Our first visit to the Repa School

30 July 2026

Health Needs Assessment 28-30 April 2026

The motorbike taxi driver dropped me off abruptly on the dirt shoulder on the winding road above Pharping. He gestured across the early morning traffic and said, “ Maa jaana sakdina,” meaning, “I can't go,” which told me I was walking up the steep dirt road on my own. I always looked forward to early morning uphill walks in Nepal, and it gave me time to think about my first day meeting the young monks and how the group's semi-structured interviews about what they felt their health needs were would unfold.

The young principal met me at the top of the hill with a warm greeting. It was breakfast time when I arrived, and I stepped over the dozens of scattered plastic sandals left outside the entrance to the big dining hall and was invited in.  After a cup of sweet tea and some biscuits, I was guided by school staff, my translator, and her helper to my first group of young students. We entered the classroom to eight young monks sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes wide,  as they fidgeted with their robes.

Over the next three days, I spent chatting and laughing with eighty-nine of the one hundred and ten students in the school, mostly in small groups of ten to fifteen youngsters aged six to sixteen. “Tell me what you might do if you and your friends disagree about something?” was a question we used to open a discussion about conflict resolution and overall mental well- being. “How many of you had chicken pox and what treatment did you receive and where?” was another open-ended prompt to chat openly about health experiences living in a residential setting in a region stretched for health resources.

Following three days of chats of approximately one hour each, we also organized two individual open discussions with two older teenage monks to gain more in-depth insight into the current health and well-being needs at the school from the young adult experience. Shy at first, the chats evolved into heartfelt discussions about missing friends and family and how it felt to commit their youth to the rigorous training to be a Lama. They really lit up talking excitedly about their hobbies, especially football and their favorite players.

One of the immediate needs that came from the Health Needs Assessment was a very common situation in any residential school: infectious skin conditions. Together with school staff, KFN developed and helped implement the Common Skin Conditions Intervention Protocol. The first task was a school-wide scabies prevention program.   The follow-up saw the need for a medical camp on 20th July, where we brought in a medical doctor and a pharmacist friend to diagnose and treat more cases. We now have monthly Check Days organized by the school staff for monitoring.

Most importantly, the Health Needs Assessment proved the need for an on-site school nurse for the entire student population. Repa School welcomed this recommendation with open arms! While solidifying the Common Skin Conditions Intervention Protocol, the plans have begun to make way for this exciting addition to the staff, supported by KFN. As at any residential school, there are common occurrences of bumps and bruises, skin conditions as mentioned, upset stomachs, and viruses. A BSc Nepali school nurse will monitor and treat the students as needed, providing on-site professional care in a timely manner.

Kids First Nepal has a place in the London Marathon in April 2027, and it is our hope that this place will fund the school nurse. We are looking forward to a visit in the Spring after the race to follow up and help with recruitment, handover, and set up. Meanwhile, we are looking forward to our visit in November 2026! Our plans are to catch up with the students and chat with them in groups again to see how they are getting on. For staff, we will hold workshops on basic first aid and catch up on the Check Days and medication supplies.

Please send us an email at contact@kidsfirstnepal.org if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about our project. We would love to hear from you! Thank you for your interest in Kids First Nepal and our work with the children and young people in Nepal.