LHA in India
Many LHA projects are fully funded. When possible, programs are set up with sustainability mechanisms to avoid dependency. Other programs depend on annual donations. Every dollar is appreciated; 100% goes directly to those in need. A dollar goes a long way in India. To support any program, click Donate.
ONGOING PROGRAMS IN NEED OF FUNDING
Women's Scholarship, Nursing Degrees
Annual Goal is $21K. $7K provides a full scholarship.
More than one life can be changed when a youth becomes educated and empowered. Entire families and communities benefit. Many young Tibetan women are qualified and accepted to nursing programs, but lack funding for tuition and room/board. $7K covers tuition or a 3-year degree, books, room/board; that's just over $2,000 a year per student! This project was started in 2017 by a Tulane University student group led by Dr. Ron Marks and Dr. Carolyn Weaver, in memory of Neysa Fanwick, a TSSW alumni. Dr. John Clark of Loyola University followed up with $21,000 the next year. Thanks to generous donors, LHA has provided full or partial scholarships every year since then. Over 20 Tibetan women, helped by this program, are now employed as Nurses!
Clean Water Project
Annual goal is $9K. $3K provides a new filtration system for a school or monastery; $250 secures annual maintenance for a current system.
Poor water supply systems coupled with overflowing sewage systems cause disease. The infrastructure problem is enormous, but since 2013, alongside our Tibetan partners, LHA installed 33 water filtration systems, providing clean water in schools, monasteries and nunneries. Program founder Johanna Garter's research found the filters dramatically reduced water borne illness. Annual maintenance and filter replacements cost $250 per system. Each system provides clean drinking water for more than 300 people every day. We have a waiting list of schools in need of clean water.
Tibetan Smiles Dental Care Program
Annual Goal is $7K.
In 2011, LHA volunteer Fran Phares took Tibetan girl, Dorjee Dolma, to a dentist, who found an infection so acute it had spread into Dorjee's nasal system and brought her near death. LHA has since committed to providing a broad range of quality dental services to those in desperate need. About 1/3 of over 1,000 refugees assessed over a 3-year period by LSU and Tulane Medical School teams had never seen a dentist and needed help. Thanks to continued support from Fran and other generous donors, LHA provides dental care free of charge, using local, qualified dentists.
Clear Vision Care Program
Annual Goal is $3,300.
In LHA's classrooms, it's not uncommon to find a student struggling due to visual difficulty. Many need glasses. The cost of an eye exam and a new pair of prescription glasses is only $30 in India. Our annual goal is to provide at least 100 pair of glasses per year, and to fund eye surgeries and/or medicine for those in crisis situations. This program was started in 2009 by Loyola University student Aubrey Lynn, with the help of LHA volunteer Elana Rauda, from Calgary, Canada. Only $30 can give someone the gift of clear vision!
Tibetan Elder Assistance Program (TEAP)
Annual Goal is $3,300.
An unfortunate fact of refugee life is that families become separated, and many elderly Tibetans live alone. Founded in 2004 by LHA Board member Daniel Winkert and his wife Stacey, TEAP focuses on projects to support Tibetan elders. Recently, for example, LHA built a public restroom on the Kora. A cherished daily practice for Tibetan elders is to walk on the Kora, a path around the Dalai Lama's home and temple. The practice provides exercise, purpose and community for the elders and is believed to foster world peace. Elders who would have difficulty without facilities can now comfortably frequent the Kora.
ONGOING SELF-SUFFICIENT PROGRAMS
Skills Training Program / Trade School
Sponsored by the Tibet Fund, under the guidance of Bob Ankerson, a trade school operates out of Ahimsa House. Classes and internships are offered, free, to young, unemployed adults who need marketable skills. Thus far, 659 Tibetan refugees completed certificate courses in electrical work, solar installation, backhoe operation, restaurant skills, bakery, barista, beautician training, and most are now employed. Students also receive classes in basic English language, basic computer skills and financial literacy.
Language Training
Many Tibetans arrive in India speaking only Tibetan, making it difficult to find jobs and to assimilate in India. LHA provides free language classes. Typically, Tibetans learn English first, spoken everywhere in India, then move on to French, Spanish, or German, to increase the odds of being accepted for residency by a country offering opportunities for refugees. Some learn Chinese in hopes of returning to Tibet, should human rights conditions improve. Chinese is now the main language spoken in Tibet. Others, who have arrived from Tibet more recently, have not had the opportunity to learn Tibetan while in Tibet (due to Chinese regulations) so they can learn their mother tongue here at our language school.
Intensive ESL for Advanced-Level Monks and Nuns
In Tibetan culture, adept philosophy graduates are referred to as Geshes or Khenpos. Many speak English but not well enough to teach in English. An annual three-month, full-time, intensive ESL course is offered annually to bring their English skills to a level which makes teaching in English possible.
