Hello, Namaste and Tashi Delek from India.

On this day I feel blessed to reflect on the past year and the many wonderful occurrences that have brought the Pennies for Partnerships to the official nonprofit status and the developments thus far. But first a brief look at the years past.

2008- 2010

Many of you may recall the first of Pennies for Partnerships back in 2008 which started as a Penny and Aluminum Can Drive to help fund the TCIA program Tutors for Tibetans (initially called Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund).  In addition, the fund raiser donated to the Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) to provide assistance for the capacity building program know as Stitches of Tibet and a publication titled Light in the Abyss- The Drapchi Fourteen. Then in 2009 we conducted a clothing drive for Tibetan children, the Mark Your Mark campaign which funded markers for teachers at LHA Charitable Trust and an online raffle. In 2010, the focus was placed on helping raise money for a water filter in order to provide safe water for a monastery. Which brings us to 2011…..

Prior to my departure from Fayetteville, Arkansas on January 8th I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy a night out on the town with friends (oh how I miss dancing). While hanging out at George’s Majestic Lounge listening to friends play, MOV and Crazy Neighbor, I crossed paths with a young man I had never met before who when he found out I was leaving for India in 2 days to do some social work, he handed me $3.00 and said “do something good with it”. My reply to him was “I will feed someone with you $3.00, how’s that? He was all for it. So today I sit and wonder who that messenger was that delivered the $3.00 to me which spearheaded the rice drive to feed hungry people. I wonder if he has any idea the impact his $3.00 has had on other people’s lives.

I attended the teachings of  the Dalai Lama in Saranath (the place where Buddha gave the first teachings of the Four Noble Truths)  prior to moving on to the Bodhgaya. On January 22, 2011 I posted a blog offering a glimpse into the lives of those who live in destitute poverty in Bodhgaya, (the holiest of Buddhist places) located in Bihar State one of the poorest in all of India. My guesthouse I choose was just a short walk through an area where many of the beggars lived but when they were in their homes they did not beg to those who lived among them. Everyday, and every evening I walked by them and felt such immense compassion and sadness for the suffering they must endure each day living without water or electricity in shanty little make shift shacks.

I recalled things the Dali Lama said in his teachings about compassion and decided this time Pennies for Partnerships need not be exclusive for Tibetans. In that blog on Jan 22, 2011 I asked you all if you might be interested in donating rice for those in need who experience hunger in their daily lives…..and you RESPONDED.

The donations started coming in and so on January 26, 2011 Republic Day of India we gifted 13 bags of rice. Thanks to those of you who responded to the call and to my mother who assisted in receiving the generous contributions you made, the grassroots of the Pennies for Partnerships Rice Drive began. And this was my quote on the blog that day:

“May no man, woman or child be hungry in a world of plenty and may we care for our brothers and sisters of the world.”

This reflection moves me with emotion as I again remind you that truly everything is made possible by you and I am so blessed to be your messenger of compassion and loving kindness. As I look back over the blog posts from the first deliveries I am moved to tears reminded of what it felt like to do this work and see the joy in the faces of those receiving your gifts. It truly is the greatest gift of all to have experienced this and encountered the many beautiful people who often go unnoticed because they may be classified as the untouchables.

This photo speaks for it’s self of the beauty and joy, the compassion and emotions that overcome us. This is a family where both mother and father are handicapped due to polio and their beautiful young boy who I am sure is malnourished due to issues of poverty and hunger.

Our team who delivered was very diverse in religious affiliation and to this day we maintain this diversity with every distribution. We have Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus all coming together. It was just magical it happened this way and is still occurring without searching out those with difference. It symbolizes for me our global connection as humans, all of us equal in deserving happiness.

We made two distributions of 13 bags each day. It was necessary to break this into small deliveries as the crowds of people in need would flock to us and of course we were not able to accommodate all. This was the most trying of all…to have to leave pulling away in the rickshaw looking back at those who went unnoticed and unserved.

As you continued to send money to purchase rice my time came to depart to the south of India to the Tibetan settlement camp in Mundgod where the Dali Lama was giving teachings.  It was here in the second largest Tibetan settlement in India that I discovered the Tibetan Organic Farmers. When I approached the Tibetan Organic farmers at their exhibit about purchasing rice for a distribution to the poor and destitute Indian communities surrounding the area they were very pleased and willing to work with me. As we forged the relationship I became aware of the issues of poverty within the organic farming community. I learned of the consequences of organic farming such as lower annual yields in addition to the lack of an organic market in India causing complications for farmers income levels. I learned of climate change and devastation to the crops due to limitations in farming without irrigation systems or early rainfall leaving land fallow. And so the commitment was made at this time to forge a relationship with the Tibetan Organic Farmers to purchase organic rice direct from the farmers offering them a larger return on portions of their yield in an effort to boost their income a small amount while they diligently wait for the organic market to develop in India.

Which brings us to this day; Pennies for Partnerships continues to support organic farming efforts while addressing issues of hunger and poverty in India.

Pennies for Partnerships REVIEW Since January 2011

To date 220 bags of 25 kg each (55 pounds) of rice have been delivered. This totals 5500kg or 12,100 lbs of rice (6.05 Tons).

Current Plans for Future Development

In October 2011, I discovered a community living in tents style huts on barren land with no water or electricity. There are 13 homes and Pennies for Partnerships will be sponsoring this community in an ongoing effort to provide monthly supply of rice with an effort to work more closely with the families in teaching them sack gardening in hopes to develop some self reliant ways for providing increased nutrition to their families. This is a community which has been displaced from the Bhopal Disaster caused by a pesticide leak. These families live on less than a dollar a day and collect plastic for recycling as an income. So keeping with a rounded environmental mission we are assisting a community devastated by an environmental hazard and focusing on those who conduct work which is environmentally conscious. There are however many many more families I have come across that I would like to bring into the fold of Pennies for Partnerships as we are able to increase the funding and commit to ongoing deliveries.

We have currently scheduled with the Tibetan Organic Farmers the next several months of delivery and our team is polished and ready to manage the operations of the distribution. We will also conduct an evaluation in time to measure the effectiveness of the gifts you give and the efforts we put forth to empower the people to lift into a better quality of life and at least experience less hunger in their days.

MORE to Come in the next few days with about the Golden Partners of Generosity who make it possible to touch the lives of people in need.

Thanks to the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas who believed in the project and accepted it as part of their philanthropic work and thanks to ALL of you who from day one in 2008 compassionately gave your penny jars, beer cans, clothing, and financial contributions. Without you none of this would have been possible.

I thank you from the deepest place in my heart for your generosity and care for others. To me you have also given a gift, and that is the joy of being your messenger of giving.

I look forward to the next year and to the continued growth of Pennies for Partnerships and support from you for others. Let’s Feed Some People while at the Same Time help support those who are making it a safer and cleaner environment for generations to come.

For more information regarding the past year you can visit the blog posts in the side bar.

Additionally if you or anyone you know is interested in supporting the ongoing efforts of pennies for Partnerships please remember Sharing is Caring and you can spread the link on your social networks as all that has been generated to date has been accomplished through networks of friends like you who care. Feel free to forward the email blog or find us on facebook under Pennies for Partnerships and follow our cause and then share it with your network.

To make a tax deductible donation through PayPal look for the Donate button on the blog

www.indiasocialwork.wordpress.com

or

http://www.artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

or email me at

penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

Also if you are interested in doing a fund raiser there are some great ideas others have presented so your creativity is a real asset to the project. People have fund raised through:

Service projects

Penny Drives

Pledges of Goals for a Ton of rice asking network friends to donate

Portions of sales contributed

What’s to Come:

In the next blog I will tell you of some amazing people I have met in my journey who have creatively generated funding opportunities that are making a great impact on the project.

Thank you again for a wonderful year raising funds to feed the poor.

Much Appreciation,

Leann Halsey

Director- Pennies for Partnerships (TCIA)

Hello, Namaste, and Tashi Delek.

I am writing today to first wish each of you a most enjoyable and love filled holiday season. As I reflect this Christmas Eve morning on the season of giving and look back at this past year I am consciously aware of your generosity to the Pennies for Partnerships project in which not only did the Tibetan and Indian communities benefit, but I was gifted with the amazing experience of giving as your messenger. I truly love this opportunity to act as an instrument of your giving and therefore, I would like to offer you my sincerest gratitude for your gifts that you have given to assist in addressing economic development through fair trade to Tibetan Organic Farmers and in contributing to the outreach to those who have food insecurity in their daily lives.

The Holiday Season reminds us of the opportunity to give, although, many do this throughout the year. Pennies for Partnerships was able to give through your contributions this past year nearly 6 tons of rice which contributed to both the Tibetan Organic Farmers who struggle with poverty and the Indian Villagers who experience hunger in their days. Thanks to your compassionate giving many benefited.

This season I realize there are numerous organizations and opportunities to give to those in need and many of you have already made your Holiday contributions. I would however like to mention a wonderful example of how a friend garnered support to purchase rice for those in need.

At Thanksgiving this year he passed an envelope around and asked his family members to make small contributions towards the purchase of rice. His family contributed 5 bags of rice, each which costs $15.00 for 55 pounds and feeds a family for about 3 weeks. This shared group contribution will make a substantial difference in the lives of the recipients.

This Christmas Season I would like to keep with the initial mission of Pennies for Partnerships in that giving a little can go a long way. Your assistance in generating continued support through a Partnership for Global Change is very important to help reach the UN Millennium Goals to end hunger and poverty by 2015.

Would you please present to your families and friends at your holiday gatherings the opportunity to give Change for Change.  I envision hats and baskets passed as offerings during this season with people emptying their change pockets, feeling joy as they give a little Change to create a little Change. Your assistance in offering this opportunity to give is also a great gift and service to others. Upon collecting the change you can then donate directly online by visiting our official website for the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas (TCIA)

http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

or through the blog

http://www.indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/

The blog offers full details of the project and the results of this past year grassroots efforts; so please feel free to share the blog and encourage your networks to contribute. All your efforts are greatly appreciated.

In conclusion, I would like to Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to 2012 and the opportunity to continue the work as your messenger of compassionate giving in India.

Happy Holidays,

Leann Halsey

Director- Pennies for Partnerships (TCIA Philanthropic Initiative)

http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

I am writing today to provide you with the results of the current to date review of the Pennies for Partnerships Outreach.

Recently I have had the opportunity to cross paths with some of the recipients of the outreach be it Tibetan organic farmers or the Indian Villagers. I can only say when crossing paths with them it is a very joyous occasion. The smiles on their faces is something I can never capture for you not in a photo or to even be able to describe it to you. What I can tell you is there is a warmth of friendship and a sense of knowing someone cares that comes not only from the look in their eyes or smile on their faces but in the jesters of joyful hellos, tashi deleks, and namastes they offer.   Yesterday I encountered a group of Indian women and children of familiar faces who are those who live in the tents and collect plastic for a small income. They were all piled into a shared jeep which costs them 10 rupees each way and the jeep was packed on top and inside with the bags of their days gatherings of plastic. When they spotted me riding by on my bike (I was speeding by and did not see them at first)  they started leaning out the jeep and yelling and waving with HUGE smiles on their face “Namaste” Aunti Namaste”. I wish I would have had my camera. I felt so blessed to have this connection with them and know that your gifts brought such joy to their lives. In the delivery we always tell them that International Friends Care about them and are the ones who have sent them this gift of rice; I am only the messenger.

Therefore, I want to give you the review of this years outreach in hopes it too will allow you to see the impact your generosity and pennies are making in the lives of others.

Pennies for Partnerships REVIEW Since January 2011

To date 195 bags of 25 kg each (55 pounds) of rice have been delivered. This totals 4875 kg or 10,725 lbs of rice (5.3 Tons). This is estimated to have reached 1170 people as there are approximately 6 people per household. The communities we serve with distribution of rice remain with the environmental focus. Those communities who recycle plastic tend to be some of the poorest communities in India and often resort to begging to meet their basic needs.  In my research I have discovered they are able to make approximately 60 rupees a day and they work 6 days a week excluding holidays (and in India there are many Holy days in the Hindu religion). Therefore in my estimation they live on approximately $1.00 a day. These are the communities noted in the hunger index who are of concern for severe hunger and malnutrition. The subsidy the India government provides only offers them approximately 2 weeks of rice; therefore we gift them an additional 2-3 week supply of rice also benefitting them with the savings of approximately 2 weeks of pay and a more healthy and nutritious supply of organic rice.

The Tibetan Organic Farmers who tend to be some of the poorest yet the hardest working in the Tibetan community and are facing extreme poverty have also benefited from the Pennies for Partnerships procurement of rice at a fair market price. In keeping with moral ethics of Fair Trade we pay directly to the Tibetan Organic Farmers a 50% increase over what they receive from the distributors. Pennies for Partnerships removes the middle man therefore offering a direct benefit to the farmers. To date there are 9 Tibetan Organic Farmers who have benefited with a higher profit on their annual yield of rice procured by Pennies for Partnerships. Additionally we have purchased some rice from the Tibetan Organic Farmers Demonstration Office and Organic Research and Training Center. The following is the breakdown in rupees so you can see the financial benefit offered to the farmers.

1. Average cost farmers receive when sold to distributors in India who then sell to markets =  15 rupees per 1 kg (2.2 pounds) (depending on exchange rate Approx: $ .32 – $ .29)
2. Rice purchased directly from Tibetan Organic farmers by Pennies for Partnerships Farmers receive =  22.5 rupees per 1 kg (2.2 pounds) (Approx: $ . 48 – $ .44 )

A Few EXAMPLES of recent benefit to Tibetan Organic Farmers and their income:

One Farmer sold us 500 kg (1,100 lbs) which he/she normally would have received from distributors at rs15 = rs7500 ($166.67) with the Pennies for Partnerships purchase paying rs22.5 = rs 11,250 ($250.00) he/she received an increase in profit of rs3750 ($83.33).

Another farmer sold us 475 kg (1,045 lbs) and he/she would have received from distributors at rs15 = rs7125 ($158.33) with the PfP purchase he/she received an increase in income of at rs22.5 = rs10,687.5 ($237.5) an increase in rs3562.5 ($79.17).

These are only two examples of the way in which the Farmers receive a Fair Market price from Pennies for Partnerships in an effort to assist them with economic support and development while the slow process to establish a fair market distribution for organics in India is underway.

Additionally, the farmers who have resorted to selling their entire crop to the distributors at times live on that one year harvest. An example is a woman farmer who lost her entire crop this year due to monsoon and she had 300 kg of rice remaining from last year. She sold her entire surplus for rs15per kg and will now only have rs4500 ($100) to live on for the entire year until the next harvest season. We hope in our efforts to develop the program to offer assistance to those farmers most in need with financial support to build greenhouses as an alternative method for off season and secure farming as monsoon and climate change have caused serious devastation to the farmers.

Pennies for Partnerships mission is to do our part as a global partner in addressing the call to action to meet  the United Nations Millennium Goals. The areas PfP address are Ending Poverty and Hunger, Environmental Sustainability through Global Partnership. For more information pertaining to the UN Millennium Goals and to the reports of how far we still have to go by 2015 visit the website.

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml

Some of the ideas we have are to develop funding through Tourism on donation, Volunteer Tourism, Grants for Greenhouses, and continued social networking. Your continued support for the project in ways of donation for a bag of rice $15.00 or assistance in spreading and sharing the link to our project through your social networks is greatly appreciated.

Those who may be interested in doing outreach in your community for this holiday season could collect Penny Jars from friends, family and community to continue the ongoing theme of Pennies for Partnerships. If everyone gives a little it goes a long way. Currently one cent ( $ .01) equals 5 rupees.

To contribute see the Donation button on the left side bar or visit our official nonprofit website for the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas.

http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

Thank you for your continued interest and support to the Pennies for Partnerships Outreach. Your generosity and compassion is greatly appreciated by the many people whose lives you touch to alleviate hunger and poverty.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey (MSW)

Director – Pennies for Partnerships (TCIA Philanthropic initiative)

http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

Today was a great day as I had the wonderful opportunity of accompanying a family to the Tibetan settlement in Mundgod. The family expressed interest in my work when we met and I mentioned I was looking at ways to develop a tour in which people could visit the Tibetan community in hopes of bringing more international support and awareness to the Tibetan cause. So yesterday we took the bus 4 hours to the Tibetan community leaving behind the luxury of the beach and the western flare of accommodations for tourists.  Unfortunately,  most of our day yesterday was trying to figure out where they could stay since all foreigners are required to have a permit which takes at least 3 months to acquire if you are lucky. Also there is only one hotel available in a village which is not that close. This issue of accommodations proves to be a barrier in preventing some tourists from being able to visit the Tibetan community.

The first day we visited the screen printing shop where they make prayer flags and also the rice mill where the Tibetan organic farmers take the paddy to be milled. Then overcoming the issues of the previous day we started a fresh day together this morning and we ventured to the Loseling Monastery.

The first activity of the day found us  watching the monks in the their morning  debate. The family wandered freely to drift  in and among the monks as they diligently debated the Buddhist philosophy.

There was some heated action in one  group of monks which drew our attention  to see what the commotion was. Then in  the end of the debate two monks showed  interest in having the photo opportunity  with two of the beautiful children.

Then as all the monks were departing to  find their way to the prayer hall two  Tibetan women in traditional dress graced  us with their presence also for a photo  opportunity.

Then we ventured on to the prayer hall.

There we found the monks chanting their beautiful prayers and the family was able to explore the area and take in the sounds and sights of the beautiful Loseling Prayer Hall.

We were joined by the wonderful Geshe Tsundue who has a smile that touches everyone who has an opportunity to encounter him.

We then went to Camp 3, where we indulged in 3 kinds of momos and Geshe offered a short Tibetan language class.  During lunch the youngest was so cute she took fruit to the Indian woman and her children who were begging and she sat and joined them for a banana.

Following lunch there was shopping and traditional dress was purchased for the young Tibetan activist.

Then the children  played with  the Tibetan  children in the  playground while  Geshe la so  kindly  blessed their  prayer flags they  purchased and  said his goodbye  offering his  generosity  with gifts to the family as a token of his appreciation.

There was a warm feeling all around as the guests were touched by Geshe’s generosity.

We then met with camp leaders to visit an organic farm where the guests offered their knowledge and ideas of organic farming while the children tried their luck at husking the paddy by hand.

Following we visited the Ganden Monastery where the family had the opportunity to see the large kitchens and preparations of food for thousands of monks.

After visiting the prayer hall we too said our goodbyes.

I am so thankful to this lovely family for their time and interest in the Tibetan  community and for offering me the opportunity to show them around. I believe they  too have now been deeply touched like many of us who have had the experience of  this wonderful and beautiful culture. It is experiences like this that Pennies for  Partnerships hopes to help establish support from the international community for  the Tibetan people.

