Rescue Network Nepal

The Rescue Network Nepal (RNN) was formed in 2012 with the primary goal of training Christian church members throughout Nepal in basic First Aid, so that they can aid people injured in traffic or other accidents. In any serious injury, it is known world-wide that the period of time immediately following the accident is of utmost importance for the well-being of the victim - the "Golden Hour". By w

orking through community and Church leaders, this project is establishing a network of trained First Aid providers throughout Nepal capable of responding to accidents in their communities by providing critical basic care (such as stopping major bleeds, splinting bones to prevent further damage, CPR, and properly transporting victims in a manner that protects the back and spine from damage) and basic health knowledge for day to day village life (such as how to treat burns, lacerations, prevent infections, choking, and address women's health) . Additionally, the longer-term goal is to spread this training to such an extent that it will form a network of trained attendants capable of assisting the transport of injured persons to hospitals all along the major roads of Nepal. The work conducted so far has been received with great enthusiasm in the communities, and the RNN is currently working exceptionally hard to meet the soaring demand for their good work to date has created. To date, 20 communities have been reached and 625 volunteers have been trained. Rationale:
Anyone who has driven around Nepal knows how dangerous its roads can be. Before the 1950s there were only a handful of vehicles operating in the Kathmandu Valley, the road network in the countryside and hills being used for foot traffic. In the past few decades, however, with a dramatically growing middle class, economy and population, there has been a massive growth in the number of vehicles and the building of many new roads that twist along the hillsides and mountains of Nepal, almost all of which are poorly constructed and unsafe. Associated with this, Nepali Police statistics report a four-fold increase in the number of fatalities due to road accidents in the past decade. In 2012 alone, there were 11,747 traffic accidents resulting in 1,734 fatalities. The RNN's mission is to help address this dramatic rise in accidents and deaths by teaching volunteers amongst roadside communities in Nepal basic methods of administering first aid to victims. All too often, a lack of both basic first aid knowledge and a lack of confidence (or unwillingness, due to cultural barriers such as caste) to help have resulted in many deaths that could otherwise have been preventable. In Nepal, where hospitals are all too often far away and an ambulance may take a long time to arrive or not come at all, knowing how to dress wounds, splint bones and protect the body and spine from further damage can often be the difference between life or death, not to say preventing further injuries during transport. Additionally, this knowledge for treating basic injuries incurred in day-to-day village life (such as burns, cuts and lacerations, broken bones and animal bites) is of great use as it can save a family an expensive and often unnecessary trip to a clinic.