On 23 May, to commemorate this year's United Nations International Peacekeepers Day, the men and women of the Nepalese Battalion 2 (NEPBAT2 ) decided to go to Thomassin to provide medical aid, food and water to the children there.

"We (NEPBAT2 ) knew that the children living in the area of Thomassin were isolated due to the distance so when the chance arose to visit and help them in some way we took it," said Maj. Amit Shrestha, a civil and military coordination officer for NEPBAT 2 who coordinated the days activities. "This year for International Peacekeeper Day, the Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti decided to let each military unit organize a 'Community Day' so we could hold events that would have an impact on the lives of local Haitians."

Members of NEPBAT 2, who are located in Port-au-Prince, designed a day that involved traveling to Kenscoff to provide assistance and medical treatment to the children there.

"We knew that there was not a medical care readily available to those children so we decided to provide a medical camp for them. It was a busy day, but we were able to do check-ups and delivered medicine. We treated a wide range of complaints including respiratory and skin ailments," said Shrestha. „Our medical staff helped treat about 90 children and we donated food and warm clothes to 250 local children."

The NEPBAT 2 Peacekeepers then continued on to provide water for the nearly 700 school children attending the Ecole Nationale Soison, and then went to the Foyer Orphanage.

"There are 35 children living in this orphanage. They are located in a remote area and have limited supplies," said the NEPBAT 2 Commander, Lt. Col. Prem Dhoj Adhikari. "We gave them warm clothes, school bags and school supplies like pencils, sharpeners."

"It was one of the highlights of the day to take items we collected to these orphans. The children were so happy and that made us just as happy," said Shrestha.

Throughout the day, the Peacekeepers of NEPBAT 2 were able to touch the lives of more than 1,000 children in Thomassin. "This is something we hope to continue to be able to do in the future," said Shrestha.

TB/ HaitiLibre