Meet the team: Riya Rayamajhi

Our staff of over 300 in Nepal work hard to provide medical, financial, and development aid to Gurkha veterans, their families, and communities. Our medical teams are based in Area Welfare Centres stationed throughout the country, with some staff working in the office and others venturing out in the field to visit Gurkha veterans and widows in their homes.

Meet Riya

Riya Rayamajhi works as a Mobile Health Practitioner at our Area Welfare Centre in Bheri, situated in the midwest of Nepal.

Before arriving at The Gurkha Welfare Trust, Riya had spent over three years working in medical settings. She worked in the emergency department at the Nepal Medicity Hospital as well as in a hospice and palliative care centre.

Read more about Riya’s role below and find out what she enjoys most about her job.

Why did you choose to join the GWT?

I have always wanted to work in a community setting, especially with the elderly population.

What is your favourite part of the job?

My favourite part of the job is the home visits for medical check-ups and medicine refills. For me, it is a new experience to provide patients with a door-to-door health service.

How long does it take to travel to the homes of your pensioners?

AWC Bheri covers a large area and every journey to visit our pensioners is long. However, one of my longest journeys was to visit a veteran living in Baitadi, roughly 455km from  here.

It takes us about two days to visit one pensioner and a visit is completed every three months. In the city areas roads are fine, but the roads in most places outside of cities are very rough and there is some off-road travelling. Especially during the monsoon season when roads here are frequently damaged or obstructed and access is difficult by vehicle.

What is your favourite part of Nepal? 

My favourite part of Nepal must be Pokhara. It is a perfect place for weekend getaways where one can enjoy the scenery of the blue lake with surrounding greenery. I also love trekking to Damphus village and Sarangkot with beautiful sunrise and sunset views.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I have always been fond of different types of art and among them I love sketching, so I usually spend my spare time doing sketches and also listening to music.