Tashi Delek.
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)
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.
India-Tibetan Social Work 