HER dreams and HER struggles!!! #Dolpo #Gender #women

It’s been nearly two years since I knew her. Yungdrung, normally we call her whenever we need to talk to her. 'We' denote here our friends of Students of Dolpo (SoD). Friends like Phurwa Tashi, Lhakpa, Amchi la, Wangchen, Tashi Bhuti, Pema Dolma, and so on. She has always been there actively participating whenever SoD organized any activity. She even surprised us when she and our good friend Dawa Sir sang a song, ‘Ful ko Aankha ma’ in one of the Lhosar programs. Similarly, she also participated and talked about how she felt in the Kathmandu protest, organized to remember the deaths due to the violence in Dho-Tarap. She was also there when SoD went to several remote districts: Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha and Dhading, with their earthquake relief materials. With other fellow friends, she also made sure that the optimum medical care is provided to the earthquake victims. All in all she has been very friendly and active in any community involvement that benefited locals.

Yungdrung (second from left) with Students of Dolpo friends in Dolakha. 

Besides this, she recently passed an MBBS entrance exam and got her name listed in merit to pursue her MBBS study for 5.5 years. In addition, she became a first woman from our community, Dolpo, to successfully pass the exam and studying in Nepal. In the patriarchal context of our community where men or male figures are treated always in a high regard with discrimination towards women or female, what she has been able to achieve definitely mere words of mine and what I would be writing in this blog might not suffice. Amidst her own personal struggles integrated into those social issues, her experiences will help us including me to understand what a woman from a far remote region such as Dolpa, (which takes only 2 days to reach the district headquarter, Dunai, and another 2 flights of 30 minutes each to reach the capital city, Kathmandu) and a woman from the extremely marginalized community, Dolpo, (literacy level inconsiderable compared to the country’s literacy rate and NO representation of the locals in any bureaucratic structure of the country) has to go through and why she thought to become a doctor. In this regard, this piece especially is dedicated to those various women of world including Dolpo who continuously struggles yet give us that hope to continue our fights.

Yungdrung (left) with Tashi Bhuti (right) and Tsering Wangmo (middle) in the Friday column written by Dipendra Bista and published in Kantipur. This article also talks about the three girls and their contribution in Dolpo.

Born in Phoksumdo, Yungdrung got a chance to complete her education till SLC in Dolpo. Thanks to her parents, especially her dad, who always supported her decision to walk nearly 2 days to continue her study till class 5 from Crystal Mountain School, Dho-Tarap. She remembers staying in one of her relatives’ house during her time at Dho-Tarap. She said, ‘it was hard during those days. I was away from my parents and was living with my relatives. Also being a girl, I had to wake up early in the morning and had to go nearby pasture land to collect dung. Once I do that for nearly 3 hours, I used to go to the school after having my breakfast which normally started by 10 am till 4 pm. And then again, I had to collect dung and normally it used to be nearly 8 pm in the night when I used to reach the house. That went on for nearly 5 years’. 

Yungdrung with her mother 

Meanwhile, during these years, when she was around 11, she knew about the health officials who used to visit the village. Her curiosity about those officials on providing medical care to locals also conveyed her better understanding about what the health official could do in that remote area, where most of the locals continue to rely upon the traditional Amchi medicines. Besides this particular experience, another personal experience also urged her to pursue the medical career. Recounting that unforgettable day, she said, ‘my sister was brought in Dunai hospital, which took more than a day to reach from the village during her pregnancy. She passed away when she bleed-ed heavily (post delivery haemorrhage) after her delivery. I lost my elder sister that day. As she was an elder of our family, she was not sent to the school. Basically, if I would have been senior daughter in my family, I would not have been here. I am also here because of my late sister and her untimely demise also motivated me to do something for many mothers and sisters of our village who could die again due to lack of proper medical care’. Meanwhile, she had to leave her village and due to Maoist insurgency during that time, with her friends, she had to walk for 5 days through the route of Chharka-Jomsom overcoming around 5500 meter to reach Kathmandu to continue her education. She was only 13 years old when she was later admitted in Srongsten Bhrikuti Boarding School, the same school where she later completed her School Leaving Certificate (SLC).

She then joined Nepal Institute of Health Sciences in Kathmandu after completing her SLC. Indeed it was a new experience to her yet she was motivated enough also by her dad’s continuous support and her own urge to return back to her village after learning better medical knowledge that could properly treat and benefit also her villagers. She started and then learnt her nursing education, i.e. Proficiency Certificate Level Nursing course for three years. Since 1990s, Action Dolpo is one of those few non-governmental organizations who have been working in Dolpo for the socio-cultural and political benefit of locals and luckily, she also became one whose education was financed by Action Dolpo for those three years. Definitely, it would have been nearly impossible to continue her education without that financial help. This might also show how certain NGO can be effective in strengthening local’s livelihood vis-à-vis education.

During this study, she got a chance to expand her learning ability as she went to several places of Nepal: Nepalgunj, Kailali, Daang and Kalikot. She meanwhile shared and utilized her new acquired knowledge while checking and providing medical facilities to the people. Nonetheless, she came back to her village after three years of her study. She said, ‘I always wanted to come back to my village. Not only it was easier for me, the prospect of returning back to my village and becoming closer with my people assisted me to understand their problems and hence, satisfied me more. I still feel that every Dolpopas should return back to their villages to serve their people’. Thanks to Dolpo Tulku Rinpoche, her return back to her village was made more comfortable as Tulku Rinpoche showed his support to her for three years to start health center in her village. According to her, ‘we first batch nurses and few teachers took initiation to go back and work in Dolpo so that we would be a model for junior to follow us. And yes, some have done the same, even better than us but some nurses has made promises but hardly went up to Dolpo for work and it was really upsetting for me personally. Meanwhile, for the first year, I had to literally start everything from a scratch. Slowly I was able to provide medicines and then for the remaining years, I started to check the locals. Most of the locals mainly women mainly came for my service and they felt more comfortable with me as they spoke about their problems. In late year, the center also had other male heath assistant but most of the villagers only wanted me to look after their health related problems. Besides gender, language was also an issue as I could properly communicate their concerns too. They clearly showed their intimacy with me’.

