GlobeMed at CU-Boulder

Who we are

GlobeMed at CU-Boulder, founded in 2009, consists of over 50 college students who demand change in the vast disparities of health and poverty around the world. Gathering together as a diverse group of undergraduates, we work to improve the lives of the impoverished in Nepal educating our community and ourselves about global health inequalities. Through pragmatic partnership with Himalayan HealthCare, a non-profit organization in Nepal, GlobeMed at CU-Boulder has made a tangible impact in many communities throughout rural regions of Nepal.

Our Partner

Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world with a poverty rate near 50 percent. Himalayan HealthCare (HHC) was founded in 1992 to combat the concentration of poverty in remote villages among people of lower castes and ethnic minorities. Many of the villages HHC supports are at least a three-day trek away from any hospital or urban city. HHC provides support for these villages through a three-pronged approach with a focus on healthcare, education, and income generation. With this approach and the partnership with GlobeMed at CU-Boulder, a sustainable impact continues to be made to improve the lives of thousands of rural villagers in Nepal.

Our Project

$6,000 for village latrines ($3,000) and cook stoves ($3,000)

The funds GlobeMed at CU-Boulder raises allow household latrines to be built, supplying labor and material costs. This program is totally restructuring the water and sanitation situation in the villages. Currently, human waste drains into lower villages during monsoon season and “latrine pits” are large enough to fall into. The Latrine project will provide every household with an improved, sheltered latrine in these villages; thus, vastly decreasing open defecation and detrimental pathogens arising from poor sanitation; not to mention creating a cleaner environment for villagers. Latrines cost about $140 each (depending on material and porter costs) and support a family of four for 15 years. With $3,000, 22 latrines can be built throughout the Tipling region in Nepal.

The cook-stove program in the rural villages of Tipling will support stoves made from mud, dung, and straw to filter smoke up and out of the house. These stoves will also allow more efficient burning of firewood by filtering the heat directly to the pots being used for cooking. Since the majority of villagers cook over an open fire inside their homes, the cook stove program immediately benefits the health of entire families. Not only does it reduce the amount of smoke inhalation that occurs, it also conserves firewood so that women do not have to spend as many hours hiking up to the jungle to gather more. Cook stoves cost about $14 each and are composed of clay bricks. With $3,000 215 homes can receive new cook stoves, and respiratory problems among the villagers will be reduced.

These projects not only support families, but provide jobs for laborers. Trained villagers collaborate with families in the villages to build the latrines and cook stoves to their needed specifications.

GlobeMed at CU-Boulder thanks you for your continued support.