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Awards

Mahesh Nakarmi receiving Asia-Pacific Leadership Sustainability Award
Asia-Pacific Sustainability Leadership Award

April 5, 2024

Group photo of Swasthya Khabar Health Award Winners including Mahesh Nakarmi
Swasthya Khabar Health Award

September 8, 2023

Letters of Appreciation

Bir Hospital

Plan International Nederland

Vang Vieng District Hospital

Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital

Board of Directors

Mahesh Nakarmi, Chairman
Mahesh Nakarmi

Chairman

Mr. Mahesh Nakarmi, a leading international expert in health, environment, and emergency medicine, is founding Chairman and Executive Director of Health Environment and Climate Action Foundation (HECAF360), which is creating a clean, green, environmentally safe, healthy and resilient community in Nepal. Nakarmi pioneered the use of autoclaves to disinfect health care waste—a smart solution to the disposal of infectious waste into municipal dumps across Nepal. His system also reduces waste and promotes recycling. At the request of WHO Nepal, Nakarmi and his HECAF360 team replicated this zero waste model in 10 big hospitals and 40 small health clinics in Nepal. Nakarmi has presented the model across Asia and around the world via partnerships with WHO, Health Care Without Harm, FHI 360, GIZ, UNDP, USAID, and international NGOs. In 2014 and 2015, on request of WHO Country Offices of Bhutan and Sri Lanka, Mr. Nakarmi led a Diagnostic Waste Assessment conducted in several hospitals of Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Similarly in 2019, at the request of WHO Country Office Bangladesh, Mr. Nakarmi and the HECAF 360 team worked with Health Care Without Harm to assess the waste systems in Rohingya refugee camps. Nakarmi adapted his Zero Waste model for schools and nunneries in Nepal. His work around menstrual hygiene grew out of these projects. His model now includes a component on the safe and environmentally preferable disposal of menstrual hygiene waste. Mr. Nakarmi is a founding president of the Community Development Association, a pioneer community based organisation in Nepal established after the democratic movement of 1990. He is also a lead founder of the National Kidney Center, the largest dialysis center in the country, and a co-founder of the National Society of Earthquake Technology Nepal (NSET). Being a WHO certified Mass Casualty Management Specialist, Mr. Nakarmi has conducted many Emergency Mass Casualty Drills in Nepal and abroad supported by WHO, UNICEF and the EU. He also co-founded Nepal Ambulance Service, the first professionally trained and equipped emergency medical service in Nepal. Nakarmi is also an earthquake and emergency preparedness specialist who has played crucial roles in the aftermath of earthquakes, floods and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shreeram Singh Basnet, Treasurer
Shreeram Singh Basnet

Treasurer

Shree Ram Singh Basnet, an educationist & senior journalist, began his career as a school teacher and then moved on to journalism. He retired after 30 years of service as the General Manager of National News Agency, a government news service. Mr. Basnet now participates as visiting faculty member of journalism at different colleges. He is also a writer, having several books to his name. Mr. Basnet also regularly contributes as a columnist to several different newspapers as well as online media. Mr. Basnet holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science as well as a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism.

Hari Babu Tiwari, member
Hari Babu Tiwari

Chairman

Hari Babu Tiwari has served 32 years in Social Welfare Council, which is the apex body for NGOs and INGOs in Nepal. During his service he had worked with different INGOs who were registered in Nepal. He holds a very good reputation and maintains good relations with many international agencies. He played a vital role in developing policies for NGOs and INGOs. Mr. Tiwari retired as director of the Social Welfare Council in 2019. He is currently active as adviser to different INGOs and NGOs in Nepal Mr. Tiwari had completed a double Master’s Degree in Political Diplomacy and Diplomatic History from Tribhuvan University. Full technical CV available upon request. Contact management@hecaf360.org

Binod Prasad Aryal, member
Binod Prasad Aryal

Chairman

Binod Aryal, is a senior hospital Engineer. He has been working in hospital design and implementation for the last 20 years. He has successfully designed and implemented many hospitals in Nepal and was adviser to various Medical Colleges in Nepal. He has considerable knowledge of hospital standards in Nepal. Academically, Mr. Aryal completed his MSc in Civil Engineering from Georgian Technical University, Tibilisi, Georgia. Full technical CV available upon request. Contact management@hecaf360.org

Sanjeev Kumar Pandey, member
Sanjeev Kumar Pandey

Chairman

Sanjeev Kumar Pandey is a Visionary Life Coach, Leadership & Motivational Trainer and Social Entrepreneur. He is founder and owner of Bounty Himalaya PVT LTD which produces natural products in the Himalaya region. He is also associated with Kiwanis Nepal District as Master Trainer and Leadership Development Chair. At the time he was already active with Lions Club Nepal and was more than willing to support another social project in and for Nepal. Academically Sanjeev has done B.Sc. Microbiology. Sanjeev lives with his wife and daughter in Kathmandu and in his free time he loves to travel, network, develop fellowships and surf the web for inspiring ideas. Running his own business, Sanjeev helps the HECAF 360 Board with his expertise regarding business and development and enterprising.

