Visit Us
Who visits Lalgadh?
A variety of people visit Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital and Services Centre every year. Most visitors are students – often on medical electives – but nurses, podiatrists, qualified doctors, anthropologists, public health graduates, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, builders, IT specialists, missionaries and gap year students have all visited at various times.
Most go to learn, and the reality is that our staff are dealing with leprosy and other local diseases all the time and are therefore experts in this field. But visitors can also contribute with practical help, English teaching, specific training or other projects and they have been a blessing as well as blessed by their time at Lalgadh.
We accept visitors throughout the year. The average length of stay is 6-8 weeks and anyone can apply through our UK office.
We also run shorter Envisioning Trips for supporters and others wanting to find out more about NLT and the work that we do in Nepal. These trips have a length of around two weeks and are usually led by NLT trustees who act as guides.
Travel
Short-term visitors are not paid an allowance by NLT and will have to cover their own costs. The major cost is likely to be the airfare to and from Nepal.
The journey from Kathmandu to Lalgadh is about 8 hours by bus or half an hour by plane to Janakpur airport plus 60 minutes by land rover. The domestic airfare is paid in US dollars so please bring US currency to pay for this. It is possible that we can arrange for you to travel from Kathmandu to Lalgadh in an NLT vehicle if one happens to be scheduled.
Due to the political situation in Nepal there are sometimes transport strikes, so any travel must be arranged with a degree of flexibility.
Accomodation & Food
Comfortable but basic accommodation is provided at Lalgadh and currently costs $20 per day (with a discount for students). This cost includes laundry and Nepali food. There may be additional charges for special transport, phone use or for any specific purchases outside the basics supplied within the accommodation cost. However the living costs in Nepal are quite low.
The meals are basic Nepali-style which means daal bhat (rice, curry and lentil soup) twice a day and a Nepali breakfast. The food of course tends to be fairly spicy. The only western alternative is sliced bread which is provided in the accommodation with butter and spreads for those who struggle to face a Nepali breakfast.
There is a ban on alcohol at LLSC and we also ask that you do not smoke.
Weather & Other Information
For most of the year the weather at Lalgadh is hot. From May to July it can be extremely hot. However, it can be cool enough for a jumper in winter (December – February).
Kathmandu can be very cold in winter. Heating in the houses is poor or non-existent.
When you return to the UK we would very much appreciate a report of your time at LLSC. This may be used for our newsletter as we rely on regular up-to-date information. Your report could contain observations of the people, hospital, culture and anecdotes, etc.
If you write any article or report on your visit to Lalgadh for outside publication, however small the circulation, you must submit the article to NLT before publication or circulation.
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