This is the personal blog of London photographer, backpacker, traveller Mark Coughlan. The intention of the blog is communicate updates from my personal website and on my photography projects and travels both in the UK and worldwide. When backpacking the obscure places on earth, this blog will be continually updated with images and thoughts from the road. [Read more about me]

Saturday 2 February 2008

New photos: Home for the Elderly

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk
It is impossible to put into words, just how bad the conditions that these elderly people have to live in, while they sit, lay and wait to die.
Living quarters are dark, damp and cold. The lucky ones, still able to move rest in the sun to keep warm, while the unfortunate ones simply lie in bed each and every day.
Their beds are a thin matress on a wooden base suported by four small piles of bricks.

The lack of dignity in their final years is heart breaking yet these deeply religious people are warm and friendly, pressing their palms together in greeting/religous gesture at every opportunity to say "Namaste".

I ended up spending two full days at the home, sitting, listening, trying to communicate with the residents.
Prior to my arrival in Nepal, I was in communication with with Deepak Adhikari a friend and journalist in Kathmandu who accompanied me on my first day to the "Old Home".
This was an opportunity to meet with the Officials, workers and volunteers with Deepak taking on the invaluable translator role for the many questions I had.

Looking forward to the future, myself and Deepak are looking to set up a foundation of some sort, a charity
if you like to help improve the conditions at Pashupati Briddhshram.
With so many (and rightly so) childrens charitities throughout Asia, it's the elderly who seem to get forgotten.
The plan is to start slowly. The advantage of setting up this foundation is that every penny we raise will be spent locally, on specific needs for the "Home" - be it a gas stove, some proper nursing beds for the sick and bed ridden or a generator to maintain electricity at all times.
I'm sure there are many people reading this that may have visited the home when visiting the temples and cremation ghats at Pashupati.
If you would like to get involved with setting up a foundation/charity project or you know someone that would like to, please get in touch and let's see if we can get this idea off the ground.

I hope the photo gallery that is now online, offers you an insight to Pashupati Briddhshram and puts into pictures what I have tried to write here. If you would like any more information, feel free to get in touch.

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

Thanks

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Mark,
This is Hom Nath Chalise, a Nepalese National. I am a student of social gorontology and committed to do something for the Nepalese elderly through Help Aged Nepal. I came to know about you through Deepak, when I get chance to read a manuscript posted on his blog through internet browsing.

If there will be any opportunity lets work together for the Nepalese eldeerly. You can write me at HelpAgedNepal@gmail.com
Thanks and regards
Hom Nath Chalise, PhD.

 
Free Blog CounterNoris