The gift the family gave to Pennies for Partnerships was the opportunity to see if it is possible to do small minitours that will offer exposure and also bring ideas and support to the organic farmers. Now the next step is taking a farmhouse in the near Indian Village where we can house the guests in exchange for a donation to the Pennies for Partnerships project. I have located a farmhouse in a mango grove which is offered by an Indian man who is a philanthropist and is involved with the Tibetan Organic farmers. He is currently offering the house for free, additionally providing a watchman/cook. The house is within walking distance to the Tibetan settlement for those who wish to walk through the fields and groves. The Indian people of his village will also benefit as it will bring tips and donations for the watchman/cook and he will also offer a driver for a daily discounted rate. The longterm opportunity to start the hostel will also provide housing opportunities for volunteers and interns who wish to work on the Pennies for Partnerships project.

One step at a time in the direction of garnering support and awareness from the International community. At this time the farmhouse will need only a few things to get it prepared as it needs mattresses, bedsheets/blankets and a washing bucket . It is in my estimation it will cost approximately $100 to prepare the farmhouse for visitors. If you are interested in assisting with the preparations for the Pennies for Partnerships Hostel your gift will be greatly appreciated. You can donate through paypal or contact me directly through the comment field and I can provide you other options. Look for the donate button on the side bar or visit our main website for Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas

http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

Thank you for your consideration. As well we are still building the funds for the next rice distribution and we are additionally looking into the way in which we can provide financial support or microloans for greenhouses as an alternative method to organic farming so that monsoon season does not completely devastate the farmers.

Sharing is Caring so if you have the time please feel free to share this link with others and remember your Penny Jars are the source of support to many who live on less than a dollar a day. For those in the International Community a penny in the USA currency is the smallest coin so if you too have a small cent that sits not being utilized please consider donating. The concept of Pennies for Partnerships is that a little goes a long way when many contribute a small amount it adds up to a substantial amount to assist those who have very little.

Thanks for keeping up with our developments and always…. a big thanks for your support to the Tibetan community in exile.

Kind regards,

Leann

Distribution of Rice Reaches Approximately 500 and Touches Lives

The current project of Pennies for Partnerships is a way in which we show solidarity and support to Tibetans in exile in an effort to assist them while waiting for their return to their homeland. The worsening poverty of the Tibetan Organic Farmers is increasing, as climate change and monsoon rains continue to cause devastation to the farmers’ crops. Therefore, we offer support by purchasing a portion of their annual yield of rice and we distribute to rural Indian villages who suffer from hunger.

The recent meetings with the Tibetan Organic Agricultural Officers provided results of the damages from the excessive rains of monsoon this year. The following is a breakdown of the data provided:

Within the Tibetan Doegueling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod there are 9 camps. Out of the 9 camps there are 6 camps currently committed to organic farming with a total of 1,280 acres. Three Camps are fully certified organic (3,4,8) and three camps are in the first year of the 3 year process (1,2,5). In 2012 the other three camps will make a commitment to go fully organic (6,7,9). The Doegueling Settlement is the model for all Tibetan Organic farming throughout India.

The monsoon season came early this year and prevented many farmers from the opportunity to plant their rice (paddy) leaving a total of 631 acres fully fallow (not seeded). This accounts for nearly half of all farmland with no crops and an obvious economic hardship for the Tibetan farmers. The other farmland has approximately 298 acres under horticulture, offering fruits as an alternative source of farming and 111 acres are mixed for horticulture, pulses and paddy. However the change to alternative crops of agri-forestry will have on average a 2 to 3 year delay before producing the fruits.

In an effort to assist the Tibetan Organic Farmers, Pennies for Partnerships was able to provide support to those farmers who had remaining stock from last years’ harvest through the purchase of 2075 kg (4565 lbs) of rice.
Pennies for Partnerships’ purchase of rice, is with the hope this will offer the Tibetan Organic Farmers some economic benefit to assist them during the economic hardships in the coming year.

The procurement of rice for the Pennies for Partnerships’ – Compassion in Action Rice Outreach program, distributed on October 22, a total of 2075kg (4565lbs) of rice to both the Indian and Tibetan communities in need.

Additionally, Pennies for Partnerships rice drive is a way to reach those in India who live on less than a dollar a day and suffer from hunger and food insecurity. India is still recognized in the hunger index as one of the countries in severe condition. Also malnutrition in the Indian rural communities is 50% which has serious health consequences. As well, this past year has seen a drastic increase in food costs which is also having a serious adverse affect on those already in need.

In keeping with the past rice distributions which have occurred around holidays the recipients received your generous gifts just prior to the most special holiday of Diwali (October 26), which is the festival of lights. The rice was given as a gift in hopes it will bring the Indian recipients an additional opportunity to experience joy on their most festive holiday and brighten their day.

The condensed meaning of Diwali- popularly known as the “Festival of Lights”, the most significant spiritual meaning is “the awareness of the inner light”, “victory of good over evil”. It refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks one’s true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening, comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings anand (joy or peace). Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light. It is through the light that the beauty of this world is revealed or experienced. Diwali literally means a “Row of Lights” as part of the ritual is that in each home they light oil lamps and many fireworks are displayed at night in a symbolic manner. It is a time filled with light and love which signifies the triumph of good over evil and of light over darkness. The purpose it to glorify the light of God, so let the light penetrate inward, for only there will it have lasting benefit. When I visit these villages on the exterior I see the poverty but the people have an inner light shining in their eyes, a look on their faces and a song in their hearts that I realize must come from their spiritual nature.

A little information about the communities served:
The Indian village recipients were gifted 62 bags totaling 1550 kg (3410 pounds) distributed among three villages.

Keeping with an environmental focus we distributed to those who are very poor and collect plastic for recycling. The village of Chodelee averages an income of approximately $1.00 a day. I was informed they collect plastic 6 days a week (excluding holidays, which in India there are many!) and they start their days at 6:00 am to journey to the Tibetan settlement to collect the plastic and return home around 7:00 pm. They average rs100 rupees but then they pay rs40 for the shared jeep transportation as their village is rather far from here. Therefore, they collect in a full day of work a little over a dollar a day for what is about a 12 hour work day. Often this is supporting a family of 4 to 5 people in a home so there are many hardships involved. As well I was informed the 25kg bag of rice will last approximately 2-3 weeks as it is a main substance to sustain.

We also delivered to a community of people who all live in tents and also collect plastic. This was a group of 13 tent families and they appeared to have the greatest level of poverty.

We also returned to a basket weaving community where we delivered last time, as we were unable to serve the entire community in February. They were rather happy to see us and we received a VERY warm welcoming. We delivered an additional 20 bags once again leaving many without receiving the gift. As we departed there were happy faces on those who received and the most difficult to see are those left without; we reminded them we will not forget them and we will return again next time to pick up where we left off as we did this time. Close by this community is a small group of about 8 homes of a laboring community where we also delivered last time. They were also happy to see us arrive again.

Additionally, the Tibetan community received 21 bags totaling 525 kg (1100 pounds) most of which was donated to the Tibetan Old Age home where 150 elders reside.

We estimate that the gifts delivered served approximately 500 people in need.

The people told us stories of their hardships while delivering which included widowed women who struggle to provide for their children, elders who have serious illness as well as paralysis preventing    them from being able to work. Also HIV patients who spend      more than half their monthly income of rs3000 (approximately $60 a month) on meds which cost rs1500 a month and this family has 5 children, and many other stories that add to their already difficult situation. Additionally we encountered those who care for their elders who are 103 years requiring them to be at home fulltime.

One elder woman was in tears as she was so appreciative and explained to use that her husband is very ill and they have been spending everything they have on hospital bills and medical care.

We also experienced those who offered such gratitude by blessing us profusely.

One young boy who was maybe 10 years old (whose family was not a recipient but is a neighbor to the poor labor community) came up to the truck and thanked me for the kindness and thoughtfulness to offer something to the poor, as they are much in need, and then there were the children who all wanted to shake my hand as a gesture of love and appreciation for giving them one less day of hunger.

I reminded each community it is YOU the gift givers who make this possible and that I am only a messenger of the kind people who have given this gift; you have also given me a great gift to be your messenger as the people touch my life dearly.

Thank you to YOU ALL who make this possible. Also, I apologize for the long delay as many of you donated back in March and are just now seeing the results of your gifts.

I would also like to offer huge acknowledgement to the Tibetan Organic Officers who worked so diligently to make this project run so smoothly. They put many long hours to prepare for this large distribution. So much appreciation to them and those who worked alongside them- thank you Tempa, Jamyang, Choendon, Sonam, Ms. Kelsang Lhamo (a Woman Tibetan farmer), the Indian laborer Madhawa, the driver Sahit and Chairman Dhundup.

Also much appreciation to those who have assisted in the preparations in the time leading up to this day, Dhundup from the Tibetan Organic Research and Training Center in Bylakuppe, Mr Chimmey Rinzin CTA agricultural officer in Dharamsala, and the kind Indian Rickshaw driver Mr. Robert who took me around researching the communities the other day.

Now that I am back in the south it is much easier to coordinate the project so we hope to do another distribution soon depending upon funding and gifts received. If you are interested in supporting the ongoing projects to assist the Tibetan Organic Farmers and poor Indian villages, Pennies for Partnerships will be planning another rice distribution. We will additionally be evaluating the potential opportunity to develop greenhouses in order to provide alternative options to the organic farmers so they are able to grow crops during the off season.

Now that Pennies for Partnerships has an official nonprofit status through the non-profit organization Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas ALL donations are tax deductable and you can receive a tax exempt receipt.

Please visit us online at:
http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

You can also email us at:

www.penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

If you have a preference of where your donation is used, please note in the comment field either rice or development projects.

Thank you again sincerely for your generosity as many lives were touched yesterday and I hope you see the light in the eyes and the joy on the faces in the photos.

Your generosity touches many lives.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey
Director – Pennies for Partnerships (TCIA initiative)
http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

Please keep in mind the gift of giving includes even the smallest acts of kindness . We are grateful for you sharing this information and the link to the project through your social networks.

Today October 19, 2011 marks a day of global solidarity in an effort to raise awareness of the Tibetan plight. This year desperate acts of suffering have brought attention to the increase of Chinese military crack down inside Ngaba an eastern Tibetan region. The concerns of the increasing desperate acts of self-immolation of Tibetans who are suffering continues as an outcry to the International community for support to call a halt to the Human Rights violations under Chinese rule. It is a sad and desperate act when members of a community result to lighting themselves on fire to express the deepest of suffering from oppression.

The Tibetan community in exile is asking for people around the world to raise their voice in support of the Tibetan concern for Basic Human Rights to include freedom of religion and freedom of expression. I am writing this today to show support to not only those in Tibet but also to those living in exile who have struggled since 1959 to raise awareness of the concerns inside Tibet and to spread awareness of the growing desperation.

For more information regarding the news on the situation of Tibet visit the online news reports daily at:
http://www.phayul.com

Also please take a moment to read a recent post written by a very informed and knowledgeable professor from University of Arkansas as he offers some ideas of how you too can show your solidarity with the Tibetan community.
http://readwrite.typepad.com/

Another news sources is: http://www.tibet.net/en/index.php

Additionally if you wish to speak out and give a voice to the Tibetans who are under oppressive conditions in Tibet please take a moment and email your representatives and tell them you are concerned and ask for more international involvement.

http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm

Your solidarity in giving a voice to those who are silenced is important.

Thank you for taking a moment to care and please share this information with others.

With deepest sympathy to all Tibetans and gratitude to those who create a voice,

Leann

Tashi Delek and Hello.

It is time to DIG in and get busy with the farmers as I head to Mundgod, India within the next few days. In the past six months there has been little opportunity to actually procure rice for distribution due to off season and my being in the north. But your donations and contributions have been adding up to allow for a very large distribution which will take place soon. Stay tuned for the details of those who benefit from you compassion and generosity.

Recent activity on the Pennies for Partnerships (PfP) project provides a great opportunity to grow the program with the official nonprofit status of the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas. The excitement in me is sprouting as I met recently with the head of the Tibetan Agricultural Department to discuss PfP’s involvement in their future plans. We discussed the many ways in which PfP can assist the Tibetan Organic Farming initiative.

The first objective of PfP is to assist the farmers with economic development. This year the farmers have struggled due to excessive rains which has prevented farmers the opportunity to plant and harvest rice in a timely manner. Some farmers were able to plant late therefore harvest will come later this season around mid November. There is currently a surplus remaining from last year which we will procure with the gifts that have been contributed over the last six months and distribute to the Indian villages most in need surrounding the Tibetan settlement.

Also in the discussion of future activities of the organic farmers and the Central Tibetan Administrations’ (CTA) long term development plans, we brainstormed ways in which PfP can be involved. Since distribution is a major need the CTA is interested in opening a retail outlet for the organic cooperative. I plan to meet with the leaders in the Mundgod community to assist with the organization of further activities for a farmers market and development of marketing the products. My aspiration is to help empower the people to utilize their creative forces to develop a good marketing plan which will eventually grow their distribution not only locally but nationally and hopefully someday internationally. But as they say in India “slowly-slowly”, as we all know this will take time over the years to come. First there are initial developments needed within the local community.

Most importantly is an educational campaign for the local community which will raise environmental awareness of the benefits for buying organic. I am looking for volunteers who have expertise in this area and who can assist me with the development of a program that we can take to the local schools, institutions and organizations. We discussed presenting to the local leaders the educational awareness campaign in order to facilitate local support to the organic farmers. The farmers in Mundgod have an opportunity now to mill their own rice which eliminates the middle man. This provides the organic farmers the ability to offer their goods at a more competitive price presenting a benefit for the local consumer to buy organic at a price they are accustomed to paying for conventional goods. Considering most of the Tibetans live in poverty this is very important to make it affordable.

Other areas for development which will assist the organic farmers were discussed, such as the need for irrigation systems and greenhouses through the possibility of micro loans. Obviously this is a very costly area of development although a very important initiative. If farmers are given the opportunity to install irrigation systems they will produce two to three times the yield annually; an obvious economic benefit to help lift the farmers from the extreme poverty they are currently experiencing. Also, the development of greenhouses offers potential to grow produce during off season, providing an opportunity to fulfill a market demand. These are very important developments which will assist with financial security and economic growth to the organic farmers. I will discuss these aspects of development with the settlement leaders to determine what the actual investment is to install irrigation systems and build greenhouses. Recently I was contacted by an individual who has interest in possibly being the first to support a micro loan, we hope this will materialize.

Additionally we discussed the development of a program within the PfP outreach of rice distribution to include Tibetan teenage youth. By including the youth we will implement the educational components of environmental awareness as well as Compassion in Action to the local Indian neighbors who experience hunger. I will present this idea to the settlement leaders who will be able to assist further with avenues and ways to best involve the youth in the community.

So as you can see, there are lots of exciting ideas and ways we can assist the organic farmers. If you are interested in getting involved there are many ways one can volunteer from abroad. Please contact me for more information as it would be great to garner support from those who have contacts with groups looking for service projects. Keep in mind the initial Pennies for Partnerships campaign started with people donating their Penny Jars. You too can start a small fund raiser and ask those around you to donate their pennies for a worthy cause.

It is now even easier….you can donate directly online through the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas (TCIA) and receive a tax exemption for your contributions. Please visit the link below to make your donation through paypal. If you would like to donate other than online please contact me directly and I can provide you additional details.

http://artibet.com/activities/pennies-for-partnerships/

Please keep in mind you can show your support by sharing this information with others and subscribing to our blog. Jut subscribe by clicking on the colorful MANDALA on the left.

This important initiative is only made possible through your compassion and generosity and we thank you sincerely for your continued support.

Feel free to contact us directly through the comment field or email us directly at
penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey
Director of Pennies for Partnerships (TCIA initiative)

Just a little history for you:

Professor Sidney Burris and Ven Geshe Thupten Dorjee are two professors I was blessed to have during my BSW degree at University of Arkansas. The two of them are amazing professors and I took classes on Nonviolence, Tibetan Buddhist Culture, and was involved with the first TEXT: Tibetans in Exile Today project (an oral history project). My first trip to India was with the TEXT project led by Geshe Dorjee and Dr. Burris.

Many of you were a part of the initial Pennies for Partnerships project where you donated jars full of pennies, and aluminum cans for recycling in order to help generate funds for one of the very important initiatives of TCIA called Tutors for Tibetans (originally titled Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund). The first ever PfP fund raiser generated the initial support to start a pilot program which has now been in effect since 2008 and serves children in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod. It is a tutoring project that is now expanding to another location within the same area. It is the hope of Professor Burris and Geshe Dorjee that some day the tutoring program will be made available to all children in the settlements.

In addition, Professor Burris and Geshe Dorjee were instrumental in bringing the Dalai Lama to the University of Arkansas in May 2011. TCIA offered a great deal of support and involvement for this incredible event. It is with much appreciation and gratitude to have such an amazing group of people support the continued efforts of Pennies for Partnerships. Here is the website address where you can find out more about the TCIA.

http://artibet.com/

Also I would like to explain how this opportunity works. With the official nonprofit status all donations can be made online and will be tax deductible. As the two of us are pushing forward to make this happen there will be development of links on each of our websites, for now though if you or anyone you know is interested in making a contribution to the Pennies for Partnerships project please just go to the donations link and make your donation but YOU MUST DESIGNATE IN THE COMMENT BOX the donation is for the “Pennies for Partnerships” (PfP) farmers project or use my name or the word “RICE”!

As the details are furthered I will post again in the future.

As of now I have been in contact with the Organic Farmers Research and Training Division and they have explained there have been many complications for the farmers this year and they are very grateful for the support to the organic farmers. A schedule is in place for October to make the largest supportive purchase yet for the organic rice which will be distributed to the local Indian Villages where hunger is an issue. Also development for an organic market in
the Tibetan settlement is being discussed and how PfP can assist with this economic development plan for the Tibetan Organic Farmers.

Please if you are interested in supporting the growth of the Pennies for Partnerships project in support of the organic farming initiative you can go directly to the TCIA donate page and make your contribution for PfP (please note in comment box). Also you can give to this initiative by sharing this information with others. An additional way you can show support is, if you know of any groups or organizations interested in a service project I am happy to provide details and information of how to get involved. I can be reached at 1lhdawg@gmail.com

Thank you to TCIA for taking PfP under their philanthropic initiatives and thank you to you all for your years of continued support.

Kind regrads,

Leann

Time to think Rice…but first a quick update of what has been occupying my last several months.

