Hello, Tashi Delek and Namaste from India
Today I would like to feature one man who is making a difference.
Thomas Lenzen is a medical student from Germany who I had the pleasure to meet February 2011 in India just following the period when Pennies for Partnerships started working with the Tibetan Organic Farmers.
Thomas was in India for a medical internship with St. John’s medical College in Bangalore. During his time in India he had exposure to the issues of rural Indian villages where mal- nutrition and poor heal care are a concern to those who live with the struggles of poverty. Thomas’ accomplishments are immense which also include a distinguished position as a Research Fellow in 2010 for the Mind and Life Institute, and a medical intern position in New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2011. Additionally Thomas is accomplished in his research which is noted by his three publications in neurological studies.
Thomas returned to India this past holiday season to visit friends. While here Thomas used his creative energy and network to establish a rice drive among his social network. He sent out a facebook message and asked if anyone was interested in participating in a rice drive with a goal of 1 TON of rice. In his efforts Thomas successfully garnered enough support to purchase close to 2 TONS of rice. It was my privilege to accompany Thomas on a visit to the Tibetan community. Thomas took time to visit with members of both communities involved with our project and we look forward to a long relationship and return visit with our Golden Partner of Compassion.
Today I would like to honor Mr. Thomas Lenzen for his compassionate outreach to address issues of hunger and destitute poverty. Additionally, I would like to thank him for his time and efforts in creating a network of others who generously gave to the Pennies for Partnerships Outreach. Additionally, Pennies for Partnerships would like to thank all the parties involved with Thomas’ outreach.
To start the outreach for 2012 we delivered on what was Pennies for Partnerships’ 1 year anniversary, January 26th, a total of 25 bags at 25 kg (55lbs) each.
(More photos to be added)We are in the process of conducting a needs assessment with those who have now received 3 deliveries. It is necessary for purposes of best practices to establish the criteria for those in need and determine the appropriate outreach. At this time we know that in the community a family of 5 has been able to sustain on the 25kg bag of rice for 1 month. Therefore, we are developing an ongoing program to sponsor a specific number of families within the community in order to lift their nutrition and quality of living. We plan to establish a level of evaluation so that in one year we can analyze the impact. At this time the 25 recipient families will receive ongoing monthly deliveries of rice as funding permits.
It takes people like all of you who have participated to make this work.
If you are interested in making a tax deductible contribution by donation or to continue your contributions please see the PAYPAL button option on the side bar. If you would prefer to NOT do paypal a check can be mailed via POST to:
Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas, Inc.
PO Box 269
Fayetteville, AR 72702-0269 US
Also remember participating does not mean just giving monetarily but with creative energy and effort to show loving kindness and compassion in action. This can come in many forms of giving, be it through donations, sharing the link and telling others, sharing knowledge and wisdom in areas of development and using your creative forces like Thomas to think of ways to spread the message and opportunity to give.
AND remember, the initial start of Pennies for Partnerships was all about people giving their penny jars; often “an out of site out of mind amount of money” that can really make a difference. Won’t you Please consider donating your penny jar today?
Everything Pennies for Partnerships has achieved thus far has been through the efforts of networking using technology and crossing boundaries of difference to bring together our global community.
If you or someone you know is interested in our project, please give our contact details.
www.indiasocialwork.wordpress.com
penniesforpartnerships@gmail.com
As we enter phase 2 of project development with plans to pilot a greenhouse project and sack gardening we are in need of knowledgeable support about permaculture for sack gardening, greenhouse construction, and nutritional evaluations. So if you know anyone who you feel is an expert in these areas please, please share with them our project information or connect us via email.
Thank you again to you all for your support.
Kind regards,
Leann Halsey
Director – Pennies for Partnerships (TCIA)
www.indiasocialwork.wordpress.com
May No man, woman or child go hungry in a world of plenty!
India-Tibetan Social Work 