Advisors

International Advisors
Ruth Stringer, International Advisor
Ruth Stringer

International Science and Policy Coordinator
Health Care Without Harm

​Ruth Stringer is the International Science and Policy Coordinator for Health Care Without Harm. She has been working with Health Care Without Harm for over fifteen years, coordinating work on waste, but also providing expertise on chemicals, pharmaceuticals and procurement. She is a member of the International Solid Waste Association healthcare waste working group, and advises on waste management policy and practice internationally.  Ruth has worked closely with HECAF360 for the last decade, both on joint projects and in relation to HECAF360’s role as strategic partner to Health Care Without Harm.

Han Heijnen, International Advisor
Han Heijnen

International Environmental Health Consultant & 
President at International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

​Working with WHO in Nepal, Han Heijnen started engaging with HECAF in 2006. HECAF and WHO partnered in training and applied research on health care waste management. It led to practical solutions for waste management and to international contacts and participation in WHO expert meetings. Han Heijnen left Nepal in late 2009, continuing to work as an independent consultant on environmental health in Africa and South Asia.   In the last decade he has been promoting rainwater harvesting around the world and is the  current President of the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance, based in Geneva. He now lives in the Netherlands.

Anders Bolmstedt, International Advisor
Anders Bolmstedt

Chemist and Coordinator of Chemical Management
Region Västra Götaland, Sweden

Anders Bolmstedt, PhD, is a chemist at the occupational health service of Region Västra Götaland, Sweden. He coordinates the chemical management in Region Västra Götaland in the aspects of health and environmental protection. Important parts in this work are setting up and evaluating demands in procurements and educating employees in safe management of hazardous chemicals. He has been involved in risk assessments of hazardous chemicals for more than fifteen years. He was one of the initiators of the National Substitution Group (NSG) in Sweden where he is still active. In addition to his work on chemicals he is interested in the role of good health for the environment.

Margot Becker, International Advisor
Margot Becker

Environmental Activist and Writer

​​Margot Becker is a passionate and tireless environmental activist focusing on transforming the waste system and mitigating climate change. She first began collaborating with HECAF360 (then HECAF) in 2010 and attributes her passion for waste system transformation to this connection. She is currently working on a comprehensive Zero Waste Plan for Ulster County, NY, in partnership with County legislators. She is a member of the Global Assembly team, bringing the world’s first global citizens assembly to deliberate on climate change at the UN COP26 Climate Conference in 2021; this will be the first time the people’s voice is heard at COP. Margot is excited about the elevation of citizens assemblies as a tool for the new democracy. She has many decades of experience in international fundraising. Margot lives in New York in a home that is free of fossil fuels.

Russ Pariseau, International Advisor
Russ Pariseau

Media Specialist

​Since the early 1970’s Russ Pariseau has worked as a producer and director/cameraman for independent documentaries and commercial clients including the United Nations, Fortune 500 corporations, the U.S. government and numerous advertising agencies and public relations firms. His films have won numerous awards. Russ and partner Frances Turner lived in Kathmandu from 2006 to 2010 during which time he worked closely with HECAF and Mahesh Nakarmi on the Nepal Ambulance Service and videos on earthquake awareness and risk mitigation. Russ now lives in the UK.

National Advisors
Dr. Narayan Ghimire, National Advisor
Dr. Narayan Ghimire 

Senior Advocate, Supreme Court, Nepal

​Dr. Ghimire holds Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) and LLM (Hon’s) California USA, and MA, LLB from Nepal. He was Former Member to the Commission for the diplomatic passport abuse investigating commission Nepal -2001. Dr. Ghimire has been in Law Practice since 35 years. He is also teaching Private International Law, Tort Law and Commercial Law at Law School (Purvanchal Univesrity) Dr. Ghimire is the Founding President of Centre for Rule of Law. He is also involved as Pro Bono National Trainer for Nepal Women Lawyers International Training organized by Nepal bar Association, DLA Piper, UNDP and WLJH. He has drafted and reviewed federal and provincial laws. He is known as an expert of Tort Law in Nepal and aslo coordinating the committee on Tort Law for the Supreme Court Bar. He has conducted various trainings on the constitution and human rights, legal aid, pro bono and Tort Law. He has worked as an expert in Legal Aid Guidelines for Nepal Bar Association.