I first would like to apologize for the long absence in not updating you all. Since I have been in the north the project of rice delivery has taken a break while I give in other ways to the Tibetan community with the use of my social work skills. I have been blessed with the opportunity to do volunteer work with Tibetan Women’s Association which is an amazing women’s run NGO. The types of things I have been able to do with them is report writing/editing, grant writing, and most exciting is attending different training and workshops.

http://www.tibetanwomen.org/

Two workshops that were very informative and exciting were first the Dukar Project (pilot training) which is an organization I am happy to now have affiliation with. The project is under the umbrella of The International Center for Mental Health and Human Rights based out of Austin Texas. Gaea Logan is the director of the program and is offering a training program for mental health workers in the Tibetan community. This is a very exciting program and I look forward to the further develop and involvement. I provided the organization with a pretest/posttest evaluation to measure the best practices of effectiveness which showed positive results of the initial training for increasing confidence levels of mental health workers to provide mindfulness counseling. I am blessed to have met Gaea through TWA since the results of my research in 2009 furthered my awareness of depression and anxiety concern in the community. It is wonderful to see the development of a program to address this area. Take a look at their website and note the Dukar Project.

http://www.icmhhr.org/

Also I had the opportunity to attend a Human Rights workshop offered by Human Rights Law Network. This was a collaborative effort of HRLN, an Indian based Human Rights organization, and the four leading Tibetan NGOs. The workshop focused on informing the Tibetan attendees of the Indian Laws and the fundamental rights of Tibetans in India. This provided me with a new level of knowledge regarding the Tibetans living in India and their legal status under Indian Law. I was responsible for reporting on the weekend event which allowed me to further develop my skills with the use of applying an analytical perspective to reporting as well as providing a program evaluation.

http://www.hrln.org/hrln/

NOW for the update on the Pennies for Partnerships Project with Organic Farmers.

I am awaiting what is referred to as a PAP (protected area permit). Many of the Tibetan settlements in India require a special permit to stay in the Tibetan community and it takes a minimum of 3 months for processing through the Indian government. I am anxiously awaiting the approval in order to return to the south to coordinate the next Rice purchase and delivery. At this time I am happy to announce this will be the LARGEST distribution and it follows the anticipated growth of doubling each delivery size thanks to the generosity of you the gift givers. Depending on the opportunity to secure the price it appears 100+ households will benefit from your gifts to Pennies for Partnerships.

At this time I have yet to establish the logistical costs for such a large distribution and it is difficult to do from afar. I will however be looking for a donor that might be interested in contributing to the logistics as to this point all donations are secured to address hunger. In the past these costs have been minimal at around 3% of the total amount of rice purchased. If you know of anyone that might be interested in donating to the operational/logistical costs please provide them my contact information. penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com or 1lhdawg@gmail.com or they can make a comment of this blog for me to contact directly.

With the current donations and the possibility of adding an additional 100 households we are looking at, to date, the Pennies for Partnerships rice project will accomplish an outreach to 214 households. This constitutes the following breakdown:

214 households to be served (once distribution is completed in September) 25 kg bags of rice each.
Which is 11,770 pounds of rice or 5.9 TONS of rice gifted to those in need by Pennies for Partnerships gift givers.

Of course we hope this number will be increased as we gear up again and hope you will share this news with others who may be interested in supporting the project. Also I apologize but the give now button on the left is not working so if interested in contributing please contact directly. I am in need of some web maintenance but the administrator is currently occupied with other projects so I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but soon I hope to provide a direct link for an online gift giving option.

Additionally, I am awaiting (hopefully) good news from a potential partnership with an Arkansas based nonprofit organization who may take this project under their umbrella. If so this will be a wonderful opportunity to partner with an organization that also manages projects to assist Tibetans in the same settlement (Mundgod) and the mission to preserve the Tibetan Culture. More details to be provided hopefully soon on this development.

Once again I want to remind you all how very very appreciative I am of your support to the program and I promise soon you will see the results of your gifts in the distribution to those in need as well as to the Tibetan Organic Farmers.

Much respect and gratitude to you all.

Kind regards,

Leann

Please spread the word… Pennies for Partnerships mission includes economic development for poor organic farmers, address hunger and food insecurity, and outreach for community inclusion between oppressed populations.

The distribution in Mcleod ganj was focused on distributing to Tibetan refugees in need. TWA’s General Secretary Tsering Yangzom Oshoe and staff member Tenzin Deckyi administered the needs assessment to determine the beneficiaries in the community. Without their hardwork and effective research the project would have proven to be extremely difficult. They listed those most in need, located their homes, and contacted each beneficiary to let them know when we were planning to arrive. Also Dickyi was invaluable to the project as she knew how to reach all the homes in the most efficient time and she did all the translating.

The beneficiaries consisted of five families and four individuals. The families received a 55 pound bag of rice each with a copy of the card and the individuals received a 25 pound bag of rice and a card.

Due to the timely nature of completing the distribution before Holy Trinity school breaks for summer and wanting to provide an outcome for the students we changed the distribution to purchase rice from local Himachal Pradesh Indian farmers (purchased through the nice man at the market by my home) and we distributed to Tibetan refugees. Although this distribution was smaller than past rice distributions the logistics were much more complicated and took substantial time in planning, hence the delay.

The distribution found us getting a lot of good exercise as we made our way to the various homes up and down the Himalaya Mountain town. I discovered places in McLeod I had never been to as well we discovered some additional areas of concern that will be discussed with TWA to try to address the needs of one particular recipient.

Our final location took us to one Tibetan Nuns home; she had waited for several hours as the distribution was taking a great deal more time than we thought. She was very patient and very appreciative. She asked I write my name on the card as she expressed she wanted to pray for longlife for us. Thanks to TWA staff member Deckyi, she wrote down in Tibetan my name and the 6th grade class.

The Anni la (that’s how the Tibetans refer to the nuns) profusely thanked us, prayed over us and gave each of us a traditional Tibetan blessing with a khata scarf (white scare). She additionally gave one to me for the children of the 6th grade class of Holy Trinity while praying each time for longlife.

I think this was also a special moment in the day for the young Indian man Raju who labored for us. This is part of the community inclusion that the project offers.

Thank you to the students of Holy Trinity as this distribution was wonderful and very memorable. The Tibetan people are such an amazing community and I hope for you students someday you may experience the Tibetan culture yourself if you have not already. I know there is a large population in New York City so maybe you have been to some events.

I sincerely appreciate being your ambassador of giving and the messenger of your compassion and generosity.

May you each be blessed and have a wonderful summer break. Feel free to e-mail me at anytime.
penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

As the Tibetans would say Thujeeche (Thank you).
Leann

I would like to first thank everyone who has donated to the Pennies for Partnerships and provide you an update.

We currently have funding to purchase approximately 85 bags of organic rice at 25kg (55 pounds each). This is an additional 2125 kg (4675 pounds). The schedule for this large distribution will occur in a few months based on receiving the proper permits and also following the harvest. Until then we would like to continue to generate funds for the projects with the hopes of distributing to as many families as possible.

The above total does not include 7 bags which will be purchased for the school project alone which we will be scheduling to do the distribution in the next week. Because of logistics and timing we are unable to procure Tibetan Organic Rice and deliver to the India village so we have modified the project. since the class will be breaking soon and we need to provide follow up to the students we have decided to remain in the spirit of both communities benefiting so we will purchase local rice from the Indian farmers in Himachal Pradesh and distribute to some of the Tibetan refugees most in need. Thanks to the Tibetan Women’s Association we are able to efficiently locate the families and individuals most in need here in Dharamsala.

So to bring you up to date fully.

Pennies for Partnerships has already served 105 families in India and will serve at this time an additional 92 household making a total of 197 households served. The total amount of rice purchases that has been provided by gifts to Pennies for Partnerships is 10,835 pounds of rice (4925 kg).

I would like to say this is only make possible by your generous contributions.

Also soon there will be a group of fellows arriving in India who have expressed interest in giving energy to the project to assist the farmers. This is a very exciting opportunity for us to welcome new and fresh energy in hopes of building upon the current foundation of Pennies for Partnerships.

I would like to also mention a discussion with a fellow social worker of whom I met when the relationship with the Tibetan Farmers was first being developed. Because PfP has always been a project that supported existing Tibetan organizations she and I have been discussing the way in which we can combine forces since she was inspired by this project to return to California and have a fund raiser for the Tibetan Old People’s Home in Mundgod settlement camp. She recently brought in approximately $1400 to assist with projects for the elders and also contributed money for PfP to subsist with the purchase of organic foods for the elders. More to come on the ways in which the partnerships will develop.

Again thank you and if you have a creative idea, want to get involved, or want to contribute please comment or e-mail me:

penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey

From today until midnight on May 11th I would like to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s visit to the University of Arkansas where I first came to learn of the Tibetan struggle.

In 2008 I had the privilege to study under two amazing professors at the U of A, Dr. Burris and Geshe Dorjee who introduced me not only to the Tibetan community but to Tibetan Buddhism and the cultural values of this community.

Dr. Burris and Geshe Dorjee have been instrumental in bringing the Dalai Lama to Arkansas.

I am sad to be missing the event at the U of A as I know it is a very exciting time but I am here in India, as a social worker, volunteering in the community of which I feel drawn to advocate and garner support for; especially after my experiences in 2008 with the TEXT: Tibetans in Exile Today Program and my social work internship with the Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA).

Today I would like to initiate an online celebration of the Dalai Lama’s visit to the U of A while at the same time drum up support for the Tibetan community in exile. There are many ways in which you can get involved and I will name a few.

WIN A TIBETAN HANDICRAFT – Buy an online raffle ticket by supporting the Pennies for Partnerships Rice Drive

Pennies for Partnerships is conducting a fund raiser to support Tibetan Organic Farmers, who are the poorest in the community and work the most labor intensive jobs and need assistance in economic development to sustain their environmental commitment to organic farming.

Pennies for Partnerships is having a RAFFLE. For every $15.00 gifted for a bag of rice your name will go into a drawing to WIN a Tibetan Handicraft Item. This is approximately the cost of 1 bag of rice which is 55 pounds (minus online transaction fees) and can feed a family for approximately one month.

There will be 3 WINNERS for the raffle not to mention all the people who will benefit from your gift.

Starting NOW anyone who contributes to Pennies for Partnerships will have their name put in a hat for a drawing to win a Tibetan handicraft gift sent from India directly to YOUR doorstep.

In order to participate you can contribute online.

www.indiasocialwork.wordpress.com

http://www.giveforward.com/penniesforpartnerships

or you can mail a check BUT YOU NEED to MESSAGE me for this info or e-mail me directly at:

penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

or for those of you who live in Fayetteville, AR you can donate directly at the Bank of Fayetteville BUT YOU MUST MESSAGE ME FIRST for the information.

100% of your contribution will go for the purchase of rice (less fees for processing online transaction) to support the Tibetan Organic Farmers and the rice will be distributed to disadvantaged households who live on less than a dollar a day.

Let’s show the Tibetan community we care. Gift a bag of rice and WIN a Tibetan Handicraft.

Thank you for your gifts of compassion. The Pennies for Partnerships is only made possible by YOU and I am pleased to be your messenger of YOUR generosity. PLEASE Spread the word by JOINING us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pennies-for-Partnerships/200854716618673

Thank you,

Leann

Other organizations Pennies for Partnerships has supported previously do great work and have initiatives you can support. If interested in showing support to these organizations please contact them directly.

Pennies for Partnerships’ first initiative in 2008 supported the pilot program of Tutors for Tibetans (initially known as Tibetan Children’s Heritage), a program developed to offer Tibetan students assistance with their studies and directed by Dr. Burris and Geshe Dorjee. For more details visit their website http://artibet.com/activities/tutors-for-tibetans/

The Tutors fro Tibetans is under the umbrella of a wonderful nonprofit organization which you can support – The Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas http://artibet.com/

Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) is another organization Pennies for Partnerships supported in 2008. TWA is currently assisting Pennies for Partnerships with information regarding families in need who will be recipients of a rice distribution to occur soon. For more information visit their website http://www.tibetanwomen.org/

In 2009 Pennies for Partnerships supported a clothing drive and also an online raffle for Lha Charitable Trust. Lha Charitable Trust has a support system in Fayetteville through St. Paul’s Episcopol Church for a community soup kitchen initiative. If you are interested in this project contact the church or the following organizations.
http://www.lhasocialwork.org/ or http://www.lhainfo.org/

Support to these organizations are not included in the raffle.

This online celebration is an effort to recognize the Dalai Lama’s wonderful work in the world of teaching about Peace and Nonviolence by generating support for the Tibetan community. These projects are made possible by those of you who care.

Today is a fresh day with wonderful surprises and affirmation of the future of Pennies for Partnerships as the SPIRIT of GIVING prevails.

For the past week I have spent my energy in finding new avenues for ways to garner support for the project. A message came through so prominently on this beautiful sunny morning in the little Himalayan town of McLeod ganj, as there will sometimes be disappointments but then there will always be support and affirmation if your motivation is correct.
My big lesson I have learned is to PUT IT OUT THERE (in the universe) the opportunity to give and the spirit will arrive.

The SPIRIT OF GIVING finds a way to present itself in ways we may never see coming and the love for humanity will prevail.

Today I received an e-mail regarding a young woman I do not know who has requested in her invitation for her combined birthday/graduation party that in lieu of gifts she would like everyone to make a donation to Pennies for Partnerships. What an amazing woman who has the spirit of selflessness and compassion. Much gratitude for her thoughtfulness of others and her generosity. I can only imagine her future is very bright as she will certainly be blessed for her actions.

In addition this past week I received notices from 10 people in 6 states in the U.S. that have offered to advocate for the project by volunteering to facilitate promotional materials. They have volunteered their time to distribute flyers to businesses and community organizations to advance the visibility of the project. This is also an incredible gift to the project as giving is not always about monetary contributions but about the ways in which one can offer support to others. So also many thanks to those who offer their time and energy to see to it that advocating for others in our global community is a worthy cause. Sharing information and believing in the SPIRIT of GIVING is a huge gift.

So if you or anyone you know is interested in getting involved with Pennies for Partnerships please provide them information of the project. We can garner support from many avenues such as distribution of information to businesses and organizations, schools, sororities/fraternities, church groups, sustainability and environmental groups,…etc. There are materials available to support groups, classrooms and organizations interested in service projects as well as we are always open to new ideas.

Anyone interested in being a part of the distribution process please contact me – we are currently planning the largest distribution yet for the end of August first of September where we will return to South India and volunteers will have the opportunity to meet Tibetan Organic Farmers and witness harvest season. As well volunteers will have the opportunity to engage in the giving process when we arrive to the doorsteps of the Indian Villages unannounced. I cannot tell you what an amazing experience it is to be a part of the community inclusion when Tibetans and volunteers surprise deliver rice to the doorsteps of those who experience hunger and to see the immense appreciation from the community for the support and gifts provided from the international friends. (if you would like to correspond with two volunteers from Ohio that were a part of the first distribution to see what their experience was like please let me know).

Also please keep in mind anyone interested in making a gift contribution can do so ether online right now through the Give Forward fund raiser which the orange button on the left will take you directly there or you can provide the website to others Give Forward http://www.giveforward.com/penniesforpartnerships

Also many thanks for the generosity of those who have contributed through the Give Forward site in the past week….all gifts small and large are 100% beneficial and go completely for the purchase of rice. We are 10% of the way and if you can help spread the word through your social network it would be a way of giving as well. In addition it is wonderful to see the presence of the International support and special thanks to our newest country representative from Italy. Pennies for Partnerships is receiving International support as SPIRIT GIVERS from the following countries have shown support of Pennies for Partnerships: U.S, Germany, Italy, and Portugal and with the online opportunity for contributions we hope to see this representation of the international friends expanding even more as distribution of flyers will also be made soon in locations in India.

Also please remember this project is made possible because of YOU; I am only the messenger of your compassion.

More updates to come and if you would like to distribute materials please e-mail me directly or comment on the page; I will e-mail you back.

1lhdawg@gmail.com or penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

My enthusiasm and excitement for the future of Pennies for Partnerships is through the roof today as I see the amazing support and compassion of those of you have the SPIRIT of GIVING.

Thank you!

Much love,

Leann Halsey

Man no man, woman, or child go hungry in a world of plenty!

The project supports Tibetan Refugees in the Organic Farming Community while at the same time assisting Indian Villagers who live on less than a dollar a day and experience hunger in their daily lives. I have been told the Tibetan Organic Farmers are struggling the most due to poverty in the refugee community while working the most labor intensive job. There is much concern for these farmers and the Tibetan government in exile is very thankful for your support to the farmers as the outreach assists greatly with economic development while the organic market is being developed in India.

The project purchases 25 kg (55 pounds) of organic rice for $14.00 each and delivers to the doorsteps of those in need.

Thanks to you we have distributed to date to 105 household a total of 5775 pounds of rice. With the recent receipts the planning for the next distribution is in the works. At this time we can purchase 58 bags of rice and distribute an additional 3190 pounds. This would bring the total to date: 8965 pounds of rice and 163 households.

There is a fund raiser in the works to add to this number because there will be a great deal of personal cost and time to travel to the Tibetan Farming Community as well there are substantially many more people in need as India is in the top 29 countries with the highest hunger index. If interested in supporting this project there is an online option for gifting rice which is through the Give Forward website (see Give Now button on the left). As well you can mail a check or make a direct deposit if you prefer; just comment or e-mail me and I will provide you details of how. 1lhdawg@gmail.com

According to the Economist magazine India ranked 67th among 85 countries in terms of access to food with an index of 24.1. Values between 20 and 29.9 on the index denote an “alarming” hunger situation. (data taken from http://www.hindustantimes.com/Hunger-haunts-India/Article1-611546.aspx)

Another report from 2009 stated that 230 million people are undernourished — the highest for any country in the world. Malnutrition accounts for nearly 50% of child deaths in India as every third adult (aged 15-49 years) is reported to be thin (BMI less than 18.5). According to the latest report on the state of food insecurity in rural India, more than 1.5 million children are at risk of becoming malnourished because of rising global food prices. ((data taken from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-02-27/india/28009938_1_global-hunger-index-food-insecurity-india-ranks).

Thank you to you all for your continued support and effort to assist the Organic Farmers while addressing hunger in our global community. Your efforts are what make this possible.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey
1lhdawg@gmail.com
penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com

An ALL Monk Non-violent Peace March

In a noticed handed out to the today by the Kirti Jeypa Monastery in Dharamshala April 26th at the prayer vigil and send off off for the monks Peace March to Delhi they highlighted the objectives. This is taken directly from the handout.

“We, monks at the Kirti Jeypa Monastery in Dharamshala, north India, and Sukhe Kirti Monastery in Darjeeling, east India, are organizing an ALL Monk Peace March from Dharamshala to Delhi. This march is aimed to express support to our bretherns and fellow monks in Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, Tibet.

Through this march, we are putting forward three point demands to the International community and the Chinese government:

1) We appeal to the peace and justice loving people, governments, parliamentarians, NGOs and particularly our Buddhist brothers and sisters all over the world, for extensive campaigns and to pressurize the Chinese government to immediately stop the ongoing brutal crackdown in Ngaba.

