Learn about the real difference the Green Tara Foundation and its members have made in the lives of Tibetans.

› Education
› Health Care Programs

» 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.

The Green Tara Foundation supports education within the Tibetan communities in multiple ways, including sponsoring students to attend school, funding a primary education teacher, and donating the supplies needed for school.

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:

	Jampa Choedon was recently appointed to be a healthcare worker at the Namgyal Middle School. She is originally from the Jampaling camp. Her college education was supported by a Green Tara Foundation scholarship.
	Tsering Yangzom has graduated from nursing school at the top of her class and was able to get one of the very few nursing jobs available at the main hospital in Kathmandu.”
	Pasang Wangdu is enrolled in Namgyal Secondary School in Kathmandu. He is excelling in all of his classes, including accounting, economics and business mathematics.

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.

Above: Students and Staff at the Lophelling Boarding School

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» 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 training for the healthcare workers in the camps and provide direct medical care. The initial training's 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 training's have markedly improved the quality of care in the camps, and the Tibetan communities have asked us to expand the training's.

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 Jam paling. Specifically, we developed an exercise program at the Elder’s Home in Jam paling 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.

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