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Educational Projects, Health Care Programs, Economic Development and Infrastructure Projects Education In Nepal, families must pay for their children to attend school, which is a limiting factor for most Tibetan refugees. Several of the refugee camps have established schools administered through the Tibetan Government in Exile to carry out the Dalai Lama’s mission to preserve Tibetan culture and language, while providing the education needed to prepare the students to pass the Nepalese standardized exams and continue their education. Scholarships for Education The Green Tara Foundation provides funding for children to attend secondary schools and colleges. Students are selected based on financial need and performance in school. Currently, the Green Tara Foundation provides 28 scholarships for students. We find that there is always a demand for additional scholarships; as funds allow, we will continue to expand our scholarship program. We personally meet all of the students and track their progress in school. The following are some of the students who were sponsored by, or currently have Green Tara Foundation scholarships:
Funding for Teacher’s Salary, School Supplies, and Warm Clothing The Lophelling Boarding School is a primary school in Manang. It is isolated by harsh weather for much of the year because it is high up in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas in the western part of Nepal. We support a teacher’s salary at the Boarding School. We also provide school supplies and warm clothing for the students and staff, many of whom live at the school for most of the year.
Health Care Programs Tibetan refugees in Nepal must pay out of pocket for all of their medical expenses, which prevents many from seeking care until they are severely ill. The Tibetan Government in Exile has established clinics in the camps that provide limited medical care for the refugees, but the healthcare workers have received only very basic training. Refugees must travel to hospitals if further care is needed, and some of the camps are so isolated that this journey can take several days on foot. The Green Tara Foundations has developed programs to provide additional training for the healthcare workers, and to stock medical supplies for these clinics.
Each year we organize a medical team from the United States to travel to Nepal to provide trainings for the healthcare workers in the camps and provide direct medical care. The initial trainings are held at a centralized location, and topics are chosen based on pressing medical issues, relevant preventive healthcare information, and requests by the healthcare workers. Afterwards, the medical team travels to the camps for further on site, hands-on training. While visiting the communities, the medical team also restocks their pharmacies and clinics with purchased and donated medical supplies. The trainings have markedly improved the quality of care in the camps, and the Tibetan communities have asked us to expand the trainings.
Public Health Programs We have also been involved in public health campaigns to assist the health care workers in preventing disease and promoting health. For example, the Green Tara Foundation developed a successful program to decrease the incidence and spread of tuberculosis (TB). TB is one of the most difficult health problems for the Tibetan Refugees in Nepal, and it is easily spread in the camps where families live in close quarters. We have helped the healthcare workers to develop a treatment and prevention program. Since its inception, the rate of TB has decreased significantly and cure rates have increased. Another successful program was aimed at prevention of trauma and fractures among the elderly in Jampaling. Specifically, we developed an exercise program at the Elder’s Home in Jampaling to improve dexterity and thereby decrease the risk of falls. The enthusiasm of the elders is remarkable and each year they greet us with incredible warmth and compassion.
Economic Development The Green Tara Foundation helps Tibetan communities in Nepal develop economic programs and access markets for their goods, with the aim of becoming financially independent. The Jampaling Rug Factory was at one time a bustling industry providing jobs and income in the camp but then closed due to market difficulties. We helped the community connect with buyers of their fine quality hand-made rugs, and the factory has now re-opened its doors. Because refugees at these camps are isolated, they often do not have the skills to efficiently run a business. We are planning to develop a program to provide them with training in business and internet skills. We also hope to provide a scholarship to a student interested in marketing and the use of the internet to generate sales and reinvigorate the program.
Infrastructure Projects Over the past year, volunteer, Bob McHugh from Annapolis, Maryland, has been very busy raising money for a fresh water well and holding tank for the Jampaling Tibetan Camp that we have been working with for many years. On a previous visit he had seen the need for a well within the confines of the camp to alleviate the problems of sharing the sporadic water supply with questionable purity beyond the camp walls. To date he has raised $18,000 and we are waiting for more promised monies to arrive. As of last November, the well had been drilled producing water meeting WHO requirements. The drilling company is in the process of building the tank now to hold this good drinking water. As many of you know, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to access clean drinking water in much of the world. Thank you Bob very much for your efforts and hard work. Now the people of Jampaling have clean drinking water and better health! The Green Tara Foundation has supported several infrastructure projects, including the following: Green Tara FoundationPO Box 91676 Albuquerque, NM 87199-1676Info@green-tara.orgWebsite Updated March 16, 2008 |
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Providing Health Care in Manang
Jampaling Rug Factory 