2) We call for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Tibet including the Panchen Lama and in particular recently detained Tibetans from Ngaba including Lobsang Tsundrue and Lobsang Dhargay from Kirti Monastery.

3) We urge Chinese government to respect human rights, freedoms of expression and freedom of religion of all Tibetans inside Tibet. IN particular the monks should be allowed to freely pursue thier spiritual studies and be allowed to conduct the manastic administrative affairs in a free atmosphere for the wellbeing of resident monks and spiritual heritage of the monastery.

We urge all the justice and peace loving people and governments worldwide to support our just cause.”

This is to provide more details as to the purpose of the non-violent peace march which found many Tibetans today with a heave heart as they saw they fellow members of the community depart for their long journey.

To make a contribution to Pennies for Partnerships you can either gift online look for the button to the left or

CONTACT me Directly through the comment section or at

1lhdawg@gmail.com (sorry can”t get it to link at this time).

and I can give options for direct deposit in Fayetteville, AR or you can mail a check

Thank you,

Leann

Today, April 26th, The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community joined in special prayer at The Dalai Lama’s temple with prayers for the Kirti Monastery monks and the Tibetan community of Ngaba County, Tibet. In addition prayers were made for the release of the Panchen Lama who has been missing since 1995.

The recent crackdown on the Kirti monastery in Ngaba County, Tibet has brought about intense military presence and restrictions of movement on the people of Ngaba especially within Kirti Monastery. Below is a summary of the Tibetan Women’s Association press releases calling for International assistance in raising awareness of the extreme human rights violations and mistreatment of the monks and the Tibetan community.

As you will read below you will see the situation continues in Tibet after 52 years of brutal crackdowns and presence of the Chinese military which continues to violate human rights. These are reasons why we in the free countries need to take a stance to show support for the Tibetans inside Tibet and outside Tibet. I know I have spent a great deal of time requesting your financial contributions for the Pennies for Partnerships projects with little attention to the issues as to why the Tibetans are in exile. Tibetans fled to India in 1959 to find refuge from the Chinese occupation which has forcibly restricted them from their freedoms and opportunities of self determination.

As we become aware of refugee issues we become aware of the extreme conditions in which they live today. They are separated from their homeland which includes for many their families and their culture. In India, although they have found safety they have also found many struggles. Poverty is only one of the concerns, which is why I ask for your support to the Tibetan Farmers but I also ask for your support for Human Rights in Tibet.

Please if you have a way of sharing this information with others so they can become informed please do so. Also at the bottom of the page I have included a link to a very good news source to keep abreast of the situations inside Tibet.

Current TWA Press Releases
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Exile Tibetans Demand Immediate International Intervention into the Deepening Crackdown in Kirti Monastery- April 24 (summary)

In the aftermath of the deepening crackdown in Kirti Monastery and the ensuing arrest of hundreds of monks, the Tibetan Women’s Association and Gu Chu Sum Movement of Tibet organized a mass protest rally in Dharamsala on April 24 to condemn the ongoing crackdown in Tibet. Hundreds of Tibetans; monks, nuns, school children and lay people along with Tibetan supporters marched from Tsuglakhang temple in Mcleod Ganj to Kachari Square in Lower Dharamsala demanding global vigilance and arbitration over the heightened Chinese repression in Amdo Ngaba.

On Thursday (April 21) two elderly Tibetans, Dongko (male, aged 60) and Sherkyi (female, aged 65) were killed after enduring excessive beatings from the Chinese police. The two people died in their attempt to prevent the 300 Kirti monks from forcibly being hauled into the trucks driving them to an undisclosed location. Eyewitnesses claim that “people had their arms and legs broken, one old woman had her leg broken in three places, and cloth was stuffed in their mouths to stifle their screams.”

On Wednesday (April 20), several hundred officials from nearby counties gathered at Kirti Monastery to conduct ‘patriotic education’. According to International Campaign for Tibet, “in scenes that appear to be reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, when monks gave answers that the officials did not approve of, the monks were severely beaten.”

Since the last many weeks, Kirti Monastery has been turned into a virtual prison with foods being impounded, movements restricted and the 2500 monks being made to starve. Kirti Rinpoche (living in India) has appealed for international support to save Kirti monastery in the wake of the crisis facing the monks and the local people in Ngaba.

Contrary to the Chinese government’s claim that the condition in Amdo Ngaba is normal, the video footages and the still images that came out of Tibet showed that following the unrest, Ngaba has been under severe lockdown with heavy presence of paramilitary and armed forces.

“The crackdown on the Tibetans by the Chinese authorities impedes the international human rights conventions that China signed and ratified especially the Right to freedom of religion’ and the Right to freedom of thought” said Lukar Jam, the vice President of Gu Chu Sum Movement for Tibet.

Tension is rife in the region with foreign journalists being barred from entering the restive region and with the phone and information communication channels also being blocked. The absence of international intervention and lack of adequate legal protection and free media coverage will only exacerbate the situation.

We urge the United States Government to raise this crucial issue during the annual meeting on human rights between the United States and China scheduled to be held next week in Beijing. We call for the urgent intervention of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion, International Human Rights organizations, the Global Buddhist Associations and the world leaders to pressurize the Chinese government to immediately stop the crackdown, end the siege in Ngaba and to release the arrested monks of Kirti monastery.

TWA Solidarity with Ngaba Kirti Monastery – April 13th (summarized)

The current situation in Ngaba Kirti Monastery is of grave concern as 2500 monks are at risk of starvation due to the complete blockade by Chinese military.

In rehash of the events which occurred since March 17th , intensified Chinese security in Ngaba County, Tibet, restricted all Tibetans as of March 20th from ceremonial practices. In addition, all regular religious programs in the monastery were suspended indefinitely.

On March 21st Kirti Monastery was subjected to the Chinese Patriotic re-education campaign initiated inside their monastery. The so called “love your country, love your religion” campaign was conducted over a five day period.

Between the dates of March 22nd and March 25th community members were arrested and detained (a total of 33 arrested which 22 people are still detained: 8 monks and 16 lay people). Recently reports of Tibetan monks under the age of 18 have been taken by force from the Kirti Monastery along with youth in the community who have been arrested.

As of April 7th Chinese security forces cordoned three of four gated entrances by constructing cement walls restricting all movement in and out of the monastery; therefore, no one is allowed to come or go and the food offerings from local Tibetans, which sustain the monks, have been completely prohibited. The grave concern now is starvation of 2500 monks who are directly affected by the crackdown.

April 1st to April 8th brought about complete blockade of the Monastery with extreme restrictions of movement, harassment, and food shortage. The authorities up to this point have taken drastic measures to quell any possibility of continued solidarity or show of support. At this time the monastery officials have maintained a peaceful environment with continued emphasis on non-violence. The concern now is how long can the monks sustain with no food, how long will the human rights violations persist and how long will the monks remain quiet?

Due to the extreme conditions of human rights violations in Ngaba County Tibet, TWA appeals to the international community and the United Nations to urgently issue intervention to stop the ongoing security clampdown and arbitrary arrests and detentions of Tibetans. TWA urges the authorities to immediately stop the deplorable human rights violations of food denial and forced starvation imposed on the monks of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba County. In addition the restrictions on freedom of movement must be lifted.

Please we ask not only the Tibetan community but the international community to join in solidarity with our Tibetan brothers and sisters in Ngaba County, Tibet. In addition, we pray for the wellbeing of the 2500 monks directly affected by the intensified security and restriction of food supply. Please join us around the world in support.

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Thank you for your time in reading and becoming informed. Also keep the monks in India who are marching to Delhi in your prayers for safety in addition to all those in Ngaba County, Tibet who are under such intense restrictions.

Keep current with Tibetan News:
http://www.phayul.com/

Also you can show your support for the Tibetan community and Human Rights in Tibet by taking one simple step and placing your facebook picture as the Panchen Lama who is the youngest political prisoner in history taken at the age of six and been missing since 1995. He would have been 22 yesterday but no one of the Tibetan community knows of his where abouts.

Thank you and if you are interested in supporting the Pennies for Partnerships Project there is a link in the side bar for gift giving.

Much appreciation to you all for keeping the Tibetan community in the forethought.

Leann

www.giveforward.com/penniesforpartnerships

You can now give the gift of rice through one simple click on the above link. The fund raiser has been established with a first time goal of obtaining $5000.00 but as we are all aware there are many more people to be fed than just those who would benefit from this amount. Obviously the project is able to accept beyond this amount but this would be a wonderful start.

An article in 2009 noted that there are “230 million people undernourished in the rural poor population”

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-02-27/india/28009938_1_global-hunger-index-food-insecurity-india-ranks

Food inflation in India has become a growing concern. In the news in March it was reported that food costs have soared between 2009 and 2010 by 25%. In addition one of the reports noted that India has about half of the world’s under-nourished children. This is creating difficulties for addressing the UN Millennium Development Goals to be obtained by 2015. The international community can assist.

For more information about the hunger issues of India read the article “Hunger Haunts India” posted back in October.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Hunger-haunts-India/Article1-611546.aspx

“The country has a high “hunger score” of 24.1 and ranks behind all its neighbours, barring Bangladesh. Values between 20 and 29.9 on the index denote an “alarming” hunger situation.”

The report mentioned that even though in India there is advancement in the middle class there is also a dimension of great concern such as those who are deprived due to vulnerability, powerlessness, exploitation, marginalization and alienation which perpetuates poverty in certain sectors of society. These are the people we are trying to reach with the Pennies for Partnerships project.

Please if you have the ability to give we are currently in the next planning phase for distribution and your contribution is much appreciated.

You can give today through the Give Forward website link listed at the top of the page http://www.giveforward.com/penniesforpartnerships

or contact me directly.

1lhdawg@gmail.com

Gifts of all size are greatly beneficial to those who often go hungry in a day.

Thank you for your consideration and generosity. Please remember you can also give by sharing this link and the link to the Give Forward site with your e-mail contacts, family, friends, colleagues, and social networking sites like facebook and twitter. It all helps.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey

I was recently notified that a group of young students explored the details of Pennies for Partnerships and found it to be a cause in which they believed in and wanted to support the idea of addressing hunger in our global community. The project was first introduced by one of the Pennies for Partnerships’ longtime supporter Denise Brezik. Aware of the social studies curriculum which included the study of India, Denise sent the blog to the teacher to plant the seed of interest. The teacher, Mrs. Cullinan presented the blog to the students who showed great interest in the project. She presented the students with the opportunity to develop a way in which they could show their support. The students decided they wanted to all contribute by gifting some of their personal money to buy rice to address hunger.The students pooled together their resources and made a gift offering of $100.00 to purchase rice to gift to people in the Indian villages who often experience hunger due to destitute poverty.

In addition to their fundraising efforts they used their creative efforts to artistically design a lovely card which incorporates not only the beauty of the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, common in Northern India (and often seen just outside my window) but also the large bag of rice which is the signature of Pennies for Partnerships. Symbolically they showed the growth of beautiful flowers which I portray as the beauty of the seed of compassion.

I would like to sincerely thank all the students of Mrs. Cullinan’s 6th grade class for their $100.00 gift and their most kind words of encouragement for the continuation of the project. In addition, I would like to remind them that it is the people like themselves who are the reason this project exists; I am only their messenger. As a representative of those who will benefit from this most generous gift, I would like to sincerely thank all who participated.

Posted above are the pictures of the lovely card.

As well I want to say to the 6th graders:

“Your actions are exemplary of great change agents and I am confident you will all make a difference in the future of our global community! Keep up the good work!”

If you or anyone you know might be interested in developing a program in their classrooms, churches, sororities, clubs, groups or organizations, I am happy to assist with providing materials that could help to enhance the opportunity; such as powerpoint presentations, flyers, or ideas for events.

In addition one great way to partner with the project would be to share the link to this blogsite with your contacts in your e-mail account as well as with your facebook friends, your family and anyone you think might be interested.

www.indiasocialwork.wordpress.com

Please feel free to contact me at
penniesforpartnerhips@gmail.com
or
1lhdawg@gmail.com

Again thank you to everyone who believes in the seed of compassion and giving.

Kind regards,

Leann

Meanwhile the Pennies for Partnerships has not gone unattended all together. I have been working on partnering with a nonprofit organization in Arkansas to help facilitate the development of the project which will also hopefully provide an online payment option. In addition, I just discovered a wonderful nonprofit organization that partners with grassroots projects like this around the world; thanks to a great mentor who initially started a social service organization here in India but is now completely self reliant Lha Charitable Trust. The application process is in the works to partner with the organization located in the United States so more details to come on both these wonderful potential opportunities.

So to date the project has facilitated gifts of rice to 105 families with a total of 5775 pounds of rice delivered. Thanks to the many kind, generous gift giving people who have made it possible to deliver to the peoples doorsteps to ensure they receive 100% of your generosity. The next distribution is in the planning but because it requires some travel to the location where the organic farmers are located it will still be several weeks. In addition, there is a need for increased funding to make the next distribution even bigger and better than before.

I will soon be meeting with the official from the Tibetan Department of Home who oversees the entire Tibetan Organic Farmers project and I will address the planning for the next purchase of rice from the Dheradun Farmers.
My time in Bylakuppe was very informative as to the training and research that has gone into the effort to have all farmers switch over to Organic farming.

The training assists farmers with understanding the natural resources such as using cow manure to enrich fertilization. They walked me through the entire process:

If you or anyone is interested in participating by giving a gift of rice which supports organic farmers and reaches out to people who suffer from hunger please contact me directly at 1lhdawg@gmail.com

Also sharing this information with your contacts, on your facebook throughout your network is also a great way to give- please provide the link to this site

http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/ or give them my e-mail address 1lhdawg@gmail.com

Thanks again to everyone for all you have done and continue to do to make it possible to outreach to those who struggle in the developing world and live with extreme issues of poverty, hunger and oppression.

Also exciting plans to come involving school projects, community projects and more ways you can get involved thanks to the many wonderful people and their creative thoughts and ideas. This is only made possible because of you. I am only the messenger and it gives me great joy to be your ambassador of giving.

Kind regards,

Leann

Thanks to you the partners/donors of Pennies for Partnerships we successfully distributed 2750 pounds of Tibetan Organic rice this morning.

We reached an entire village which consisted of 50 homes and 80 families. The pictures are worth a million words so this blog will be focused on photos and a few of the compelling emotions and experiences.

One the greatest encounters was with a blind woman 103 years old. She brought me to tears as she was so appreciative she profusely thanked us, prayed over us and blessed us a million times over.

The smiles on the faces brought great joy knowing lives were touched with your gift today.

There was one part of the community that was obviously poorer than the others and their homes were more difficult to get to. The path was very narrow and thanks to the Tibetan Organic Farmers’ staff assistance the tractor went as far back in the woods as possible.

Then we discovered the families who lived on a footpath which was even more difficult to reach.

The community came together to make certain these homes were served and many of the young men came together to help deliver to these homes.

The families were deeply touched by the gifts and the efforts to reach this community ended up to not be as difficult as originally feared.

We reached not only the poor but the elder and disabled who are not able to work.

It is because of you that the people of this tribal community will have a few days in this year of less hunger and less suffering. I can assure you they are truly appreciative for your gifts and they send a huge thank you to you all.

In addition I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work of the Tibetan Organic Research & Training Center staff who worked diligently to make this happen.

The tribal community does work that assists in environmental concerns by working diligently to recycle plastic.

Their efforts are greatly appreciated as the issue of overwhelming amounts of plastic in India is a serious concern. They know we appreciate them and they appreciate you.

If you would like to participate or know anyone who would like to assist in supporting the Tibetan Organic Farmers and feed hungry people by donating 55 pounds of rice please share this website. You can send a comment and I will directly respond as how to donate.
To date Pennies for Partnerships has distributed to 102 households in India.

A total of 5610 pounds of rice have been donated. Each bag (55 lbs) costs $14.00. In addition 100% of your contribution goes towards the purchase of rice and I personally see to it that each bag lands on the doorstep of those who experience hunger in their daily lives.

Thank you from all the people including the Tibetan Organic Farmers.

Kind regards,

Leann

I have arrived to the next Tibetan settlement camp in Bylakuppe, India (south India). It is currently the Tibetan New Year which is called Losar and things are little quiet here. I arrived the night before last and started the search yesterday for the next Indian Village to be the recipient of the Pennies for Partnerships project.

Based on discussions with people in the community it has been determined that a community of people who work to collect plastic and other recyclable items are in need of assistance.

I visited the community with the assistance of my Tibetan monk friend Yama. We arrived unannounced to assess the community and found a recycling plant where there are mounds of plastic. Anyone who has been to India knows the amount of plastic piled up is a major environmental concern. So as always we were quickly noticed by the community and one man approached us to ask how he could assist. We mentioned we were interested in learning about the community (never mentioning the purpose) and he called one young boy to translate. I was told the community is known as Dungry Garasia in Kushalnagar, India and they are a Rajasthan Tribal Community brought here to work for a recycling company that makes what appears to be PVC. I was told there are 80 families and 50 houses.

They showed me the machinery that breaks down the plastic and then how it is formed into the pipes. I explained that the type of work of collecting the plastic for environmental purposes is very important work and affirmed their efforts. I have often seen people carrying very large bags of plastic and wondered what they do with it so this was a very informative visit.

Then we met some of the families in the community who live in meager conditions. I was told that in the beginning they had some support for food rations but this support has stopped and there are hunger concerns in the community (this was brought to light without any discussion of our project details).

So after meeting with this community I feel as though this is a good village to contribute to as it addresses hunger needs, and the people do work that also support environmental concerns for the purpose of recycling.

We would like to distribute to the entire community but the funds have yet to be received to facilitate such a large distribution. Please if you are interested in supporting this community contact me via comment and I will provide the details of how to contribute. Remember 100% of your contribution goes towards the purchase of 55 pound (25 kg) bags of Organic Rice from Tibetan Farmers which costs approximately $14.00 and will feed a family as we were told for approximately a month.

Thank you for your consideration and interest in gifting to those who suffer from hunger issues.

Leann

Tashi Delek and Hello! I am happy to say that the delivery to the Indian basket weaving community in a village within Mundgod was very successful. The team consisted of a Tibetan Organic Farmer who drove the jeep, the representative for Organic Farmers of Mundgod from the Dalai Lama’s office, Tempa, an Indian laborer, and me.

The project took some time as there was much research needed to identify the community most in need. In addition I visited the basket weaving community and walked around to survey the area and meet the people. There is a great deal of support coming from the Tibetan officials as there is a dire need to find outlets for the farmer’s products; in addition I was informed that the farmers are the very poorest in the Tibetan community. The leaders of the community and all the people are very appreciative for the purchase of the rice and they are supportive of helping Indian communities as India has given so much to the Tibetans in providing them a new place to establish their culture. The Indian community was also very appreciative as the surprises and smiles on their faces are worth a million.

