the trails into the jungle and out to the top of the ridge at 1700m, is because we are considering this village as a base for our first Dental Outreach project. The programme involves groups of Work the World dental students travelling to rural communities that have no access to dental care. They screen and treat the children for free under the guidance of a professional dentist from Pokhara, which is of huge benefit because very few rural children in Nepal have access to dental care. This can really help with pain relief and future problems.