Dinchen's Story

Dichen Zangmo is a nun.  She did not attend school.  Her first education experience was at the Children in Crisis/Jinpa pre-course literacy programme she attended in 2004.  Dichen graduated from the Children in Crisis/Jinpa Midwifery Training Course 3 years ago.  Today Dichen practices in a clinic in Jumchen Village in the Dritoi County which, like many communities on the Tibetan High Plateau, is very remote. 

Her village leaders received a grant of 20,000 Yuan from the Yushu Poverty Reduction to fund the building of a clinic.  The local community provided the labour.  The clinic consists of a pharmacy, one consultation room, a small room for deliveries and over-night patients, as well as accommodation for Dichen.  To date there are no toilet facilities which the village leaders accept are needed to support the health messages that Dichen provides.

Dichen says that the midwife course changed her life; she has now decided to dedicate it to the community in which she lives.  A normal day for Dichen consists of patient care, maternity care (she travels to deliveries in surrounding villages), health talks, drug dispensation from the pharmacy and providing vaccinations to babies.  There are 1000 or more nomads living in the surrounding hills with no other medical services apart from hospitals located in County towns.

In 2008 Dichen delivered over 50 babies and was involved in 90% of the pregnancies in the community.

Dichen is clearly a major presence and a great success in the community.  She is a whirlwind of energy and organisation.  During our visit it was difficult to get her to sit down for the time it took to interview her so great were the demands upon her from the constant stream of people requiring treatment, medicine from the pharmacy or just turning up to spend time at the clinic.