One woman told the driver of the jeep that the gift of 1 bag of rice saves her from the worries of a month rationing. Because they never know when they might sell a basket they ration until the sale of a another, often limiting their food intake. The woman was very thin and the look on her face was that which made me think she was going to cry.

So by the end of the delivery we had determined a new term for this type of giving…”guerilla giving”. Although it has a different meaning the reason this term was coined was because of the need to drop as many as possible then drive off as the crowds gather and then return a little while later or drive to a different road. This eliminates getting mobbed as there is more need than is possible to distribute. Hence the term “guerilla giving” as a very strong force of energy is put into the distribution to connect with the individuals but quickly move so to mange as many deliveries as possible. It is a force of giving that is unique but requires a positive term…so “guerilla giving” has a very positive connotation.

Suggestions have been made from the church manager and the Indian politician to do distribution in conjunction with an existing organization. The complication with this is in India you never know if the total amount being contributed is actually arriving to the people. Hence our way, Pennies for Partnerships, and the opportunity to bring a surprise smile and see firsthand the people who receive the gift. It is amazing and the Tibetan representative in the end told me that he had never been involved in anything like this and really enjoyed it. Also the Indian laborer told the Tibetan man to tell me “it was very nice to be involved in such a good project”.

Interesting enough as the last bag was distributed the people had started to come out and ask for their home to be served. This is always the most difficult time as there is never enough to give to all who are I need. During this crucial time our jeep would not start. This forced us to slow down and really interact with the community. All the men, including children that were close came to help push us up the small incline.

The women and other children gathered around as they smiled and offered tea and anything to show their gratitude. We found a wonderful way to celebrate the experience by taking group photos.

From what I can tell lives are being touched in many different ways through this project which would not be possible without you the donors and your generosity. I have included many photos for you to see the experiences although it is impossible to have a photo of every home served. We delivered a total of 26 bags on February 16th.

May I also give to each of you my sincerest gratitude for reaching out and helping those who are poor and hungry. You have also enriched my life by providing me this amazing experience to touch those who are often forgotten and slip through the cracks of society; especially in a culture that still practices the discriminatory caste system. The gift of a 55 pound bag of rice which costs approximately $14.00 is the equivalent of an entire weeks wage for the average laborer as the Indian politician explained that the men are guaranteed 100 days of work a year, working 8 hour days, and receiving a total days wage of 150 rupees ( approximately $3.00 a day). Oh yeah and women get 100 days a year at 80 rupees (less than $2.00 a day). An interesting comment made by the Indian Politician of a higher caste stated “we don’t really have people who live on less than a dollar a day because we have very good programs to assist with the 100 days of work”. SO if you do the math the men make about $300 a year which is less than $1.00 a day and the women well you can see the discrimination and inequality in the policy which provides a lower wage. Even more appalling was the Indian politician’s statement “now the women have it really good”. Sometimes we find the culture is unique and different and although there must be respect there also is need for change. Thank you for your gifts provided through the Pennies for Partnerships Rice Distribution; you are changing lives!!!!

Tashi Delek and hello to you all.

Due to the nature of technology and the ability to go global Pennies for Partnerships is now offering easy access for donations using Paypal. To make donations online see button in leftside bar.

So we have received the delivery of 26 bags (55 pounds each) of organic rice and the research for the distribution is in the process. Things are a little more complicated here because at a Tibetan refugee settlement camp there are some necessary guidelines and permits for foreigners who choose to visit. Hence I have experienced some limited movement. I hope to have the bags of rice delivered to the nearest Indian community on Feb 15^th which will be Feb 14^th in the States so it is given with love from all of you.

After the distribution I will move to the next community further south. The Tibetan Organic Farmers are preparing for that order/delivery now. The rice will be provided by the Tibetan settlement of Bylakuppe and is the largest camp in India. At this time there is $144.00 for that purchase although there is more than $200.00 outstanding in commitments from donors that have yet to be received. I realize weather has prevented some of you from making it to the post but if you plan to donate it would be so awesome to receive your contribution as we will be able to serve so many more families.

To date we have served 52 families – 26 will receive in the next few days = 78 households. IN addition based on the records of donations yet to be received (including the recent $144.00 received) we should be able to serve an additional 24+ homes although there are 9 people who have yet to announce the dollar amount they plan to donate; therefore even more will be served based on receipt of your contributions.

I was at first advancing based on the honor system but a few weeks have passed and those dollars have still not come in so now I am only able to serve once the contributions are received. So I plead with you for your follow-up and thank you in advance for your wonderful and generous contributions. Also you all need to know 100% of your donations go towards the purchase of rice as I am personally covering the cost of all logistics such as transportation and labor expense (unless someone wants to contribute to logistics I am committed to 100% of your donations purchasing food to fight hunger).

Remember if you need the details of how to contribute please e-mail me directly at 1lhdawg@gmail.com and I will send you the information in a private e-mail. Also for those who have sent notice they are interested in donating I need each of you to e-mail me at 1lhdawg@gmail.com and tell me the amount you plan to contribute so I can be negotiating and preparing the deliveries from the Tibetan Organic Farmers. In conclusion it is so appreciated if you have corresponded and said you will contribute if you will please follow up. Your participation is critical in supporting the cause. Also if you know of others who might be interested please share this blog link http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/ to your e-mail contacts and facebook friends.

Much appreciation to you all,

Leann

For additional information about the history of the Tibetan Organic Farmers initiative please see the following link.

http://tibetgov.net/agri_organic.html

Tashi Delek and hello. So many wonderful things are happening here in Indian and most importantly the project for Pennies for Partnerships is developing into a wonderful relationship with the Tibetan Organic Farmers. I had the second meeting yesterday which was really nice to visit the exhibit and meet more of the players involved. In addition one of the candidates who is running for Prime Minister Mr. Tashi Wangdu invited me for tea. We discussed the initiative of the partnership with the organic farmers and the objectives. We discussed the financial benefits to the organic farming community, the benefit to the poor Indian villages to address hunger and even more importantly the ability to forge good relations between the two communities. Bringing together the two communities is an important part of this as there is often dissent between the two as some poor Indian communities are envious of the Tibetan refugees support from the international communities. This allows them to see that the Tibetans also care for their wellbeing and that the international community cares for them both. We are all brothers and sisters of this world and we all deserve to be free from hunger in a world of plenty.

The next distribution is being prepared as the Tibetan organic farmers had only been packaging in 5 kg bags so they are preparing for our project the 25 kg (55 pound) bags which will be gifted to the poorest in the villages.

At this time I have placed an order for 26 bags based on receipt of contributions. There are additional contributions that have yet to be received but as it stands if all contributions are mailed in we will serve an additional 20 families although it will be more as there are some people who have yet to notify me of their amount of donation.

This will mean over a hundered families have been served through your wonderful gifts.

A little history on the Tibetan growers: There are approximately 160,000+ Tibetan refugees living in India. The settlement camp I am presently visiting is located in Karnataka State and in the 1960’s the Indian government agreed to provide 4000 acres of forestland, which at the time was nearly uninhabitable, to the Tibetan refugees. They worked diligently to cultivate the lands and make roads and now Karnataka State is the resident of the largest Tibetan colonies in exile. Over 60% of the Tibetan population in India subsists on agricultural occupations. In 2002 the Tibetan exile Government in India adopted an initiative for organic farming. There are currently 978 farmers cultivating on 4051 acres of land in 12 major agricultural settlements in India. In Mungod (where I am presently visiting) there are approximately 222 farmers from three camps and represents the largest number of farmers participating in the organic practices compared to the other Tibetan settlement camps.There is approximately 877 acres being organically cultivated and an additional 2177 acres expected to meet organic certification in the next few years. The organic products are registered and meet the guidelines since 2006 for organic certification through the Indian agency IMO Control Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. The product is sold through the Federation of Tibetan Cooperative in India (FTCI) and the local Tibetan cooperative society. An area of need is distribution for market of the organic products and greater education of the environmental benefits and health benefits.

In conclusion the organic farmer’s project aims to create self sufficiency, more biodiversity, and harmonious nature for all sentient beings. Their efforts are to make the earth green and safe for future generations to come.

If you are interested in supporting the Tibetan Organic Farmers you can do so through the Pennies for Partnerships project by donating to the purchase of rice to be distributed to the hungry poor people of the Indian villages.

If interested please e-mail me at

1lhdawg@gmail.com

Enjoy the photos and more will be posted after the next distribution is made. Much appreciation to the organic farmers cooperative for providing a healthier option of rice to be distributed to the Indian community at the same price previously purchased at the conventional Indian market. This new partnership is one I feel strongly about as there are many benefits to be considered. I too hope you will see the benefits for refugees, poor hungry people, bringing communities together, and the green initiative for our future generations.

Thank you for your kind and generous support of the project. e-mail me if you are interested in this project and feel free to spread the word. It only takes a little make a big difference in others lives.

1lhdawg@gmail.com

Leann

I am thrilled to know they have large supplies of organic foods and will be able to support this project. I also hope to negotiate to have them supply the Lha community kitchen project if they have not already determined an agreement. The farmers are so happy and I will be meeting with them today to take photos that I can post.

We have at this time an additional funds to support a distribution to another 26 families which I will be coordinating today. This will make a total of 52 families to date that we will have served. Thank you to all for your kindness and generosity.

More photos and updates to come about the Organic Farmers and the village we will distribute to.

Kind regards,

Leann

Please email me or post comment if interested in supporting the Pennies for Partnerships food drive project.

1lhdawg@gmail.com

The food drive brought many smiles and great thanks from the families who received     a surprise visit just after sunset. We quietly walked into their homes with a greeting of     “Namaste”. Thanks to Om, our partnered social worker the message was delivered to  the people that we were bearing the gift of rice. There was amazing gratitude given  with thanks “Danyabad” along with smiles, outreach with hand holding, hugs and even tears.

The team of distributors consisted of Om (Indian social worker), Shannwaz (shop keeper), Marilyn and Chris from Ohio (who overheard the initial conversation with Om and became actively involved as contributors and distributors), as well as myself and the laborer of whom I do not have the name.

The pictures say a thousand words and the last 3 bags that were distributed were the most amazing but also the most difficult. The reason they were the most touching was because these families had disabilities such as blindness, and deformities due to polio. It became very difficult in the end as the word had spread and people from neighboring streets were coming and pleading for assistance. Obviously there is a huge need and not all people can be reached by such a small outreach project but we can only do our best to try to touch lives.

For those of you who are not aware in India the Caste system is still very strong in some places and the state of Bihar I am told the caste system is very much a part of everyday life here. The people we reached out to yesterday are of the lowest caste which means they are discriminated against and are regarded as the “untouchables”. This means their lives are limited for opportunity and poverty is often the only way of life they will ever have. I was told the people of the higher caste are taught to not have pity on them and the people of the lower caste are taught to not have envy for those who are of the upper class.

The opportunity to reach out and touch them with love and kindness, offering the gift of holding hands, hugs, and sitting with them for a photograph is something that not only deeply touches my life, I believe Chris and Marilyn’s life but also those who received the gift of love, compassion and generosity from Pennies for Partnerships.

Thank you for making this gift possible not only for those who received but for all of us who feel the joy of giving. There are still so many people who might be able to benefit from your generosity and gift of compassion. If you are still interested in giving this project is one that can be continued in communities throughout India. We will do an additional distribution today from the donations that came during the last day. Fortunately we will be distributing a little more than the same amount as yesterday which is wonderful because there were so many families in the very close area that were left out. This will let them know they are not forgotten.

May no man, woman or child be hungry in a world of plenty and may we care for our brothers and sisters of the world.

To contribute please e-mail me directly 1lhdawg@gmail.com and all contributions are welcome and appreciated. It only takes a little to make a major impact. Bag of rice cost only $14.20

Thank you!!!!!

Namaste!!!!

So the experience at the Dalai Lama teachings was really something to to see. So many people working together to make it happen in a small place with few accommodations. So I met one very nice monk from South India and he showed me where the 6,000+ monks were staying. They built a tent city which each tent had several hundred monks sleeping on the cold ground.

Of course there was the magic of spirituality surrounding the entire town with most all people there to pay homage to the historical site of the Buddha’s first teachings of the Four Noble Truths.

Now I am in Bodhgaya which is where Buddha gained enlightenment. I have been enjoying my quiet time but honestly I was exhausted and got a little sick from the travels. Feeling better today. So I was going to head to the beach and hangout for a month but instead I am thinking of remaining here in Bodhgaya for some time that way I can connect with the community. Bihar is the state and from my understanding it is the poorest state in India. I am living among the beggars camp which surrounds the house I am staying at. My room is nice but I do walk by the mud and straw huts to get to anything. I am considering a way to do something for the community while I am here for a few weeks and want to do a food drive for the Indians. The people in this camp do not harass me for money when I walk by and they greet me with smiles. The children are the ones I feel so much compassion for. They know no different as well their parents may not either. They live with so little and I wonder sometimes how they find their food to eat. I see them digging in the ditches in the garbage and it breaks my heart. The last three days I took 1 young Indian boy who were on the streets trying to find a way to make a buck and had lunch with them. One young boy told me how his dream is to be a doctor, another told me he thought one man from France was going to come back to get him and give him a better life. I am so happy to know that these children have dreams and I hope they find that dreams come true. Meanwhile there are those who I am not certain if they get a meal everyday. I spoke with a local social worker who assured me that this group in the community is truly in need and is not the group of beggars that travel around to different areas during the high season to make money. So here is a glimpse into their life  and the community in which needs a little outreach.

Other visits to India the Pennies for Partnership participants have donated money for different projects in the Tibetan community. This time I would like to do something (small as it might be) for the beggars who live in the neighborhood and who I encounter in the daily. If you are interested in donating to the cause here are the details:

For a 25 kilogram bag of Rice it costs 625 rupees: this translates to approximately

$14.00 for 55 pounds of rice. Can you imagine how much 1 – 55 pound bag of rice would mean to a very poor family? For a family of five this could sustain them for approximately 2 weeks or a little longer.

Please if you are interested e-mail me directly at 1lhdawg@gmail.com and I will provide the details as to how you can donate.

100% of ALL donations will be given to the beggar community through the purchase of rice which I have located a social worker to assist with the logistics.

May there be NO HUNGER among our brother and sisters of the world.

Please if you have the ability to donate even the smallest amount can contribute to a bag of rice which would help those who often go without food in a day. This is an independent mission as we have done in the past for Pennies for Partnerships to contribute to one of the poorest areas in India. This is strictly a gift to the community and is not associated with any one particular organization but comes from the beautiful friends and family in the United States. I have partnered with one Indian social worker by the name of Om who will assist me with the project.

By the way the project is spearheaded by the first donation that was given at the MOV/Crazy Neighbor show at George’s Majestic on January 8th, 2011. A young man I met for the first time gave me $3.00 to donate and I told him I would feed someone with it.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Namaste

Leann

Also I will be returning to India in January and formulating a way for those who would like to provide support to programs can get involved. Please leave a comment for me to contact you privately via e-mail if you are interested in providing support or have ideas to offer. I plan to return to the original location of the pilot program Tutors for Tibetans in South India. This is an area where many of the children have limited educational opportunities and their parents are not able to assist with homework due to illiteracy. Please help us empower these children for a brighter future through education as it is a key factor in lifting individuals from poverty.

First it is in my opinion that the hate and prejudice in America against religious groups needs to stop. Tolerance of difference needs to be taught more in our society. I understand the hurt and pain of those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 tragedy but at the same time we must not make every person of the Muslim faith to be associated with those who chose the path of violence. I can only imagine the deep feelings of sadness the Muslim -American community is feeling and the disappointment of those who associated themselves with their faith. In every faith there are people who do not practice the beliefs accordingly and tend to not represent the group as a whole. This we must learn to discern and distinguish the difference.

It is because of a personal experience in India that I share this with you.

Nearly every Muslim I met and had conversation with was compelled to tell me that their faith is not represented by the radicals. The message felt as though the people are desperate to preserve their beliefs yet how can they separate from those who damage the name in which they give their spirit. This is perplexing and there are many incidences in our society where we can look at similarities.

This week I commented on a post of NPR with regards to the issues of the mosque. There was a wonderful posting by a Muslim woman who I commented to for her courage and strength to speak out. This is her reply to me:

“I can’t tell you how touched I was by your message. It lets me know that there are fellow citizens who care and that I and other Muslim- Americans are not in this alone. If there is anything that I have learned from current times, my readings, my education as a counselor, but more importantly my religion, it is this: that we all (and i include the Muslim- American community) must learn to speak out against any injustice anywhere towards anyone in this world.

Your message gives me hope that I am not alone with this belief.
Just as it is important for me and other Muslim-Americans to speak up, please know that we consider our fellow Americans speaking up to be just as necessary in these times. .

Once again thanks so much.
I hope you have a wonderful week “

I share this message with you because I feel it is a critical time to speak against the hate in our society and to spread the message of love and tolerance. Please join in building our world to be a place of tolerance and acceptance for difference. Let’s build bridges between the differences as opposed to barriers. Let’s make the world nonviolent with our actions and our words.

Thanks for the consideration.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey

Some 1,243 people have been rescued and 42 of them were found seriously injured, Xinhua said, quoting Tian Baozhong, head of the Chinese provincial civil affairs department.
Tagged: awareness, tibet ]]> http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/mudslides-in-tibet/feed/ 2 lhdawg http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/is-it-the-big-bully/ http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/is-it-the-big-bully/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:52:32 +0000 lhdawg http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/?p=375 ]]> So I just am a little concerned about the possibility the United Nations, bearer of the Declaration of Human Rights (DHR), is being bullied. My understanding is that the DHR holds explicit notions of freedom of expression. Well isn’t freedom of expression what ART is all about? So shouldn’t we be concerned as a global community that the heart and soul of the declaration is being dominated by a world leader? Isn’t this the purpose for the United Nations and issues regarding human rights? Why would they give their power away?

So as I write this blog many of you have no idea what I am referencing to…well take a look at this article and if you have feelings of concern for our liberties feel free to pass it on.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=China+pressure+forces+UN+censor+of+artwork%2c+artists+enraged&id=27794

This sculpture was at onetime on display with 144 images of victims and survivals of violence. The images were removed and the artists work was censored after a request was filed …read who requested these images to be barred from the exhibit. Then I challenge you to consider why?

Also take a moment and read this article also. http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=27811&article=China+sentences+Uyghur+journalist+to+15+years+in+prison&t=1&c=1

I just have to wonder about it all…..as advocates it is so necessary to see the correlations. What do you think?

