Nomadicare
Founded | 1997 |
---|---|
Founder | Sas Carey |
Type | Non-governmental organization |
Focus | health care and cultural preservation |
Location |
|
Area served | Mongolia |
Method | education, institutional development, and documentation |
Members | 13 |
Endowment | Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation |
Website | Nomadicare.org |
Formerly called | Mongolian Medicine Project |
Nomadicare is a non-governmental organization that provides health care services to nomadic herders in Mongolia under the auspices of Ecologia, a 501(c)3 non-profit[1] The stated mission of Nomadicare is "to harmonize ancient and modern medicine to support the health and cultural survival of Mongolia’s nomads".[2]
History
Nomadicare's founder Sas Carey began traveling to Mongolia in 1994 and studying traditional Mongolian medicine, a health system with roots in Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine. Following work as a United Nations Development Programme consultant in the Gobi Desert, Carey began documenting the lives of nomadic herders and delivering medical supplies to rural hospitals in the Gobi.[3]
In 2003, Nomadicare was asked to assess the health needs and traditional health practices of the Dukha reindeer herders of Khövsgöl Province by Totem Peoples, a project of Cultural Survival.[4][5][6] Since that time, Nomadicare has focused its work on two indigenous populations of herders, in the Gobi and in the Mongolian Taiga. In addition to documenting traditional health practices, Nomadicare provides education and vitamins and arranges for herders to be seen by volunteer health care providers. It also delivers diagnostic equipment to rural hospitals and coordinates professional training opportunities for Mongolian health care providers.
The most recent set of goals for the organization are:[7]
- "To make the Nomadicare Sum (Rural) Healthcare Model available to every remote area of Mongolia by forming coalitions with NGOs and the Mongolian Ministry of Health."
- "To offer a model for alcohol treatment that uses shamanism in conjunction with Western methods."
- "To continue editing film footage on the lives of Mongolia’s nomadic herder populations to create movies for archival and educational purposes."
Nomadicare has also provided assistance with independent projects that support Mongolians or promote education about traditional nomadic life and health care.[8][9][10][11]
Dukha Health Database
With the assistance of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, Nomadicare maintains a health database of the Dukha reindeer herders.[12] Anthropometric data and health concerns are assessed on a yearly basis and shared with the Mongolian Ministry of Health.
Sum Hospital Project
Nomadicare has included training in integrated medicine for Mongolian health care providers since its inception.[13][14] However, in 2010, Nomadicare created a formal goal to provide Mongolian health care providers with training in both modern and traditional Mongolian medicine in each rural provincial center,[15][16] a project that has attracted the attention and support of Jane Goodall.[17] In aimag-based conferences, doctors and nurses from rural areas are brought together with practitioners of traditional Mongolian medicine and also provided with up-to-date information on modern diagnostic and treatment options.
See also
References
- ↑ Nomadicare Projects in Mongolia, Virtual Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ About the Nomadicare Project. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ↑ Filming the Life of Gobi women, Friends Journal, Aug 2007. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ↑ Oman, K. Totem Project Research and Vitamin Program Work Toward Improving Dukha Nutrition, Cultural Survival Quarterly, 29.1, Mar 2010. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ↑ Cultural Survival Special Project Annual Report. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ A Trip to the Taiga, spirit of change, Aug 2005. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ↑ Nomadicare press release, 2012-04-23.
- ↑ DayarMongol. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Naranchimeg ready for surgery. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Mongolian girl comes to Boston for treatment, WHDH Channel 7 news, 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Film credits, The Horse Boy, Independent Lens, Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Dukha health project 2012, Virtual Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ↑ U.S. nurse organizing Buddhist medical training for Mongolian doctors Mongolia-Web, 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Nomadicare Rural Health Project, Virtual Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Hilmes, T. medical bootcamp in Mongolia, Addison County Independent, 2010-08-14. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ↑ Health services mobilize for nomadic herders, Mongol Messenger, 2010-10-01.
- ↑ Jane Goodall letter. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
External links
- Nomadicare official website
- Life Energy Heal school
- Totem Peoples Project
- Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation
- Nomadicare featured on YouTube
- WHDH-TV video