Team Members

Technical Team
Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Shrawasti Karmacharya

Environment Science

Program Manager

Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Prerana Dangol

Nursing

Sr. Program Officer

Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Bimala Dumaru

Environment Science

Program Coordinator

Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Sujata Singh

Environment Science

Program Coordinator

Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Sharmila Khanal

Environment Science

Program Coordinator

Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Suja Shrestha

Nursing, Public Health

Program Coordinator

Shrawasti Karmacharya Environment Science Program Manager

Priya Malla

Nursing

Program Coordinator

Management Staff
Gyanendra Raj Shrestha Office Assistant

Gyanendra Raj Shrestha

Office Assistant

Rabin Chandra Rai Accountant

Rabin Chandra Rai

Accountant

Shreya Shrestha Finance Coordinator

Shreya  Shrestha

Finance Coordinator

Gyane Budathoki Driver

Gyani Budathoki

Driver

Seema Lama Office Support

Seema Lama

Office Support

Bishnu Prasad Khatiwada

Bishnu Prasad Khatiwada

Store Assistant

Dinesh Chaudhary Office Support

Dinesh Chaudhary

Office Support

HECAF Founder

Engineer Mahesh Nakarmi

Mahesh co-founded the Health Care Foundation Nepal (HECAF) in 1994. The organisation has since evolved into one of the leading providers of appropriate technology solutions for environmentally sound healthcare waste management systems in Nepal and other low-resource countries. In 2020 HECAF became the Health Environment and Climate Action Foundation (HECAF360).

The following comments from Mahesh were lifted from an interview conducted by The German Agency for International Cooperation, GIZ GmbH. The interview is featured in GIZ's comprehensive assessment of a growing movement to address health care waste in Nepal entitled NoTime to Waste. You can link to the full report here. 

Mahesh Nakarmi, in his own words...
"I don’t like to copy what other people are doing. I like to work in the gaps where there are problems no one else has managed to solve. That’s how I got involved with healthcare waste management.

 

I was the first one to use autoclaves to treat healthcare waste in Nepal. That was in 1999, and it was a major milestone for public health in our country.

 

Our first autoclave-based programme was instituted at the National Kidney Center (NKC), which HECAF established to make dialysis services available to people in Nepal. NKC was clearly helping a lot of people, but one day I saw staff putting waste contaminated with blood into the municipal waste system. 

 

I realised that, despite our good work and intentions, we were putting many people at risk through the waste we generated: community members, people living along the route used to transport waste to the municipal dump, those living near the dump, and the waste workers who are in the dump every day. I started researching our options and discovered that all the guidelines recommended incinerating healthcare waste. I’m not a medical person — I’m an engineer — but I was worried about the air pollution, toxic ash and gases that burning waste produces. After doing more research, I concluded that autoclaving the waste would be a far better solution.

Mission

HECAF360 is committed to creating a toxic-free Nepal by designing and implementing clean, green climate-smart solutions via partnerships with health care facilities, schools, communities, and municipalities. HECAF360 is a pioneer in environmentally-safe health care waste management systems based on Zero Waste principles and non-burn technology.  We focus on Zero Waste, clean energy, green building for development of  healthy cities to reduce negative human health impacts. 

  • Institute safe Health Care Waste Management in hospitals in Nepal, including safe injection and disposal of expired pharmaceutical waste.

  • Eliminate hazardous chemicals from hospitals and homes, including mercury-containing devices; ensure substitution of safer chemicals whenever possible.

  • Raise awareness about air pollution and implement low-tech solutions, focusing on human health impactsRaise awareness about air pollution and implement low-tech solutions, focusing on human health impacts

  • Design and institute innovative Zero Waste management systems in hospitals, schools, and municipalities; promote safe non-burn technology; expand plastic waste management projects on both institutional and community levels; widely encourage the 3Rs of waste management: reduce—reuse—recycle.

  • Design and implement innovative waste water treatment systems in hospital settings.

  • Address the need for safe drinking water by partnering with hospitals, universities, schools, and communities.

  • Promote behavioral change for hygiene and sanitation including personal hand hygiene in hospitals, schools, and municipalities.

  • Promote menstrual hygiene and safe disposal of menstrual sanitary waste for dignified menstruation.

  • Advocate for sustainable green procurement across sectors; reduce the negative human health and environmental impacts of unsafe products. 

  • Plan and institute renewable energy initiatives in hospitals, schools, and communities.

  • Promote green building design to create clean, green, and healthy cities.

  • Promote climate resilience and climate-smart solutions in every aspect of society.

HECAF360 Goals
Guidelines and Principles
ZERO RISK

Protect public health by making hospitals and other health care facilities safe for patients, for staff and for the communities in which the hospitals and clinics are located.

ZERO BURN

 Eliminate dangerous incineration of medical waste throughout the country which creates air-borne pollutants

ZERO WASTE

Eliminate toxic, unnecessary and hard-to-dispose of waste through green purchasing and circular economy strategies

ZERO BURY

End dumping and landfilling, which contaminate ground water and soil.

What is HECAF360 ?

HECAF360 Logo
Health Environment and 
Climate Action Foundation

Clean, Green, Healthy Environment and Climate Resilient Community

Health Environment and Climate Action Foundation (HECAF360), is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) registered as "Profit Not Distributing Company" pursuant to sub-section (1) of section 5 of the Companies Act, 2006 of Nepal.