First I would like to say thank you to all of you for your interests and efforts in the Tibetan cause. I know and realize there are so many different social concerns and it is difficult to determine when and where to give. As well I want to say thank you to those who have given to the campaign for safe water (see below for details in reaching the goal).

Today I am asking for only a small level of generosity and compassion from a lot of people. Pennies for Partnerships was created with the idea to distribute the call to action among the large numbers of us who do care and who can give a little. When I say a little you must know that the smallest amount you can think of is appreciated and utilized. The Pennies for Partnerships campaign seeks to benefit others through small acts of human kindness.

Palyul Choekhorling Nyingmapa Buddhist monastery registered non-profit charitable institute in Kangra, India

These are some of the lives you will impact with better health and better quality of life. If you will please just help me get 400 people to give $5.00 each we would meet our goal of only $2000.00. A little today goes a long way for tomorrow …. It’s easy you can do it from your cell phone even…paypal: http://lhainfo.org/donate.php  

So you want to know why you should do it?

BECAUSE YOU CAN

I am asking that you forgo  the next bottle of water, coke, or beer and instead give to the purchase of a water filter that will provide safe drinking water to 250+ people.  Below are some of the faces of those you will be helping. Please give a little today  it’s easy and it’s cheap….. Remember Pennies for Partnerships

http://lhainfo.org/donate.php

Also you can mail a check to

LHA

LOUISIANA HIMALAYA ASSOCIATION

Mailing address: P.O BOX 19826, New Orleans, LA 70179, USA

or

notify me directly and I will let you know where to mail it directly.

Thank you again to the current donors who have contributed $330.00 towards the small goal of $2000.

You all are awesome for giving your support and generosity. Leaving your mark piece by piece. It’s these little random acts of kindness that keeps us all bonded in the global community. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Leann

P.S. If we could just get the following…. I have that many in my e-mail contact or facebook or twitter but maybe you can help spread the word that it’s a great cause and it’s a pennies thing…..

1000 people $2.00

400 people  $5.00 each

200 people $10.00 each

100 people $20.00 each

50 people $40.00 each

or one really nice person!!! Please share this with your friends. Thank you.

June 20 is WORLD REFUGEE DAY. In an effort to continue the commitment to reach out and help those who have been displaced from their homes and are faced with difficulties of extreme poverty Pennies for Partnerships is launching a new safe water campaign.

Each year Pennies for Partnerships provides support for new projects in the Tibetan refugee community in India. Your past support to the fund-raisers have touched the lives of many disadvantaged people who live each day without the modern conveniences we take for granted. One of these modern conveniences is safe drinking water.

I have recently been informed of a concern in India at one monastery of a Tibetan monk who works with the LHA program. If you remember LHA is where I worked my field placement last spring and they do what they can to provide services to the community; it takes the international community to make it possible for LHA to overcome the detrimental conditions faced within the Tibetan refugee community. LHA was originally started by a social worker from Tulane University. In a continued effort to assist with the difficult issues faced as refugees I need your help – they need your help.

Faced with serious health concerns due to no water filtration system at their residence, horribly contaminated water conditions are creating a health concern among the young and old. The water is so terribly contaminated that even boiling the water has not been making it safe to drink. The health risks have caused a great deal of illness among the community which consists of 250 monks age six to seventy.

The World Health Organization indicates the seriousness of the problem throughout our global community:

About 2.6 billion people – half the developing world – lack even a simple ‘improved’ latrine and 1.1 billion people has no access to any type of improved drinking source of water. As a direct consequence:

• 1.6 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera) attributable to lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and 90% of these are children under 5, mostly in developing countries;
• 160 million people are infected with schistosomiasis causing tens of thousands of deaths yearly; 500 million people are at risk of trachoma from which 146 million are threatened by blindness and 6 million are visually impaired;
• intestinal helminths (ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection) are plaguing the developing world due to inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene with 133 million suffering from high intensity intestinal helminths infections; there are around 1.5 million cases of clinical hepatitis A every year.

For a small investment of $2000 a filtration system can be purchased and installed at the facility to ensure safe water for the individuals. As in the past it takes only small donations to add up to the amount that could make it possible for the young and old alike to be protected from daily concerns of diarrhea and hepatitis. Any additional donoations will go to another health initiative – Asthma. There is a horrible mold problem in the rooms and asthma has become a complication and has even been the cause of death to a few in the community. They have no funds to address these health iniatives.

 Please will you do something today to recognize World Refugee Day- June 20:

Please give to the Safe Drinking Water campaign for  Palyul Choekhorling Nyingmapa Buddhist Monastery.

Donations of small and large are welcomed and appreciated.

You can contribute through the LHA PayPal account and contribute online or mail to the New Orleans Office. (please note for Safe Water Drinking Campaign)

http://lhainfo.org/donate.php

Thank you for your consideration and contribution to acknowledge the World Refugee Day.

Your compassion is greatly appreciated in the Tibetan community.

Kind regards,

Leann

 I hope to post photos soon of the many young boys who are affected by the unsafe water so if you need more information please post a comment and e-mail me.

Today His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be giving a talk and participating in a discussion at the University of Northern Iowa.

Tuesday, May 18 Events

The University of Northern Iowa will be streaming using an embedded Flash player as well as streaming with Real. Flash player 10.x is required to view Flash content. Otherwise download Real Player for Windows, Mac or Linux.

The web link is http://live.uni.edu/2010/05/18/conversation-his-holiness-14th-dalai-lama-tibet-educating-non-violent-world

Our professors from the University of Arkansas are there as they lay the ground work for the visit of His Holiness to the University of Arkansas next May. Stay tuned for more details of the visit which can also be accessed by linking to two websites:

http://dalailama.uark.edu/

http://readwrite.typepad.com/artibet/2010/05/watch-a-sand-mandala-being-created-live-at-the-university-of-northern-iowa.html

Hope this information finds you in a timely manner so you too can tune in for the live stream discussion in Iowa.

Regards,

Leann

Every visit to India the Pennies for Partnerships has made a contribution to the Tibetan refugee community in India. The first partnership initiative was in summer 2008 when Pennies for Partnerships raised contributions for both the Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund (now Tutors for Tibetans) and Tibetan Women’s Association. The second initiative contributed to Lha Charitable Trust where the Pennies for Partnership participants donated clothes which added to a very successful clothing drive and also the online raffle which contributed close to $1000. To date Pennies for Partnerships has contributed approximately $3000 total with each organization receiving about $1000.00 and clothing worth more than a thousand dollars.

This year on my return to India I would like to take the initiative for Pennies for Partnerships to address a health concern. Safe drinking water is a serious issue. There are many serious problems with unsafe drinking water that cause a great deal of health complications among the people. Another health issue being addressed is how the moist climate perpetuates a mold problem which causes health issues of Asthma and other respiratory complications. People are dying from these two issues and small contributions from many of us can rectify the problem.

I am just planting seeds right now as I brainstorm how we can continue the support that is much needed for a community that has so few resources to address these serious issues. This new initiative will maintain the previous concept of Pennies for Partnerships…  it just takes a little from each of us to add up and make a difference.

Please stay tuned for further details of how you can be involved to help save lives with very little effort.

Also  details about the visit of the Dalai Lama to University of Arkansas can be accessed through the Tibetspace  link on the left side bar.

Your continued interest in supporting Tibetan refugees is compassionate and considerate as well as much needed and appreciated.

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey

I write today with sadness and concern for the many Tibetans who have lost their lives,  loved ones and homes in the earthquake which occurred yesterday in the Kham region of Tibet. The disaster has devastated the region and the death toll is currently at 617 as the rescue continues. Phayul reports that “many people are still buried in the debris as more than 85 percent of houses in Gyegu, mostly made of mudbrick and wood, had collapsed”. There is video posted on the website which can be accessed by using the link provided and scroll down the page to find the video insert at the bottom.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Tibet+earthquake+death+toll+rises+to+589+-+updated&id=27116

This is a time of mourning for the Tibetan population who have already faced years of struggle with strict laws and regulations implemented by Chinese rule. We can only pray that this situation will bring relief efforts from the Chinese government to assist the thousands of displaced Tibetans. I also pray the media will continue to cover this story so we are abreast of the efforts offered to this already marginalized population.

OM MANI PEDME HUM.

 Please pray for all those who are suffereing.

Associated Press and other media have been noting the position taken by Google to address the censorship in Communist China. Recently as reported by the Associated Press, Google moved their server to Hong Kong where the censorship of information is now the duty of the Chinese government. The system now has a slow delay in providing the information to those searching sensitive information on mainland China due to the communist control and censored information. There is hope that this delay will bring more emphasis upon the Chinese people to demand an uncensored internet.

As a player in the global community is it acceptable to have censorship preventing individuals their right to freedom of information, knowledge, choice, and all the freedoms that come from the ability to makes ones’ own determination. This might be referred to as self-determination which is to be available to all people through the Declaration of Human Rights.

Recently on March 10th there were two young Chinese men that stopped by the table where we were distributing information about the Tibetan cause. One of the young men who stated he had been in the United States for 5 months indicated he knew there was something about the situation in Tibet but he had never seen the Tibetan flag or been able to read anything about the situation. He discussed the censorship of information and indicated that he was curious because he really wanted to know the truth. He indicated he thought there was information he did not have due to the censorship and was interested in learning more.

This story is important because the people within mainland China do not have freedom to information to know of human rights violations and other concerns among the people. This is important to note because without adequate access to knowledge and information then we must ask What and Why is information being hidden from the populace?

Thanks to Google for taking an ethical position to stand against censorship and to stand for human rights. It is a bold move to take this position and it proves that Google has ethics beyond just a capitalistic mission.

Thank you Google and may your efforts bring about change within the people in mainland China to take a firm stand for their freedom to information and knowledge.

Please let me know your thoughts if you think this is important and if you have anything to add by commenting to this blog.

Thanks,

Leann

Just curious if you have seen the Larry King interview with the Dalai Lama? This is an interview that was held in follow-up to the Dalai Lama’s visit with President Obama. Take a moment and watch it explains a great deal about the position of the Tibetan people and their proposal for the Middle Way approach. This is one of the only interviews I have seen that the Dalai Lama is so animated about the cause. Animated might not be the best word but I could see and feel the intensity of his conviction to help the Tibetans find a balance to accept Chinese rule but negotiate for the Tibetans their freedoms for religion and expression.

Please watch it and comment to let us know your thoughts.

Thanks for watching and please share the link with others.

Kind regards,

Leann

I sit as I write this while I watch our Tibetan brothers and sisters in Dharamsala India and reflect back to a year ago when I was able to join them physically on this day of solidarity. I am reminded of the stories they have told me of their struggles in Tibet as well as their struggles in India. I am saddened to think that their struggle continues. They are separated from their families and their homeland. Many live in fear as in Tibet at this time the strikehard campaign is in full effect. This means that their brothers and sisters encounter numerous amounts of military force instilling fear in them which prevents them from enjoying their cultural norms.

As I sit here and listen to them say their national anthem and sing a prayer I think what it would be like if we were not allowed to sing our national anthem or say our prayers and how empty our world would be without those important feelings of pride in your country and strength in your faith.

I ask that today you take  a moment and do something to support the Tibetan cause. Maybe you will say a prayer for those who suffer from the difficulties endured under the hardline regulations inside Tibet due to the Chinese strict regulations or a prayer for those who suffer from separation from families, and homeland. If you can tell someone about the Tibetan cause the fact that March 10th is an important day to join in solidarity maybe they will become aware of their plight. You might even join in a Tibetan awareness campaign in your community by joining a march. Or the easiest thing you might do is ready something on the Tibetan issues found in the left side bar at www.Phayul.com or visit one of the many Tibetan NGO’s website and contribute in someway.

Please I ask you take a moment to join me and thousands of people around the world who join together to show our support for the Tibetan cause for basic human rights.

Thank you for your efforts and remember it is the smallest efforts that make a difference as we have seen from the Pennies for Partnerships donations that started programs fro children’s education, clothing donated to Lha for children living in exile in India and literature published by TWA that tell the horrific stories of a tortured life. Now I ask that you keep your contributions going but this time it does not have to include any material contributions but your kindness and ability to spread the word. You might just choose to forward this link to a friend and make them aware of the Tibetan cause and the many links available on the leftside bar to information and news.

You generosity and compassion is always appreciated by the Tibetan people.

Thank you,

Leann

With much time and anticipation that has passed, President Obama will finally meet with internationally respected His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As a Noble Peace Laureate the time has finally come when President Obama will show respect to a fellow recipient, and a highly respected figure not only as a religious leader but as a leader of nonviolence. The Dalai Lama continues to bring awareness to the world the teachings of compassion and Buddhist philosophy. In the forefront of a fifty year nonviolent struggle for basic human rights inside Chinese occupied Tibet, the Dalai Lama continues to teach ethics of nonviolence from not only a level of social action but also with the concepts of the nonviolent mind. The Tibetan nonviolent persistence for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of expression are rights that have been denied often with severe consequences. The Tibetan movement is similar to that of other nonviolent movements in history, as seen with Gandhi’s India Independence and Martin Luther King, Jr.s Civil Rights Movement. The nonviolent perseverance of the movements in the past were a way to challenge oppressive regimes who deliberately supressed and discriminated against particular populations. Please take a moment to watch the video link attached.

When I left India nearly 8 months ago I made reference to a book that was published which included parts of the initial interviews I conducted while in Dharamsala India working with the Tibetan Women’s Association. The book is called Light in the Abyss which contains stories of the brutal torture and consequences of 14 Buddhist nuns who were imprisoned for speaking out for freedom. I have copies of the book for anyone interested in purchasing, it is a donation of no less than $5.00 plus the minimal cost of postage to mail it to you. All (100%) donations will be sent to Tibetan Women’s Association. In addition to the Light in the Abyss other recent publications are available. Just send an e-mail to me:

1lhdawg@gmail.com

In the link provided is an interview with one of the nuns who was granted asylum here in the U.S. She was the youngest of the Drapchi Fourteen and was first arrested at the age of 13. Please click on the link to watch the short interview.

http://www.3generations.org/stories/stories-details/articletype/articleview/articleid/28/ngawang-sangdrol.aspx

I hope this video link works. Please post a comment and let me know.

Please keep your thoughts on the positive aspects of President Obama meeting with the Dalai Lama as the Chinese attempt to bully U.S. decisions. We as a nation of freedoms need to stand firm that they cannot continue to make such demands in order to keep awareness from filtering into the world. Thanks for reading and for sending the positive mindset.

Thank you,

Leann

“Human beings by nature want happiness and do not want suffering.  With that feeling everyone tries to achieve happiness and tries to get rid of suffering, and everyone has the basic right to do this.  In this way, all here are the same, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Easterner or Westerner, believer or non-believer, and within believers whether Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and so on.  Basically, from the viewpoint of real human value we are all the same.”– His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from “Kindness, Clarity, and Insight.”

Tashi Delek to everyone,
Last year was a wonderful year for everything we were able to achieve through all of your generous help.  I gave a lecture at the University of Northwest Community Center. I also visited a 4th grade class where I taught about Tibetan sand mandalas. Over 120 students attended. The principle has written me and asked that I return this year to continue their education. I also lectured at five classes at U of A, and I taught Mental Health for 1 hour credit. In addition, I taught two courses: Introduction to Buddhism and Tibetan Culture and Philosophy.  Last summer, we made a successful second trip to India for our study abroad program – TEXT (Tibetans in Exile Today www.textproject. wordpress.com). I am very thankful that the public high school in Fayetteville is helping us to organize the footage, which I believe is a good opportunity for these high school students.

It was good to return to Alabama to see all of my friends. I had a wonderful visit with Father Viscardi from Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama.  He would like for me to design online courses about Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy for next fall semester.

I hope this year will be as fulfilling as the last. As you know, I will be busy teaching two classes at University of Arkansas, where I will teach a second semester course on Karma and Causality.  I will teach a class at the University of Iowa (once per month until May).  We will be busy preparing for His Holiness’ visit to northern Iowa. If any of you would like to attend you can visit:www.uni.edu/dalailama/ or by calling (319) 273-4849. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday) and can be bought directly from the website.

Once again I would like to remind you that we will have a fundraising dinner for our organization, Tutors for Tibetan Children, on February 12th. We will serve delicious Tibetan food. The last fundraising dinner was a great success, and I hope this one will be no different. Camp 3 students recently sent us a package expressing their thanks and showing the progress they’ve made with our support. I will let you know more details later, but you can visit our new website at http://web.me.com/minyak/tft/Home.html. (This is the site where you will see the developments from the initial Pennies for Partnerships contributions to the program which was originally called Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund. Thanks to your contributions the pilot program was started and the program continues to develop with the continued efforts of Dr. Burris and Geshe Dorjee).

I also plan to visit California and Utah in May for teachings and to attend a conference.  I am also excited about the opportunity to give additional lectures atcommunity colleges across northwest Arkansas.

Lastly, I would like to mention that none of these things could happen without the support from the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas, which I would like to say a special thank you to Sidney, James, and Barbara.

So, Happy New Year to all of you my best wishes for a year full of laughter and joy.

Sincerely,

Geshe Thupten Dorjee

Ven. Geshe Thupten Dorjee, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas

Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences

Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas

http://artibet.com/

TEXT Project

www.textproject.wordpress.com

Tutors for Tibetan (originally Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund)

http://web.me.com/minyak/tft/Home.html

(479) 575-2509 (office)

I apologize for the long delay in posting. I was completing my undergraduate work and diligently working on the research of Nonviolence as an Empowerment Mechanism for Social Work. The project was conducted while in India last spring and I am happy to say 621 Tibetans participated by filling out the survey questionnaire.

I truly appreciate all the participation and involvement of the community and I apologize for the delay in following up. At this time I have moved on to a graduate program in which I am looking for the expertise and guidance of my previous professors and my new professors to direct me accordingly as to how to pursue the continued efforts of the research. The data set did show a correlation that those who participated in nonviolent action had increased feelings of empowerment. Since this is my first research project of obtaining data it is important that I continue the exploration of how to best address the findings. I hope to return to India to work with the Tibetan population within the next year but that is yet to be determined. If possible I hope to further the research in hopes of publishing the research for the purpose of the Tibetan voice being heard.

Again I apologize to all the Tibetans and those who have assisted me in India with the project and I have not forgotten about you. In time I hope to deliver the findings to Contact Magazine for release as I know I had indicated to the participants that I would do so. I hope to be working with Lha in New Orleans as a volunteer in the months to come.

This is an exciting time for me and I hope to further this blog with new information generated from continued involvement with a community of folks interested in the Tibetan cause.

Happy New Year to you all and may you have a blessed year.

Leann

Please see the comment from Geshe Dorjee.

It is with great pleasure I announce the winners of the Lha Charitable Trust $1.00 Raffle.

Please click on the title or go directly to the blog if you are receiving this via e-mail. There you will find pictures of the Lha staff drawing the winners names.

