SUPPORTING FAMILIES RECOVERING FROM MEDICAL TREATMENT
The New Life Center (NLC) is a safe, nurturing temporary recovery space for rural families visiting Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu for critical medical treatment and surgery, especially for children and expectant mothers.
The center was originally created in 2006 as a specialized care home for children (aged 0-14) living with HIV/AIDS. Over the next 17 years, the NLC became a premier resource in Nepal for families impacted by pediatric HIV, saving hundreds of lives, empowering families, and contributing significantly to Nepal’s work to combat both the transmission of the virus and the stigma against those already living with this challenging diagnosis.
Nepal has made tremendous progress in slowing the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which has resulted in a reduced need for a specialized facility exclusively for children living with the virus. Awareness of ways HIV does (and does not) spread has also improved in Nepal, lowering the anxiety individuals feel about sharing space with those living with HIV.
Beginning in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NLC facility was emptied as patients returned to their home villages to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. Instead, the NLC was used as a supportive environment for mild-to-moderate COVID patients who were unable to isolate at home, with care for our HIV patients offered remotely. We began offering more of our HIV services in a remote capacity, and in 2022, the NLC received the smallest number of in-person HIV/AIDS patients we have seen since beginning our work in 2006, with most beds vacant.
This tremendous success for the HIV community meant that we could open this beautiful, nurturing space to a wider population of children in need of medical support. In 2023, the New Life Center’s mission expanded to include children and families traveling to Kathmandu for all kinds of life-changing medical care, including HIV, but no longer limited to it.
The medical recovery center allows children from some of Nepal’s most remote regions to access their right to healthcare—improving health and wellbeing for life.
Most of Nepal’s hospitals—especially those offering specialized treatments—are centralized in Kathmandu. A recent study showed that 57% of Kathmandu patients have traveled for treatment from more rural areas. This is a devastating expense for many families.
Children and their caregivers stay at the New Life Center for an average of 15 days—the typical duration required for follow-up and recovery from the acute medical conditions and procedures we typically see. During their stay, they receive individualized, supportive care free of charge, including monitoring from nurses, nutritious meals created under the recommendation of our dieticians, emergency support and ambulance service where needed, psychological counseling as-needed, and practical, supportive advice from our staff on how to understand and implement their doctors’ discharge instructions at home.
CASE STUDY
Priya* (30 months old) & her mother, Rani* (24) were the first medical recovery patients to visit the New Life Center in summer 2023. Priya was born with cleft palate, a condition that impacts a child’s eating, drinking, and speaking. Cleft palate requires surgery to correct, but Rani was dismayed to learn that her daughter was not eligible for this surgery due to her low weight. Part of the reason Priya’s weight was low was due to difficulties with eating—caused by cleft palate! Rani had already spent her savings on the trip to Kathmandu, and she could not afford to travel home, bring her daughter’s weight up, and then return again. That’s when she was referred to NYF, where they not only received personalized nutritional care, but encouragement and nursing support as well. Priya and Rani belong to the Dalit community (traditionally seen as “untouchable” under Nepal’s caste system). Due to their caste identity, Rani expected extra challenges accessing healthcare for her daughter. This loving young mother was thrilled to receive the support of NYF through a program designed especially for families like hers.
*Names have been changed to protect patient privacy.
DONATE TODAY
The New Life Center offers services free of charge to the families in our care. This incredible program is funded by loving donations from organizations focused on equitable healthcare for women and children and by individuals passionate about helping children and families thrive. Thank you for your support!