We hear a lot about volunteering in Nepal.
Volunteering in the Solu Khumbu region is particularly popular with ‘voluntourists’, but what if time is an issue? What if you want something different?
Try Street Dog Care (SDC) in Boudhanath.
The stunning Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu.
Street Dog Care of Kathmandu is celebrating ten years of being in the business of caring for Kathmandu’s street dogs that hang out near or around the Boudhanath Stupa. SDC can be seen at the Stupa every Saturday from 10 A.M until 1 P.M, where they will provide any dog who shows up, with some attention - in particular washing, caring for wounds, infections and skin conditions, treatment for worms, lice or mange and general grooming/cleanliness care. They also carry out de-sexing programmes, re-homing and international adoption plans.
On a short trip to Nepal recently, I decided to go to Boudhanath
to spend some time with this organisation, and it turned out to be a wonderful way to spend several hours. The day was bright, warm and sunny and the dogs were thoroughly enjoying the extra care and attention provided by a group of children from a local orphanage. It is so important to educate children from an early age, the importance of kindness to dogs and how to take care of them, as there is a long tradition in Nepal of ignoring the needs of dogs.
Another volunteer brushes a happy dog, while orphanage children watch intently and learn about how to care for these animals.
Nepal has a huge stray dog problem and in recent years, the Nepal Government used poison to control the dog population, disposing of the carcasses in local rivers.
Today there are an estimated 30,000+ street dogs in Kathmandu and the number is rising. In one hospital alone, in Kathmandu, there are up to 150 cases of dog bites per day. Many organisations now exist in Kathmandu for the care and protection of stray dogs and they have been effective in educating about the ineffective method of poisoning dogs for population control.
Street dogs in Nepal live a hard life, especially in Kathmandu, where many are injured due to collisions with vehicles. Large numbers of dogs carry diseases and some have rabies, which imposes a large risk for children who play in the streets if they are bitten by an infected dog. It is organisations such as SDC, which ensure that at least some street dogs get a better chance at a healthy life and they can educate others about how to be responsible dog owners.
In my few hours with SDC under the Stupa, we washed several dogs, treated one poor dog who had painful skin lesions, combed and cut knots from dogs hair and generally showed lots of TLC to the many dogs who hung around for a bit of love. One dog was very keen to get onto the grooming table, she loved the attention so much.
I was pleased to see that a large crowd gathered around to watch us in action. SDC do their job with as much visibility as possible, so as to raise awareness (and also funds) to help the dog situation in Kathmandu.
A six week-old puppy has been washed and treated for worms, immunised and has been tagged for de-sexing in the near future.
SDC operates from donations, and the work they do cannot continue without steady financial support.
They have a website: http://www.streetdogcare.org/ and they also have items for sale such as T-Shirts, calendars, bags, badges, purses and other Nepal-made items, which all go to support the work they do.
If you are in Nepal and wish to volunteer in some small way, spend some time with SDC on a Saturday morning. Look for the Rainbow coloured umbrella right at the Stupa and introduce yourself. You will be warmly welcomed, handed a brush, some gloves and a dog to love for a while.
Dodo was a big softy that showed up each Saturday for some TLC!
Dorje loves her weekly wash and brings herself along each Saturday.
Heidi lives outside SDC headquarters near Boudhanath.