It is only appropriate that the Lha Staff members are the ones who did the drawing although I had to draw at least once.

It was fun drawing and seeing the way it all turned out as I was wishing there to be prizes for everyone. Also I love how these things work.  Things like the very first donor to give money for the “Make Your Mark Campaign”, Jeremy Scott won prize number 10, a CD “Buddhist Chants & Peace Music” and Carolyn Thorpe the final contributor who sent her donation in the final hours with loving kindness to assist in making the goal of $1000.00, which we were just shy, won prize number 8 a book by the Dalai Lama, Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart.

The Raffle was very successful and offered a first time experience for myself and for Lha in utilizing modern technology in conjunction with paypal options and the sale of raffle tickets for a social work fund raiser.

The raffle started off as a project for the blog and Pennies for Partnerships but then grew to be a collaborative effort with Lha’s director Ngawang, and a wonderful volunteer from Louisiana, Erin. Through the use of the India Social Work Blog, the Lha website, facebook and twitter we were able to raise $918.00 for the educational programs and future community kitchen at Lha.

The online raffle had participants from 6 countries, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, France and India. The raffle was short time of only two weeks and proved to be very successful in finding some of the most kind and generous people of the world. The concept of the $1.00 raffle was so that most all people no matter what socio-economic status could possible have a chance of giving and receiving through the small donation of $1.00. I am happy to say that one of the winners was a contributor that purchased two tickets and another five tickets. Although there were some people who were able to contribute substantially more than others everyone had an opportunity to have their name drawn.

Obviously the most important aspect is the gift to the Tibetan refugee community and Lha Charitable Trust which provides many wonderful educational and community relief efforts.

The fundraisers and campaigns targeted for Lha fund these last few months by Pennies for Partnerships also contributed hundreds of clothing items and over 100 markers for the “Make your Mark Campaign”. Thank you to all the participants.

Below is a list of all raffle winners and the prizes won which will be mailed or personally delivered during the month of May. International winners will receive a package from India which I am sorry I do not know how long that will take. All winners residing in the US will receive their prizes via USPS. There were Twenty Prizes purchased with my contribution to Pennies for Partnerships and two prizes donated by Lha from the students’ photography project. Two photos taken by Lha students have been included in the raffle.

Below is a list of all prizes and the winners:

Tibetan Shawl- Lara Walker- CA

Prayer Wheel- Sharon Halsey-Hoover- CA

Shell Necklace- Andrea Caldwell- LA

Mens Om Mani bracelet- Love Your Girl LLC- CO

Tibetan keyring- Lara Walker- CA

Endless Knot necklace- Dust and James Anderson- AR

Prayer Flags- Elizabeth Mitchiner- CA

Dalai Lama Book- Carolyn Thorpe- KS

Inner Peace CD- Olivia Herbert- London UK

Buddhist Chants & Peace Music CD- Jeremy Scott- AR

Tibet Bag- Sharon Halsey-Hoover- CA

Ningtob Ling Multi Color Bag and incense- Andrea Caldwell- LA

Handmade Paper/Journal- Jennifer Peters- Canada

Meaning of Peace banner- Andrea Caldwell- LA

Peace T-Shirt- Amber Jackson- AR

Tibetan Women’s Association Books- Amber Jackson- AR

Yak Bone and Wood bracelet- Jody Cohen- AR

Lotus Mala Beads- Gay Heit- CA

Wood Spiral necklace- Amber Jackson- AR

Wood Bracelet- Sharon O’Grady- AR

Lha Student Photography- Rita Vail- AR

Lha Student Photography- Sharon Halsey-Hoover- CA

Once again I would like to thank all who have contributed and I am sorry for those who were not winners in the drawing but may you be blessed ten fold for your kindness and generosity.

Keep your eyes out for future opportunities to win raffles.

To recap the Pennies for Partnerships efforts over the past year has brought in approximately $3000 and many items of donations to the Tibetan refugee community and assisted the following programs.

1) Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund pilot program to assist with longevity of teachers to provide for a more stable education for Tibetans and additional tutoring for children who do not have assistance at home.

2) Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) for Stitches of Tibet economic development program and the publication of Light in the Abyss: The Drapchi Nuns (anyone interested in this publication should contact me for I am bringing to the US 36 copies).

3) Lha Charitable Trust fund raiser were the Clothing Drive, “Make Your Mark Campaign on Tibetan Education, and the $1.00 Raffle. All proceeds contribute to social work programs of Lha.

On behalf of the Tibetan community and myself thank you to all of you for your continued efforts with the Pennies for Partnerships programs. The efforts to assist the Tibetan refugees in India have been greatly appreciated by the community.

Thu-je-chhe (Thank you),

Leann Halsey

The next blog will highlight the book Light in the Abyss: The Drapchi Nuns made possible by the Pennies for Partnerships, the Nyingtob Ling handicap Craft Home visit, and the most recent project for elders started by Tenzin Kyipa it is called Jamste. Jamste is a project to assist elders with outings so they have activities that are stimulating and they have interaction with others. Great program and great lady leading the new project.

Check out the pictures of these projects on the photobucket page.

Hello and remember if you are receiving this on e-mail please click on the title bar to go directly to the blog where you will find pictures and more to enhance the reading enjoyment.

This is a quick post to remind you that there are two days left to purchase your raffle tickets for only $1.00 and get your name in the drawing for many wonderful Tibetan gifts.

There are about 30 participants in the raffle at this time and you there are many prizes so if you have a moment and $1.00 to play there is a good cahnce you can win a lovely prize from the Tibetan refugee community. At the same time you are providing a wonderful gift to hundreds of Tibetan refugees in India because you will be supporting the educational programs that empower them to live a more productive life while in exile.

Below is a list of the current raffle participants and if your name is not on the list and you have sent a contribution in the form of a paypal donation, clothing donations, or markers please notify me.

If you want to be in the drawing there is still time to participate. Just take a moment and go to

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

Today I had a wonderful experience and was invited to meet one of the students parents. They are very lovely and the mother arrived one month ago from Tibet. There is very little I can say for safety reasons of the refugees especially when they are new arrivals. All I can tell you is the hospitality of the families that have so little and the joy they bring into my life with their sweet and endearing actions of kindness is like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. This culture is made up of people who are kind and giving and although they have so little they would give everything they have to me or you if they knew it would make you happy. I have been so blessed to be able to experience this amazing culture of people that have experienced such hardships yet they maintain generosity and kindness while enduring such struggles you and I would never be able to possibly understand.

Thank you to all of you for your kindness and generosity you have shown the Tibetan refugees through your thoughtful contributions. The smallest gifts you give continue to add so much to their lives as they sincerely do not look for handouts but look for ways they can become educated and empowered to participate in society.

The following are people who’s names are currently in for the raffle drawing based on your different types of contributions.Tashi Delek also means Good Luck in Tibetan. I look forward to notifying you all next week of the fabulous prizes you have won.

Thank you,

Leann

If you are receiving this by e-mail please be sure to click on the title to go directly to the blog so you can see pictures of the incredible people. Also please remember to share this link with your friends and tell them about the great prizes they can win.

So this is an update post regarding the importance of social work efforts in the Tibetan refugee community in Dharamsala, India. The photos are taken at the social work agency Lha Charitable Trust which works diligently to provide programs for the many Tibetans in the community who seek education and relief from the many struggles they experience as a displaced population. Read in past blogs below for further information regarding the plight of Tibetans.

Lha Charitable Trust continues to provide assistance through education and empowerment. They offer many classes in language and computers.

Recently Lha students and I engaged in open dialogue about the topics of social work and non-violence. I forever am  learning of the perseverance of the non-violent actions they continuously pursue. As well I learn of their aspirations to obtain education with the hope of a better quality of life. Many take language classes to acquire work in the tourist industry in McLeod ganj and others wish to return to Tibet to work as tour guide. Some students want employment in the NGO’s or with the exiled Government. As much as I can tell they all have dreams of new tomorrow with freedoms.

Over the past 50 years since Communist China invaded their peaceful country the Tibetan population has taken and continues to take great risks to speak out for freedoms which have been taken from the Tibetans. The proof that they flee their native lands sometimes facing the escape route through the Himalaya mountains on foot for 40 days and nights with only the cloths on their back is proof they cannot live under the conditions of harsh control of the Communist China.

Please remember for the most part we do not have much choice in where our parents choose to give birth to us nor do have much choice as a child of our race or nationality. Therefore I ask that you remember the people who are exposed to the dominate force of communist rule which steals from the people their basic freedoms provided to many of us due to our birth location.

I can assure you the the determination of this population is not looking for handouts from the world they are looking for ways to become more educated so to participate in society through meaningful efforts.

They also look for the international community to support their efforts to participate in society by understanding the horrific conditions inside Tibet under Chinese communist rule. Many Tibetans travel from long distances in exile and spend every rupee they have to get here to learn english and computer or anything they can grasp in the educational realm. They put forth a great deal of effort to make it to classes at Lha. It is through their continued desire to develop skills which brings them to Lha in hopes of finding a better quality of life through education and self sustainability.

This is why we are offering the $1.00 Raffle tickets. It is with the international communities support that Lha can continue to build the programs that will empower the Tibetan refugee community. The Tibetans in exile seek a place in the international community as contributing members of the global society. It is with your efforts this is made possible.

Please purchase a raffle ticket (or as many as you wish) for only $1.00 and increase your opportunity to win wonderful Tibetan crafts while at the same time increasing the confidence and development of the Tibetan refugee community. Donate on paypal and get your name in the drawing.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

DONATE NOW… don’t wait do it today there is only 4 days left to increase your opportunity for great prizes. It is all made possible through Paypal so it is quick and easy and it is only $1.00 which goes farther in India then the $1.00 luxury item you may choose to sacrifice today (like the candy bar, coke, beer or …). Here is a list of some of the many great prizes you can win:

Music cd’s, beautiful jewelry, Tibetan shawls, prayer wheels, handmade paper journals, incense,  photographs, clothing items, bags, books, prayers flags, banners, letter holders and many many other wonderful crafts from the Tibetan culture. If Purchased in the United States prizes range from the cost of $1.00 to $100.00.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

Also I want to just comment on the wonderful success of the free clothing give away held at Lha this past Saturday.

Lha had such an amazing turnout for the relief effort they had to close the doors because there would not have been enough clothing for those who stood in line.

Over 1000 clothing items were distributed many were items from the Pennies for Partnership fund raiser in Fayetteville, AR. Thanks to those of you who contributed the many wonderful children’s items because there were many families that benefited from your donations.

There were several hundred people served by the clothing give away …

OK just one last reminder…Lha Charitable Trust will utilize 100% of the purchase from the sell of $1.00 raffle tickets to benefit the Tibetan refugee community through the continued development of education and the new development of a community kitchen to feed those who have hunger.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

Don’t hesitate please donate now it only takes a minute and it’s only $1.00 or as much as you wish. Also we ask that you please help Lha facilitate this Fund Raiser by sending this notice to your contacts, linking on your websites and blogs and posting events on your Facebook accounts. Just copy and paste the blog address and send on to others that may have the desire to offer compassion and empowerment to Tibetan refugees.

http://indiasocialwork.wordpress.com/

Thank you for your Compassion in Action to help support the international social work efforts of Lha Charitable Trust in cooperation with Pennies for Partnerships. There are many more photos of classes, clothing give away, and Tibetan culture on the photobucket page and in the many albums displayed in the photobucket page on the left side bar.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/lhdawg/

Remember there are many many prizes to win so Tashi Delek (also means good luck in Tibetan).

Kind regards,

Leann Halsey

As Always please excuse any editing errors that have not been made at this time. Thank you.

Lha Staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make the clothing drive a success.

Many of you do not know about the hardships of life as a refugee. I am exposed to the many stories of sadness and struggles they endure as their country was invaded by Communist China 50 years ago in 1949. Since then they have lost many of their basic human rights such as freedom to education, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and many other basic freedoms we should all have available to us. With these freedoms individuals are provided an opportunity for a better quality of life. It is through self-determination that one can utilize the resources made available to them in which they are able to obtain such things as economic freedom through employment opportunities, better nutrition because of self-sustainability and spiritual fulfillment through personal beliefs.

The Tibetan refugee community has fled to live in other countries because they have been denied the option for choice. They have been oppressed, discriminated against and brutally tortured for their nationality and desire to maintain their culture. It is through the voice of the Tibetan refugees that we become informed of the issues inside Tibet under the illegal Chinese Communist occupation.  I will try to provide more historical aspects but it would be easier for you to just read a little of the historical invasion of 1949 when the peaceful country of Tibet started to lose freedoms and Tibetan traditions of the culture due to communist invasion.

I just want to make a VERY IMPORTANT statement… The Tibetans I meet are not looking for handouts from the world they are looking for support in understanding the HARSH conditions inside their country due to communist rule under the Chinese. Here in India they seek ways to achieve education to provide personal growth so they too can join society as a working  member and contributors to the global community. They desire greatly to return to their homeland but to first try to create change in hopes of a more democratic process or at least a situation that provides them BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was established by the United Nations  in 1948 just prior to the illegal occupation of Communist Chinese rule in Tibet.

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

The Tibetan refugees need more then just political support they need empowerment. Your small amount of compassion and understanding can generate so much goodness to assist them. It is keeping in the tradition of the  past year of Pennies for Partnerships that I am desperately seeking your small contribution to take my little donation I can give and turn into something large as an international social work project.  I have already purchased many Tibetan craft items to support the local people in which you have an opportunity to WIN for only the small contribution/ purchase of a $1.00 raffle ticket.

FOR $1.00 per ticket you can increase you chances to win many wonderful Tibetan items. This method of support not only provides income for the many Tibetans in the Dharamsala, India Tibetan refugee community but it maximizes support of the many programs Lha has or needs to put in place to help the community;  in return you get your name in the hat to possibly be a lucky winner when names are drawn for the many nice cultural items either made by the Tibetan community here in exile or by those in Tibet. So that’s right for $1.00 you may win Tibetan craft items. So far items available to WIN for participating in the online raffle are:

Tibetan shawls, music cd’s, beautiful jewelry, prayer wheels, handmade paper journals, incense,  photographs, clothing items, bags, books, prayers flags, banners, letter holders and many many other wonderful crafts from the Tibetan culture. I will personally be purchasing (with my money not the funds generated) additional items to be added to the list as the contributions come in on paypal so feel free to buy as many tickets as you like so you can increase your chances of winning. ALL PROCEEDS from the purchase of  EVERY RAFFLE TICKET will go 100% towards the SOCIAL WORK ORGANIZATION- Lha Charitable Trust and they in return provide the EDUCATIONAL AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS which HELP TIBETANS HELP THEMSELVES.

Those who have already contributed will be included in the raffle so not to be forgotten for your wonderful compassion. I will see to it your names are entered for the drawings.

So everyone please don’t hesitate it is only a buck $1.00 and you can win something worth lots more than a dollar. As well all proceeds go towards education, hunger relief, and social efforts to help the refugee community.  Please sacrifice the coke, candy bar, beer, or something of small luxury today and help build the global community by compassionately giving. Click now to go directly to the Lha website where you will find the paypal button that actually says “DONATE”.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

Remember…tickets for the raffle are only $1.00 so buy as many as you like and increase your opportunity to win cool gifts. Paypal is a wonderful thing and many in the Fayetteville community have seen how this online way of generating funds can work. As well we have seen in our community how successful the raffles can work. So please spread the message. Feel free to take any portion of this e-mail and spread it around to your friends and family and other online posts, links, blogs and types of spreading the news.

Deadline for the raffle is less than Two weeks  away April 25th so do it today don’t wait. Names for Prizes will be drawn on April 27th and announced via e-mail and also on the Blog. I will then mail all winners the items upon my return to the US within a few weeks of the drawing.

Kind regards to all of you and thank you for participating and supporting the Tibetan refugee community. Remember you are giving in ways that empower the people to help themselves through education and employment.

OK Tashi Delek (Good Luck) I hope you win because these items are precious in the fact that we need the Tibetan culture in our global community and many of these gifts have special blessings.

Remember I have a plethora of pictures and albums listed on my photobucket page so please visit it to capture more of a personal view of the Tibetans and how they persevere in exile.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/lhdawg/

Thu Jee Chee is thank you in Tibetan,

Leann

This is keeping with the idea of “Pennies for Partnerships” it only takes a little from a lot of people to produce a magnificent result. This way if we all just give a tiny bit then the outcome has potential to be enormous.

You will be blessed for your ACTIONS of COMPASSION in ACTION.

Editing is not complete please pardon errors.

It has been a longtime since my last post. I realized the last time how timely it is to actually update photos and videos as well as compose the blog. Thanks to Daniel the blog administrator, because  in the past he has spent a great deal of time helping me do this.

Be sure to read below how you can win wonderful items for only $1.00

OK first thing is remember to click on the title to go directly to the blogpage where it is much more exciting with colorful pictures and videos.

This post is going to concentrate on a quick update of what I have been doing the past two weeks in India. Mostly I have been working on research and assisting Lha with a specific grant project.

As a social service organization they have many programs that need funding for the education and empowerment of the Tibetan refugee community. I learned a great deal from this grant writing task and thanks to Erin and Ngawang there was awesome teamwork involved.

The grant focuses on programs that will provide skill training for Tibetans to move into the workforce more easily. The programs are focused on intensive language training, extensive computer training, and baking skills. The area in McLeod has many tourist businesses so if one becomes advanced in language they have a better opportunity of finding employment in one of the many hotels or restaurants. As well withcomputer skills they can advance into jobs withthe many opportunities with NGO’s, government jobs or other opportunities. There is obviously more to this grant but at this time lets just summarize by saying the programs that Lha would like to expand on are very beneficial to the community and address the many concerns of a population that is disadvantaged. The programs offer economic possibilities which allows Tibetan refugees to obtain a better quality of life.

There are many other programs in development one I feel very strong about and that is the idea for a community kitchen. Ngawang the director has an excellent idea to address the hunger problem in the refugee community. Many of the Tibetans lack nutritious food because they do not have the financial source to support themselves. The new Lha building has the capabilities to open a community kitchen which would provide affordable nutritious vegetarian meals to the many Tibetan refugees that go hungry and/or lack healthy options. The program will include the development of a voucher program that also will allow foreigners and travelers to give food vouchers to the beggars and hopefully curb some of the amount of begging that at times is very difficult for the travelers to endure. So many needs in a community of displaced peoples where there are restrictions of the types of employment because of their lack citizenship makes it difficult for them to meet basic needs.

The Tibetan people seek ways to obtain a better life and there is personal drive and interest in doing such among the people. The programs at Lha provides resources so that the individuals can utilize self determination to pursue a better life. Lha provides literacy programs. language programs, computer training, job skills training, as well as Lha assists with community outreach such as free clothing and other types of assistance when possible.