Yungdrung in one of the drama act during Shey Festival

 

However something changed in her when she traveled other remote parts of Dolpo: Saldang, Dho, Tingyu, Chharka and Mukot in 2012. It takes nearly a month in a right season (mainly, Spring) to properly travel each and every corner of the structurally excluded region. Not only the region lacks basic health services, the region also lacks a well-equipped fully functioning hospital with a doctor and any road network too to connect the region including seven village development committees. There is also this demarcation between what the roles and responsibilities of Doctors and Nurses are. In this context, when she visited these places through the winter clinic, the package program also sponsored by One Heart World Wide and where Dolpo Tulku Charitable Foundation provided staffs, she knew about the abilities of what Doctor could do. In this program, she was also helped by Tashi Bhuti (from Revival of Vijer, Dolpa) and Tsering Wangmo (from Action Dolpo). It is always better to witness and experience than to learn. Consequently, she made up her mind to become a doctor that will be much more helpful for locals.

But the problem resurfaced to her when she was advised to enroll for +2 educations in Science faculty by one of the re-knowned medical consultants. For her first year, she had to suffer not only because of her Nepali but also due to her inadequate knowledge in Mathematics. She took optional Tibetan in her class ten which did not help her during those +2 years. ‘If I would have taken optional math at that time, it would have been much more easy and helpful for me when I studied my +2. Oh, math was tough’, while smiling she repeated again, ‘everything was Math in my +2’. Remembering this particular incident and also a conversation with other friend, she told me about her stupidity while completely trusting that medical consultant. After her +2 education, she knew that she can apply directly for her MBBS entrance exam without that +2 education. Nonetheless, thanks to Dolpo Tulku Charitable Foundation and her relentless hard work, she succeeded to complete her education in good grades.

Teaching women about mother and child health care in Saldang health post in 2012

On the other hand, it would have saved her two years if she would have got right consultation and by now, she might have completed her 2 years of those tiring 5.5 years of MBBS. Yet she tries to comfort herself while affirming that it would have been hard to appear for MBBS entrance exam if she would not have any idea regarding those troubling math. And somewhere she was happy with what she has achieved till date and what I saw that evening when I met her for the conversation. Personally I felt that that particular attitude of her and how she reacted towards life’s struggles will always help her attain what she strongly deserves. After nearly 6 months of strenuous learning of course at NAME, the recognized MBBS preparation class center, she finally sat for that MBBS entrance exam.

Talking about the experience, she said, ‘I was worried if I would be able to bring my name on merit list for IOM entrance exam which is under TU affiliated because usually I heard from senior that TU exam is harder and I worked even harder. I slept at 12 and woke up at 4 because I had only 1 week left for the exam. I was so much stressed ever since for crossing this entrance for MBBS and at the time before entrance, I had mixed emotion, and stressed and so was afraid too. On Ashoj 16 Saturday from 6-10 am, I sat for the exam.  Soon after exam, I became relaxed because I did exam quite well. I was satisfied but still stress was there because this year the candidates were more, seats were reduced and pass marks, increased. This year the entrance is much tougher and competitive. But still I did not lose hope. I daily kept updated to internet for result and within a week, result was out, at 12 midnight. I started seeing result and saw name list of those who got scholarship in Maharajgunj along with waiting list, I went down the list and saw list of students who succeeded and saw my name too. I was happy that I finally got my name on merit list’. The dream was still far away and further. 

What followed after that also did not comfort her. ‘Later I realized about those numerous candidates who secured much higher marks than mine. I started worrying that what if I don’t get seat for MBBS in Nepal because for me, MBBS is best within Nepal where I don’t need to learn third language and even I can interact with patients more efficiently and learn more. Next day IOM has published a notice on counselling for first round in order to let student choose college and fix their seats but I did not found my name on list. I was very worried, thinking that what I should do if all seats become packed in first round. But after long gap and postponing, IOM finally published a noticed for second round counselling, I went there and got seat in Nepal. Finally I felt safe for my seat, that day was one of finest day of me since I started dreaming to become doctor’.

Undoubtedly, she must have felt that comfort after what she has to go through. Indeed though beautiful, her pursuit of her dream has been stressful. ‘Though I had strong feeling from inside to become a doctor but there was always people talking about me that I was stupid to decide for plus two science rather than what I was doing before, nursing. Though I was worried, I had to show my smile to their reckless thought to bring me down. What shall I do if I could not pass the entrance after two long years was the question which also acted as a catalyst to be stronger ever again. Nonetheless, I continued my mission positively’. This might also show how she has surpassed all the expectations and how she has strengthened herself which helped her to build that belief upon her abilities. It has indeed been her personal fight where she is trying her best to win every day and I think she is winning and enjoying it every day and there will be fewer questions raised again to her capabilities. But she would not be bothered this time around as she believes that the chosen path is her destiny and therefore, she will try her best to reach there. 

‘It is true that I had parents who neither told me to stop my study nor were against mine dream but they never encouraged me for further study rather. So yeah…it was easy for me to decide for further study since my parents never went against me. I have decided myself to become nurse then and I also decided for plus 2 Science and for MBBS by myself. I will decide by myself that what kind of doctor I will become in future. So I think whatever you become depends upon what you decide. It’s all upon you’.