Background:
Hemja is a small village with about 500 inhabitants situated close to the snowy mountains of Himalaya. The nearest city is the royal summer town of Pokhara 230 kilometres west of the capital Kathmandu, Nepal.
The inhabitants of Hemja use a common tap for drinking water. Probably is the water infected, because many pupils and parents often have returning stomach and intestine diseases.
The tap, which is built with financial support from Kina a couple of years ago, needs a serious restoration, but there is no money for that at the moment. In the houses there are no central heating nor tap water.
During winter it is very cold inside. The inhabitants of the village including teachers and pupils of the local school live and work under very simple circumstances and are in permanent need of external help.
No medical care, nurse or doctor is in reach of Hemja or near villages in a radius of 25-50 kilometres from Pokhara. Only a very few people from the different villages have financial sources or the possibility to see a doctor or get treatment.

Swed-Asia Travels has during a long period of time assisted with financial support to Snow View English Boarding school, the local school of Hemja. We will now increase the activity with several contributions to help the people in Hemja and the surrounding villages.
Swed-Asia Travels has earlier, through our broad net of contacts, been able to present the school with books, pens, pencils, fairy tails, toys, typewriters, puzzles, clothes, shoes, sport equipment etc. We have also provided a solid dentist examination for all 225 pupils and their parents.

Ambulance donation to Nepal
Through a gift from a council in Sweden and by sponsoring we have received two second hand ambulances, which we will drive to Hemja Village in Nepal where they are to be donated. The journey will take us about four weeks!
Receiver of the ambulances is a charity organisation called H.E.L.P. HIMALAYA, founded on initiative by Kjell Borneland and Tina Höijer at Swed-Asia Travels. The members of the organisation have a large social engagement and realize the need of active human help on the countryside. H.E.L.P. HIMALAYA will on the spot be responsible of the donated ambulances in Nepal. The organisation will also provide the necessary training and salary for the drivers, who will also receive medical competence.

The distant villages will now receive the medical care, which has never been in reach before. Help which is very much needed in the poor villages. Help which will save lives!

We will drive the ambulances overland. Start from Strängnäs on June 16th 2004, through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India to Hemja in Nepal. Nine persons, two ambulances and a LandRover Defender (for safety reasons) are involved in this far and complex expedition which will reach Nepal in about four weeks.