Burning benevolence | Feature

To bring about a change, if not a transformation to Nepali Burns Units, Alison Marston cycled from London to Paris collecting funds. Her intentions were quiet simple: challenge herself to bike and collect funds while she was at it.

However, the journey was anything but simple. Agreed that the two are neighboring nations, but going uphill and more uphill on a bike, especially when you're not a biker is no joke. "I thought only Nepal had hills, apparently England does too," chuckles Marston. She adds: "It got extremely tiresome at times." But the spirit of her mates back at Bir kept her going.

More than 126 people from 60 different charities cycled for three and a half days and collected a total of Rs 17,988,710 (£160,000). "It was just friends and relatives who donated," shares Alison. Through her efforts the organisation, Burns Violence Survivor Nepal (BVSN), has been bestowed with Rs 224,859 (£2000) which will be used for the betterment of burn patients in Bir Hospital and other government hospitals.

Patients from all over the country throng the burns unit at Bir for its exceptionally inexpensive treatment. "Its generally the marginalized people and mainly women who come," Alison says and adds that cases are normally of attempted suicides or domestic violence. Had it not been for Bir, providing dressing, nursing and medication services for minimal charges, treating burns would have been rather expensive. Also, the hospital provides the patients with protein-rich meals free of cost, but the people who come are so deprived that the entire family shares the free meal.

And for more than four years, the country's most important hospital has been without a much needed plastic surgeon. The lack of a surgeon results in patients taking longer to heal as deeper wounds need surgery and they end up becoming disabled
or disfigured.

With Alison's help, the Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) is willing to train surgeons for the burns unit in Bir hospital. ASTI is a UK based charity that recruits teams of volunteer doctors who provide medical, surgical, and other forms of professional assistance to the doctors in countries
that require help.

Cases of burns is anticipated to rise with the increasing power cuts as the majority of Nepalis continue to use candles and oil lamps for light.

Alison has been working for the Burns Unit in Bir hospital since 2001. Help improve the condition of burns patients, support the hospital in any way possible. To provide financial help, log onto www.justgiving.com/alimarston or simply donate whatever you can as the hospital "desperately needs help."