POKHARA, Nepal: The employees at Seeing Hands Nepal can't witness the towering snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas that mark the skyline in Pokhara, the city on the cusp of the Annapurna Himalaya range. Nor can they see the smaller mountains that encircle the country's second largest lake, only a short walk from the stone pathway that marks the entrance to where they work. They are blind. But through a UK-based charity, Seeing Hands has been able to foment development of the often disenfranchised blind community in Nepal. They deliver world-class massages to the millions of tourists who attempt to traverse the top of the world. After a trek in the Annapurna Range, relaxing muscles and recuperating are on order, and the masseuses at Seeing Hands deliver unparalleled quality, through their hands, which are the eyes of the workers. “Without the support of my family, I wouldn't be here at all,” said Ramzi Paudel, one of the Pokhara branch's veterans. From a farming family of 13 children in the southern city of Lumbini, Paudel recently earned his Bachelor's degree, speaks quality English and is preparing to begin his Master's program at the local university in Pokhara. In many ways, Paudel is one of the lucky ones in a country where the blind community is largely dependent on others for work, with limited to no opportunities for education or work in the country. “The blind in Nepal stay at home and do nothing, get some education and become teachers, or try to do things on their own, but it is hard,” he said. The charity, Seeing Hands, began in 2006, saw the demand for assistance and according to their website, “was set up to provide training and employment opportunities for young blind Nepalis as massage therapists.” With some 7 million international tourists coming to the small country at the foothills of the Himalayas, massage therapy was a natural choice. Here in Pokhara, the facility of 8 therapists offers remedial sports therapy and Swedish-style relaxation massage. “It doesn't get any better than that,” said one British patron after receiving a sports massage from one of the therapists. “After trekking the mountains, it was much needed.” Paudel and the other therapists, all blind, use their hands to empower their lives. It isn't an easy endeavor, however, with all therapists who are accepted into the program required to complete 100 hours of Braille training as well as 100 hours of therapeutic massage coursework, which earns them a certificate that meets the international standards set by the Institute of Sports and Remedial Massage in London (ISRM). Without Seeing Hands and the ability to give back, Paudel says for many of the therapists who have come to work and earn a degree, life would be much different. “Here we have become very self-sufficient. We can take the bus on our own and are earning an income now that we can send back to our families to support them some,” Paudel says, his bright smile showing hope in a country that has long struggled with political dissension, violence and a poverty level toward the lowest globally. Although Seeing Hands may not be a massive endeavor, it has already trained dozens of blind people in Nepal, who have gone on to teach and train others, with the experience that independence can be achieved. “Blind people in Nepal need vocational opportunities that economically and socially empower them, enabling them to generate their own incomes and lead dignified, independent lives,” Seeing Hands says. And the therapists get that, earning 35 percent of all revenue from their massages, with the remaining funds going to trainings, infrastructure and development of facilities to better assist the blind community across the country. Lalumaya Bhuzel, a 23-year-old female masseuse in Pokhara, hopes to continue her education while with Seeing Hands. Like Paudel, she comes from a large farming family in central Nepal, and through the Seeing Hands initiative, has been able to complete her Bachelor degree and hopes to become a teacher after finishing a Master's degree. “I'm very lucky,” she said of being a therapist at Seeing Hands. “Blind people have a very difficult life in Nepal, and they struggle to have good jobs, or work of any kind.” The NGO has given Bhuzel the opportunity to have dreams and hopes for a future that largely was impossible less than a decade ago for blind people. She says that before Seeing Hands, teaching, playing music or being radio jockeys were the only professions readily available for the blind community. And with over 6 million tourists visiting Nepal annually, the majority of whom take to trekking in the Himalayas, there is also room for expansion, both Seeing Hands therapists believe. And tourists agree. “Why would I go somewhere else when I can get a world-class massage by people who need the work and empowerment,” said Norwegian climber Tor following a massage by Lalu. “She was amazing and I don't think I have had a better massage anywhere else in the world,” he added. In it is in the early stages, the administrators at Seeing Hands in Pokhara are hopeful that as the media takes note and as tourists continue to flock to the mountains lining the northern border areas, the future is one full of optimism for the blind community. “The workers here are very committed and this is important, because without their effort and their skills, this whole project would not be able to continue to grow and expand,” said the Seeing Hands organizer in Pokhara. Empowering the disenfranchised community through work is an important step toward enabling further opportunities for the community, and one that Paudel and Bhuzel believe has been instrumental in their desire to help others. “I think it has shown me that blind people are not really handicapped, and that we can be part of Nepali society here,” said Paudel.
