BRINGING AWARENESS TO BLINDNESS IN NEPAL

For two and a half weeks this October, Finisterra will venture to far-flung regions of Nepal with 17 donors and board members of Vancouver-based charity, Seva Canada. Tour leaders Aili Rauk and Rob Kruse, will work alongside local guides to showcase some of Nepal’s most spectacular sites en-route to very remote eye clinics. We are honoured to be hosting this trip and to give Seva donors the chance to witness the positive impact they have had on Nepali communities. 

Blindness and visual impairment is a massive world-wide issue. With numbers growing daily, it is estimated that 39 million people are blind and a further 245 million have debilitating low vision. Half of the world’s blindness is caused by cataracts, a reversible condition that requires a 15-minute operation at a cost of about $50 throughout most developing countries. Since 1982, Seva has developed a sustainable approach to a world-wide problem and has worked closely with its Nepali partners to help them build clinics, train staff, and provide cost effective cataract surgeries.

Its mountainous terrain and extreme diversity of ethnic groups have resulted in Nepal being one of the least developed nations in the world, where access to medical care are severely limited. Travelling across Nepal’s ruggedly beautiful terrain, the group will visit remote hospitals and eye-camps that Seva supports where participants will have the opportunity to interact with local doctors and patients. The group will learn firsthand about Nepali life from villagers and local guides crossing the country from chaotic Kathmandu to the foothills of the Annapurna Range to jungles of Bardia. The unique itinerary includes amazing cultural visits to Buddhist temples, monasteries, and ancient pilgrimage sites alongside more active adventures such as wildlife safaris, trekking, and white-water rafting.

To learn more about Seva Canada and the amazing good that they do in the world, please visit their website www.seva.ca. If you would like a quote for a custom tour, shoot us an email at info@finisterra.ca.