I would very much like to take a moment to knowledge and thank all who have participated in assisting Lha with the different contributions and donations that continue to go directly to the community. Just a brief review of the people and the ways in which they have offered thier compassion…

The items from the clothing drive will be distributed next Saturday April 18th. This past weekend I helped post notices around town about the free clothing give away. I found one particular discussion interesting with a young mother I would like to share. She has two very small children that could benefit from the clothing provided by friends in Fayetteville. She has a baby girl who is just at one year and a boy who is 2 1/2. I told her she would find some very nice things if she could come on Saturday.  She showed enthusiasm and interest for her children’s sake then she indicated that she is just too shy and would not want anyone in the community to know. We talked for a little while about the privacy aspect and she has asked me to please if I could pick out only one or two outfits for her children she would be so appreciative but that she would not be able to come to the office for many reasons…one she has to work that day because Saturdays are busy days for possible tourism and she works in a little retail shop. So I will see what I can do to assist her. The participants in the clothing drive that should be recognized again are:

the Suttles, the Mitchiners, the Jacksons, the Pledgers, and the Andersons. Also to all of you who had more clothing to donate and I was unable to gather it due to time constraints and space requirements thank you. If for some reason you name is not mentioned and I have accidentally forgotten please e-mail me to let me know so I am sure to add your name to the raffle.  Thank you to all of you for your thoughtfulness and consideration of giving to those who can make good use of the items.

On another note…the “Make Your Mark” on Tibetan education campaign has produced only a very small result but then again this one is more difficult to manage for we are only aware of the packages that actually are received in India. Many other friends had indicated that markers were on the way and the director is great about letting me know when the dry erase markers arrive. I would like to thank the following contributors who have sent markers and donated to the “Make your Mark” campaign.

Jeremy Scott was the first and he contributed over 40 markers, thanks so much. Also the following contributors have successfully “Made their Mark” for Tibetan education:  The Cullisons, Jerrmy Gawthrop, the Hendersons, and Frank and Deb Halsey family. Thanks you guys it is so exciting to receive the markers in the office and to see the level of appreciation on the faces of those working at Lha. If you have sent markers and your name is not noted here please let me know via e-mail the date you sent and how many for this means they have not yet been received and I will let the director know to keep an eye out on it.

Also a big thanks the following compassionate individuals for their kind and loving financial contributions made through the Lha paypal account. Clair and Michael Garret, and Sharon and David Hoover. Your contributions go a long way to help support this community of refugees in exile.

This brings me to my next suggestion….

Today we are starting an online raffle through the Lha paypal account.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

We have discussed the many options for a fund raiser and I would like to take my contribution to Lha and turn it into something more for them. So here it is….I hope you will be interested in receiving some very cool gifts picked out by yours truly…me.

FOR $1.00 you have the opportunity to win many wonderful Tibetan made items. This measure of support not only provides income for the many Tibetans in the community but it provides ways to support the many programs Lha has or wants to put in place to help the community;  in return you get your name in the hat to be drawn for one of many nice cultural items either made by the Tibetan community here in exile or by those in Tibet. So that’s right for $1.00 you could win Tibetan craft items. So far items available to win for participating in the online raffle are:

Tibetan shawls, beautiful jewelry, prayer wheels, handmade paper journals, incense,  photographs, clothing items, bags, books, prayers flags, banners and many other wonderful crafts from the Tibetan culture. I will be adding to the list as the contributions come in on paypal so feel free to buy as many tickets as you like so you can increase your chances of winning.

Those who have already contributed will be included in the raffle so not to be forgotten for your wonderful compassion. I will see to it your names are entered for the drawings.

So everyone please don’t hesitate it’s only a buck and you can win something worth lots more than a dollar. As well all proceeds go towards education, hunger relief, and social efforts to help the refugee community.  Please sacrifice the coke, beer, or something of small luxury today and help build the global community by compassionately giving. Click now to go directly to the Lha website where you will find the paypal button.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

Remember…tickets for the raffle are only $1.00so buy as many as you like and increase your opportunity to win cool gifts. Paypal is a wonderful thing and many in the Fayetteville community have seen how this online way of generating funds can work. As well we have seen in our community how successful the raffles can work. So please spread the message. Feel free to take any portion of this e-mail and spread it around to your friends and family and other online posts, links, blogs and types of spreading the news.

Thanks.

Deadline for the raffle is Two weeks March 25th so do it today don’t wait. I will then mail all winners the items upon my return to the US in within a few weeks of the drawing.

Kind regards to all of you and thank you for participating and supporting the Tibetan refugee community. Remember you are giving in ways that empower the people to help themselves through education and employment.

OK Tashi Delek (Good Luck) I hope you win because these items are precious in the fact that we need the Tibetan culture in our global community and many of them have great blessings.

Leann

This is keeping with the idea of “Pennies for Partnerships” it only takes a little from a lot of people to produce a magnificent result. This way if we all just give a tiny bit then the outcome has potential to be enormous.

You will be blessed for your ACTIONS of COMPASSION in ACTION.

Tashi Delek. This post is going to be very direct.

Please click on the title of this post to have direct access to the video which is essential and necessary to understand.

The following video is one that is disturbing and I have given much thought prior to posting it because it left my heart very heavy. As many of you I hope have seen some footage in the media I would like for you to take the opportunity to view it in full and ask yourself some questions without the media commentary. Keep in mind that someone has taken great risks to sneak this footage out of China and into the hands of free press. Thanks to those willing to rebel against the communist censorship the world has an opportunity to view some footage of a situation that has been restricted from journalist of the free world which includes reporters from United States and other western countries.

I sat surrounded by hundreds of Tibetans as the viewing was made to the Tibetan community here in Dharamsala on Monday evening. I had already viewed the film but sitting with the community directly affected by this violent force was something I will never forget. The cries, wailing and sighs of the Tibetans surrounding me was heart wrenching as they watched their peaceful brothers and sisters treated inhumanly with such violent force. I cannot even imagine the pain they must feel inside to know this is happening to their family, friends and neighbors.   I ask you to put yourself in their place for a moment…

My professor wrote…

“We live in a culture of the starkly visual . . . written testimony, word-of-mouth, radio broadcasts, nothing holds a candle to the image.  Since the 19th century, when photography announced itself as our new way of being in the world, our new way locating authenticity in a world that seems increasingly inauthentic, we do finally believe what we see.  And only what we see.”

I ask you to ponder what you see and how you would feel if these were the people of your community. Then I encourage you to consider how we live in this global community (as evident in the global economic crisis) and what needs to be done to address this violent action that has the potential to spread across the globe if we do not take a serious stance against this violence. Watch and then return for more information…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jER1A2nZnI0

Now I ask you can we stand and let this force grow across the world as Communist China grows in power? What if this were us in the US how would you respond?

I challenge you to allow your thoughts to develop with regards to this issue if the idea of global social action is new to you. First ask the question of how can Communist Chinese deny the actions so vivid in the film when it is obvious the Tibetans are lying on the ground hand and feet bound with no retaliation and they are beaten savagely with force? As well if this is not true how can we be assured it is not true since the Communist are banning free media as well as closing off the areas of Tibet to foreign travelers? If there is nothing to hide why prevent the outside world from viewing and making determinations for ourselves through the process of free press and exposure? I ask you… is this acceptable treatment that we in the world can just turn and close our eyes to?

You can assist with the start of one small action. Please take one minute to sign the petition I previously posted if you have not already signed. It takes one minute to show action in support of global peace initiatives which stand against this type of brutal force. The petition is supported by the revered Archbishop Demond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winners, artists, other organizations and individuals like you and I.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu has stepped forward and asked us to raise our voices in support of human rights and the Tibetan cause.

http://www.thecommunity.com/publish/home/Archbishop-Desmond-Tutu-Statement.php

Please share this blog with as many people as you possibly can for the world needs to know how they can help. Let’s join in global community please.

Thank you,

Leann Halsey

Remember to click on the Title to go to the blog for an updated posting and photos.

The Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day on March 12th showed the amazing strengths,  empowerment and professionalism of Tibetan Women. The day was filled with events to mark the 50th anniversary from the first women’s uprising in Tibet on March 12, 1959.  On the day of the uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, thousands of Tibetan women joined together in a peaceful manner outside the Portola Palace, a much regarded place for it was once the home of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.  They gathered to non-violently protest the illegal occupation of Tibet by Communist China. The women joined in a peaceful force to try to save their homes, customs, culture, lands and most of all their loved ones. Many of the women suffered greatly due to brutal force used against them during their non-violent social action. They were imprisoned, beaten, and tortured. This is a remarkable history in the Tibetan culture because  women took a strong stance during a time in history when women were still very subdued.

Imagine this was even pre-women’s liberation in the United States, this was 1959.

The events held on March 12, 2009 paid homage to the thousands of women who gave their lives to empower women of their culture from 1959 forward.  The events took place at the Main Temple in Dharamsala which is located adjacent to the Dalai Lama’s home and Namgyal Monastery. There were several guests of honors but two I would like to speak about are women who lived the experience of the first uprising in Tibet and played a critical roll in the history of Tibetan Women.

The first woman I would like to mention is Shigatse Noryon Dewang. She is in her 80′s and has written a book. The book is titled In Memory of the Martyrs. Tibetan Women’s Association had gotten their hands on her life story several years back at which time they became dedicated to the translation and publication of her life story. I have yet to read it but from my understanding it is very moving and empowering for women. I had a much regarded conversation with the President of TWA and she explained to me the history of this book and how it came to fruition, as well as how honored and moved Shigatse Noryon Dewang was to participate in the events on March 12th. From my perspective it must be an amazing experience to see the suffering you endured and the hard work you devoted yourself to, still alive and empowering women fifty years later. Most Tibetans are extremely humble, which comes from their Buddhist nature, so to be honored in this way is something one does not strive for in their culture for vanity has little place in the Tibetan culture.  You will find a picture of her sitting on the stage and she is the small elderly woman. I hope to bring some of the books home to share her life story with others.

There was another  woman named Ama Adhe la who is recognized and honored as a strong Tibetan women who has endured much suffering. She is an ex-political prisoner who was held captive in the internment camps under Chinese control.  She experienced rape, was thrown into a pile of dead bodies during a time of unconsciousness then woke up, as well as she experienced extreme hunger.  During her times of suffering and torture she remained compassionate to her fellow Tibetan inmates and gave of herself in many ways. She is featured in the movie trailer provided below and is the first women to speak following the Dalai Lama’s comments of heros/heroines. I must take language classes on my next trip here which will provide me more opportunity to gain cultural competence as well I could have understood a great deal more of the guest speakers since they spoke in their first language of Tibetan. I managed to obtained some information from talking with other women.

There was a wonderful movie shown that evening in the courtyard of the temple that featured both women and it is titled ” Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution”.  The link is provided below and I ask that you please take a moment to watch this very important three minute message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY8PEghB_Ng

Also the film will be made available for purchase starting March 30th. It is available to be shipped from Albany, CA and is a very good documentary.

http://www.womenoftibet.org/

It raises some issues and I must comment on the feedback of one young Tibetan woman I spoke with in the following days. She said she saw me taking photos at the event and asked me for copies from the candle light vigil to post on her facebook account. We began talking and she told me how in the past she has lacked confidence as a woman but after seeing the film she felt more confident to be a Tibetan woman. I summarize this as a moment of empowerment. Thanks to the efforts of TWA, Tibetan women continue to gain confidence and strength to speak out as women in today’s world.

I would also like to thank TWA for the empowerment I felt from the experience. Because of their willingness to accommodate me for an internship last summer I was able to contribute efforts for a publication that reveals the stories of the two ex-political prisoners I interviewed and their fellow nuns known as the Drapchi Fourteen. These women endured brutal torture by the Chinese Communist while detained for many years in the Drapchi prison.

Stay tuned for more details as to how Pennies for Partnerships is acknowledged in the publication for their contributions to the book. As well find out where the two women are today who so desire to tell the world their story.

Thanks for reading and remember all new photos are posted online and there are many from the Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day. As well there were many more events not discussed like a photo exhibit and an art contest…see photos at:

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/lhdawg/

There is a list of photo albums on the left side of the photobucket page and the newest photos are numbered as they have been experienced in the weeks in India.

Also please share this blog with anyone in your address book that you think might be interested in the Tibetan issues or social work. This work is all about advocacy and social action. Please help spread the word.

Thanks and I will blog again hopefully within the week. Currently my work at Lha has been offering me great experience with grant writing and I am learning a great deal that will assist me in my future as a social worker. The first set of markers for the “Make Your  Mark on Tibetan Education Campaign” has arrived. Thanks to Jerrmy for his time and efforts in mailing them we now know they will arrive. Also big thanks to Claire for her contribution so we could see how the paypal option worked. All the efforts and gifts even of the smallest amount adds up to a lot in the Tibetan Community. If you choose to do paypal remember your money goes very far so even a dollar donation makes a big Mark on the education for Tibetan refugees.

Also not to be forgotten are those who contributed from the very beginning and allowed me to bring some contributions…as in the clothing drive and also the “Make your Mark” campaign. Those who participated are mentioned below in a previous blog. Details are provided for those who are interested in making a contribution of any size. Also see the projects listing under the participate link on the Lha website and get an idea of the newest programs we are grant writing and fund raising for.

http://www.lhasocialwork.org/

Lha office
Temple Road
McLeod Ganj
Upper Dharamsala-176219
Distt. Kangra
Himachal Pradesh
INDIA

More details to come about Lha social work  and research on Non-violence.

Thanks,

Leann

Gaining Cultural Competence….

Tashi Delek and Hello

Please remember to click on the title of this post and you will go directly to the blog where there are compelling photos and more.

So there has been quite a delay since I posted and much has happened here in the Tibetan community. First I have to say much cultural competence has been gained in the last two in half weeks. First there was the Losar (No Losar) which is the Tibetan New Year. I had the opportunity to engage in some of the annual delights as I mentioned in the previous posts. It is much like our Christmas/New Year although from my understanding I missed a lot of their traditions due to the campaign which I hope you understand is a way of expressing civil disobedience since the Communist Chinese are trying to force Tibetans to celebrate. They chose not to celebrate this year because of the many Tibetans (estimated number over 200) who died last year during the uprising.

There was a special meeting of all the top Buddhist leaders from the different religious sects so all the very important and high lamas were in town( I was unable to take my camera in without a media pass so there are no photos of the events attended by the Dalai Lama ). This could be compared to something similar to Bishops and Cardinals of the Catholic Church gathering for special religious meetings. During this time there is also the celebration of Monlam which is known as The Great Prayer Festival. Since Buddhism is so prevalent in the Tibetan culture large crowds participate in the events/prayer sessions. There was one day in which the Dalai Lama gathered with all the leaders, monastic community and the public for a special prayer to honor those who have died in Tibet.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=24119&t=3&c=1

Then there was a special prayer on March 9^th that was considered a long life prayer for the Dalai Lama. These events are very special and I am so happy to have been able to experience and learn more about this time of the year in the Tibetan culture. To learn more about Monlam do a search online.

Following Losar and Monlam is the historical day of the 50^th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising. In 1959 after many years of Communist Chinese invasion a large population joined together to protect their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. They feared what the Chinese would do to him. When the Chinese invaded Tibet there was much blood shed and since then has been oppressive conditions of Tibetans. Last year as Tibetans attempted to exercise freedom of expression the Chinese military cracked down on Tibetans. Violence broke out although there skepticism as to who was actually responsible for the initial outbreak. The Tibetan people have endured horrible conditions in the past year due to a strike hard campaign by the Communist Chinese Government. They have had controlled movement in the country, monitored phone calls, restricted media and the Chinese government has even closed the country to foreign travelers and journalists.

I would like to challenge you all to think about something… If the Chinese Government has nothing to hide regarding human rights in Tibet then why do they NOT allow journalists in to report the truth of what is going on. If the truth will not hurt the Communist Chinese and they journalists would not find human rights violations then why the restrictions on media? Why is the country closed to foreign travelers if there is nothing to hide? Why the increased military presence and the strike hard campaign if the Tibetans are being provided their basic human rights? These are all questions we need to be asking as well we need to be pressing for answers. For a more specific historical review go to the following link

http://www.tibet.com/Status/10march59.html

I have one more concern for you to consider…If we as a nation in the United States value our freedoms why do we not think others should also have the same rights? If the Chinese Government continues to bail us out of our debts as a country we should be concerned for our future. The Communist Chinese Government is very powerful and gaining more power in the world sometimes through trade agreements and economic bailouts.

This past week I had the opportunity to hear three Chinese speakers who are supportive of the Tibetan cause. The Chinese speakers express their concern not only for the human rights violations of Tibetans but for the entire Chinese population.

I plead with you to give consideration to why more than 100,000 Tibetans have fled into exile and why there are so many in Tibet that would like to still get out. How can we hear their voice if we do not listen to those in exile who are trying to help a voice that has been silenced to be heard by the International Community? It is our responsibility as free people to hear the cry of those who are not free. Here is a recent write up of the efforts of our government to assist and I commend Congress.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=24154

There is a recent movie out titled “Murder in the Snow”. It was filmed by some climbers who witnessed the murder of a Tibetan while on the escape route. I urge you if you can find it to watch it. http://www.tibetmurderinthesnow.com/

Prime Minister Samdong Rinpoche speaks in the YouTube video above. He is the political leader of the Tibetan government in Exile.

This is reality and what is happening to Tibetans who are trying to find a quality of life that will allow them basic freedoms as you and I know. Without these freedoms one cannot reach self actualization and reach their full potential. A few days after the film was shown I was walking down the road to go visit my friend in the hospital and a young nun about the age of sixteen was walking in front of me, as I walked up beside her we exchanged a Tashi Delek and then walked a little while quietly side by side. Then she started to speak in broken English to me. Eventually the conversation brought me to the question of when did you come to India. At that time she began to tell me the compelling story of how her friend was shot by the Chinese military while they were trying to escape. I just couldn’t believe I was talking to this young beautiful girl who experienced first hand the murder in the snow and it was a friend of hers. She began to tell me how sad she feels.

I have to say I have never experienced a walk like that before. She asked me if I would come visit her and so I will need to follow up on that. She lives in the community of Norbulinga at the nunnery Dolmaling.

Stories like this are heart wrenching. I have thought a great deal about the nuns I interviewed last summer who had been imprisoned. More to come on what came of the interviews with the two women I interviewed. Stay turned because it is really good news for them and for me…..

Also take a look at the newest photos – Leann’s Photobucket link. Also any photos from this trip are in the main folder of listed in albums starting with number 1…..

Thanks for reading and considering the questions posed.

Leann Halsey

p.s.

More from Murder In The Snow

Another YouTube video clip from the movie Murder In The Snow,

Dramatic movie trailer for the film Murder In The Snow,