Dr Margaret (Peggy) Ashwell - Nepal

Peggy is a public health physician, who has worked in Nepal, Hong Kong, China, as well as Australia. She has been fellowshipping ay St Stephen's Anglican Church, Willoughby, NSW for the last four years.

Peggy hopes to raise sufficient prayer, and financial support from her own church, as well as friends and prayer partners of INF, so that she can attend the next Language and Orientation Training at the INF headquarters in Pokhara, Nepal, from 18 April 2004. Then, she will commence working as a doctor on the Tuberculosis and Leprosy control program in the west of Nepal, either in Surkhet or Nepalgunj.

Peggy has had experience treating tuberculosis in both Nepal and Hong Kong. She has a diploma in dermatology (skin disease). She also has skills in public health, such as epidemiology (the statistics of medicine), and the prevention and control of infectious diseases (which TB and leprosy are), so hopes to use her public health skills and clinical skills in her work in Nepal.

Peggy was with INF as a short-term missionary in 1977/8 at the Shining Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal. In 1980-82, she was with the Church Missionary Society in Hong Kong where she studied Cantonese and worked in a small clinic. In 1985, she went on an Australian scholarship to mainland China for five years to study Mandarin then did a PhD in hepatitis B. In 1995, she returned to China on an AusAID funded health project. In the 90's, she worked in Public Health in Western Australia and Sydney for seven years, then for the last three years has been a GP so she could be close to her parents. She is now able to return to missionary work.