International Nepal Fellowship records
Scope and Contents
These archives provide valuable documentation of the founding of the Nepal Evangelistic Band / International Nepal Fellowship, and the operations of the organization in Nepal from the 1950s primarily through the 1990s. The collection forms part of the Himalayan collection at Yale Divinity School, which also include the archives of the United Mission to Nepal, Central Asia Fellowship, and the Nepal Church History Project.
The INF archives were organized and described by Betty Young while housed at the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh. The organization and classification system devised by Ms. Young have been kept intact.
The papers in Series I, Field Business, consist of constitutions and policies of the Nepal Evangelistic Band / International Nepal Fellowship, agreements with the His Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMG Nepal), annual reports, annual general meetings and conferences, minutes of the Field Council and other field committees, finance, correspondence, staffing, education and training, study on the impact of International Nepal Fellowship programmes in Nepal.
Series II, Projects, Programmes and Areas of Work, contains minutes, correspondence, project proposals, statistics, reports, surveys and evaluations related to INF"s work. This series also includes a section of historical documentation, including the diaries of founder Lily O'Hanlon.
The records in Series III, Home Ends, consist of minutes and correspondence of the UK, Australian, and New Zealand Home Councils, of INF (USA), the INF Netherlands Committee, and from the Philippines and Singapore. Series III also includes periodicals of the home offices such as Himalayan Helpers and Summit, and other material related to youth work in UK.
The collection of Newsletters / Prayer Letters in Series IV consists of newsletters and prayer letters from individual missionaries, Prayer Brief, INF Praying, Baglung Bulletin, Burtibang Newsletter, Gorahi Mail, News from Surkhet, Friends of WRH Newsletter, and Itram Inkings.
Series V, Publications, consists of: periodical publications including Lengthen & Strengthen, Prayer Notes, Nepal Evangelistic Band Newsletter, Today in Nepal and Nepal Evangelistic Band Australian Newsletter; leaflets about INF and life in Nepal; calendars; articles, pamphlets and books written by INF missionaries.
The Audio-Visual Material of Series VI includes interviews, talks, memorial services (including services for Dr. Ruth Watson and Dr. Lily O'Hanlon), conference sessions and slide commentaries on audio cassettes; scripts for videos and for slide presentations; one video (of the funeral service for Linda Sims).
Photographs, Series VII, include loose photographs of the early work of the Nepal Evangelistic Band; photographs of individuals and groups of missionaries and Nepali Christians; photographs of work in the Pokhara area, including Gandaki Boarding School; Himalayan Helpers Summer Camp, 1979; International Nepal Fellowship HQ Conference, 1996, two albums compiled by Hilda Steele; Nepal Evangelistic Band albums, and an album of photographs of King Birendra's visit to Gandaki Zonal Hospital, 1985.
The 2014 Addendum, Series X, brings publications and reports of the INF up to date.
Dates
- 1932-2014
Creator
Language of Materials
In English.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the International Nepal Fellowship, Worldwide, 2009
Arrangement
- I. Field Business (A), 1936-1998
- II. Projects, Programmes, Areas of Work (B), 1932-1998
- III. Home Ends (C), 1955-1999
- IV. Newsletters / Prayer Letters (D), 1950-2005
- V. Publications (E), 1954-2001
- VI. Audio-Visual Material (F), 1978-2000
- VII. Photographs (G), 1954-1996
- VIII. Maps and Posters (H)
- IX. Confidential Files (I), 1954-1997
- X. Addendum - 2014
Extent
25 Linear Feet (61 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
These are the official archives of the International Nepal Fellowship, formerly known as the Nepal Evangelistic Band. The International Nepal Fellowship is a Christian international non-government organization working in Nepal. It helps people affected by tuberculosis, leprosy, disability, HIV / AIDS and drug abuse, facilitates development among poor communities, runs medical camps and provides medical training.
Biographical / Historical
International Nepal Fellowship, Worldwide is an international non-government organization, registered in Australia as a non-profit company limited by guarantee. INF Worldwide has its official registered head office in Australia, however its International Service Office is in Nepal's capital Kathmandu and it works in Nepal through five-yearly agreements with the Nepali government's Social Welfare Council. INF Worldwide finds, trains and supports expatriate volunteers to work with INF Nepal and other partner organisations, including Nepali government health and training institutions and community-based organisations. INF has six offices across the globe, two in Nepal, and one in New Zealand, Australia, North America and the UK.
The INF's district-based, integrated programmes include hospital and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, health and development programmes with marginalized communities, medical camps, assistance for organizations working for people with disabilities, HIV / AIDS education, testing, counseling and care, work among displaced people, TB and leprosy clinics. INF sends personnel into government institutions and other organizations to provide health services training.
INF was born in 1936 when its founding missionary Dr Lily O'Hanlon felt called to Nepal. Dr. O'Hanlon and Hilda Steele traveled to India where they worked with Indians and Nepali's on the border of Nepal until they were able to register as the 'Nepal Evangelistic Band' in Lucknow on the 22nd February 1943. By 1940 the Band was a team of ten expatriates and nineteen Nepali volunteers. Along with Dr. Ruth Watson, known as “Kanchhi Doctor”, three nursing sisters and team of Nepali colleagues, they trekked to Pokhara in November 1952, establishing a general hospital, the Shining Hospital, in April 1953. In 1957 the mission opened Green Pastures Hospital for leprosy patients. In the 1960s the mission expanded its work into remoter areas opening village clinics in Baglung, Sikha and Beni. From the 1970s the government of Nepal’s 5th 5-year plan included significant health proposals, and INF began developing working relationships and co-operative projects with the government, including the building, equipping and staffing of Gandaki Zonal Hospital, which later became the Western Regional Hospital, the main hospital in Pokhara. The mission also signed an agreement with the government for a major leprosy control project in West and Mid-West Nepal, and was working in the areas of Tuberculosis control and community health. In the 1990s the mission began working in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse and AIDS prevention. The mission has also been involved in education and training programmes for staff employed by the government and NGOs, and for its own staff and their children.
Custodial History
These archives were previously housed at the University of Edinburgh.
- Title
- Guide to the International Nepal Fellowship Records
- Author
- Betty Young and Martha Lund Smalley
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Yale Divinity Library Repository