Nepal
Posted 01:20 PM, September 09, 2009, by tctsaiLooking back at my MPH year in Boston, one of the most formative experiences was the month I spent in Nepal.
I had the opportunity to participate on a field study course in Nepal with the Harvard Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research center. The purpose of the trip was to identify pathways of discussion for a case study on the peacebuilding in Nepal.
Ultimately, the main narrative that emerged from our discussions was the neglected role of youth in peacebuilding. The UN and other international NGOs focus a lot of money and attention on maternal child health, but youth, those who are between 15-24, are in a way a forgotten demographic. They are the ones who often are most impacted by schools closing, unemployment, and relocation as a result of conflict, but few interventions are targeted at youth in terms of creating more opportunity.
The first week was spent on understanding the local Nepali perspective, meeting with local NGOs and government representatives. One of the highlights was a discussion with the minister of peace and reconstruction, a former Maoist army commander. We also had the opportunity to meet with UNMIN (UN Mission in Nepal) and the arms monitors. Prior to my experience in Nepal, I had a romanticized notion of what the UN does and the role of peacekeepers and arms monitors. However, I soon realized that they are truly limited by their mandates, and the roles of the UN arms monitors in Nepal was to facilitate discussions between the Nepal Army and the Maoist forces over the crucial issue of reintegration of the Maoist combatants.
One of the most amazing exchanges occurred when we visited a Maoist cantonment site in Chitwan. We sat in a semicircle in an outdoor pavilion across from a semicircle of Maoist soldiers and commanders. What ensued was a spirited discussion of their motivations and their goals. Oddly, although the Maoist movement in Nepal is theoretically inspired by Maoism, the average soldier had no idea of the ideology or other revolutionary movements. They seem inspired by local injustices that they observed as opposed to some global philosophy they were trying to advocate. That juxtaposition between the global rhetoric of revolution with the local motivation illustrated for me the complexity of situation in Nepal.
The second and third week we met with local and international NGO's and UN agencies involved at the intersection of the peacebuilding in Nepal, including the UNHCR, UNFPA, WHO, and UNDP, ICRC, and the Swiss foreign ministry. We spoke with local NGOs including HimRights and Search for a Common Ground. What emerged was the complexity of peacebuilding, and although each group was dedicated to rebuilding Nepal from its 10-year civil war, they nevertheless possessed their own agendas and motivations.
Recently, I had the opportunity to report on the challenges of public health and peacebuilding in Nepal in The Lancet: Download file
Although my main clinical interest is in surgery, the Nepal experience has opened my eyes to the fascinating intersection of public health and peacebuilding. Most importantly, it has taught me to challenge assumptions and dive beneath the superficial discourse to arrive at my own narrative and understanding for what I see and experience. Although this awareness arose in Kathmandu, it continues to inform my research and my perspective back in Palo Alto.
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