Computer Training
Tibetans with even minimal computer skills have better chances of finding employment and relocation opportunities in other countries. Free computer classes have been LHA offerings since our first two computers were donated in 2001 by author Hunter S. Thompson, who donated two of his personal laptops! In 2002, the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama donated 12 new computers, enabling us to open a second location specifically as a computer school. Computer classes have since been offered to focus on specialized areas when skilled volunteers manifest to teach.
Volunteer Coordination
Travelers from countries across the world visiting Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama, often have the time and inclination to help the Tibetan refugee community. Ahimsa House has become a local hub for volunteer coordination. Since the founding of LHA in 1997, our Tibetan partners have coordinated and placed over 15,000 volunteers from more than 53 different countries. Volunteers teach language and computer courses, help with specialized projects or are placed in organizations throughout the community where their skills are most needed.
Community Library
LHA established a small reading room in 2004, with books donated by travelers. Since then, thanks to volunteer librarians and many more donated books, the Ahimsa House lending library is now open all year to Tibetans, other Dharamsala residents, and international visitors. LHA worked with the OmPrakash Foundation to organize the distribution of 250,000 free books which they collected then shipped from the US to India.
Dharma Cafe, Coffee Shop and Job Skills Training Center
The Dharma Cafe at the Ahimsa House building is a fully vegan plant-based restaurant, small business teaching and learning center which generates income. Steps away from the Dalai Lama's main temple, with a steady flow of customers, the local yet international gathering spot promotes awareness of LHA social service projects and the plight of Tibetans. Special thanks to Tripti Singh for her generosity and business expertise which made this project possible.
COMPLETED PROJECTS
Ahimsa House
In 2007, LHA acquired the Ahimsa House, a newly built 5-story building near the home and temple of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. The lower two floors house a commercial kitchen, coffee shop, cafe, library and dining hall, which help fund the organization. Floors three and four accommodate office space, classrooms and apartments to house long-term volunteers and the building manager. The top floor has a fully equipped conference room and a large, covered balcony area for Yoga sessions, classes and gatherings. The building is equipped with solar panels, a solar water heating system, rainwater catchment, and an excellent water filtration system, making it the region's green building leader.
New Building and Self-Sufficiency for Nuns
An overly-crowded Tibetan nunnery was unable to meet the needs of nearly 300 nuns living there. They lacked access to clean water, healthy food, and medical care. Tulane student and LHA volunteer Erica Trainee raised $90K to construct a two-story building next to the existing nunnery. Many nuns moved into the new living spaces on the top floor while the rooms on street level were rented as store fronts, which now generate income to support the nuns. LHA has since installed a water filtration system to supply clean drinking water.
Public Health Initiative, Construction for Monks
A monastery housing more than 300 monks was plagued by health problems including TB and hepatitis. LHA's public health volunteers found: No hot water for cleaning/washing; Contaminated drinking water; Dilapidated bathrooms; Monks sharing razors to shave their heads every month. LHA supplied razors to help eradicate the hepatitis. A solar water heating system and a water filtration system reduced cold and flu outbreaks, stomach problems and other water-borne diseases. In addition, LHA built a new restroom facility, and provided eye, dental and medical care. The monastery is now a beacon of health, set an example for many other monasteries and nunneries to follow.
Soup Kitchen
In 2012, Dharamsala's first soup kitchen for Tibetans opened its doors. Dr. Anoop Jain, former Tulane University student and LHA volunteer raised $33K to begin construction. Norwegian volunteer Benedicte Kirkoen raised funds to furnish the dining hall with tables and chairs built by local carpenters. The story reached an elementary school girl in California, whose parents donated the remaining $22K needed for industrial kitchen equipment. The kitchen is named "Anjali's Kitchen" for her. In 2019, during the COVID pandemic, the soup kitchen became a 'Meals On Wheels' program, delivering meals and medicine. Now, the soup kitchen is a cafe, coffee shop, and job skills training center. Funds generated there support social service projects throughout the community.
Nepal Earthquake Aid 2016
LHA assisted Nepali communities during the struggle to recover from two devastating earthquakes which took the lives of more than 8,000 people, injured tens of thousands more, and destroyed countless homes. A short video of the LHA team event which raised $53,000 is available on request.
SMALLER PROJECTS
- •Kitchen construction; new computers for the office for the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA)
- •Nursery school furnishings for children of Tibetan government employees
- •New kitchen, start-up costs for a Tso Pema Tibetan elementary school
- •Kitchen for the Ngakpa Gompa and Community Center in Dharamsala
- •In collaboration with the Rotary Club of Dharamsala, a water well for rural slum community
- •Distribution of more than 30,000 books to Tibetan schools
- •Construction of a basketball court for the Tibetan Day School in McLeod Ganj
- •Establishment of Dharamsala's first Leprosy Assistance Program
- •Community Center Kitchen built for Rigdzen Namdolling Ngakpa Gonpa
- •New roof and meeting room atop Ahimsa House, dedicated to the memory of Bernard Fleming
- •Construction of a public restroom for Tibetan Elders on the Kora