Stretchers  & Medical Supplies Project

There are very few roads in the rural areas of Nepal and the country is known as a “walking culture” as villagers often walk for days to trade goods or see relatives in another village.  This is a great part of the Nepali culture, however transporting injured or sick people over long distances can be difficult and painful.  We’ve seen injured people carried for days in baskets or on the back of a mule.

In response, one of our earliest projects was to provide portable stretchers to villages in remote regions of Nepal. Over 100 portable stretchers were delivered by Ten Friends volunteers who taught villagers how to use them. The stretchers were made in Nepal, they were lightweight, provided a comfortable ride, and were easy to carry. Our follow-up visits showed that stretchers were being used to carry sick or injured people to medical posts and one of the stretchers was used five times in a year!