Hello everyone and Namaste.
I apologize for the very long delay in updating you all on the activities in India. I have had some delay due to some news that arrived just following my transition back home which has caused some delay in being able to update you. So this post today brings GOOD NEWS and bad news. First and most important is the GOOD NEWS!
The pilot shade hoop house we constructed for the first organic vegetable nursery shows wonderful signs of growth. I have received a few updates with photos from the Tibetan Organic Officer Jamyang. The garden is growing and some of the first vegetables were harvested for family consumption. This is exciting news as now we are in line with the UN objective for 2014 by making Family Farms the Focus. We are excited to learn Dakpa and his family were supported with fresh organic vegetables from your contributions and this is only the beginning.
Plans are in place to transfer the remaining funds generated this year at the People Feeding People Benefit Dinner for the development and growth of a Tibetan local food network in Mundgod, India. I will provide you the details once the budget and plan have been fine tuned but we were able to construct the first pilot program with Dakpa for just under $300 for a 13×30 shade hoop house. Additionally, the farmers are working to help us develop the compassion corner of each garden which will supply starter plants for the sponsored Indian families to grow their own sack gardens. More details to follow as production gets under way.
We conducted a training with the Indian families by using a video of a child who demonstrates how to build a sack garden. The wonderful enthusiasm from families was seen as they all participated in the exercise of building the sack and preparing it for planting. Now we are just waiting for the compost materials and seedlings to be prepared and delivered to the families so they too will be able to grow their own small gardens just outside their homes.
We will continue to provide you photos and updates throughout the year as more hoop house gardens are constructed and the local food newtwork in the Tibetan Organic farming community develops.
The funding in place from the People Feeding People Benefit Dinner held in October 2013 and additional donations which came in over the past year will certainly help to develop these programs but will not sustain them. I was contacted 2 weeks after my arrival back to the USA in February that the physical sponsorship with the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas has ended and we no longer have a way to receive donations. TCIA informed me that they no longer have the volunteer resources in bookkeeping available to sponsor the compassionate outreach so we are interested in finding a new physical sponsorship from a nonprofit organization that has the resources to help oversee a small outreach that brings in just under $5000 a year.
The Pennies for Partnership outreach has impacted lives for Tibetan Farmers economically, Tibetan elders in the Old Age Home, as well as the 15 Indian families sponsored over the last 3 years have had fewer food insecure days which means less hunger and undernourished children. Additionally, Pennies for Partnerships has had positive impact on organizations with financial support to such programs as seed money to start Tutors for Tibetans, funding for Stitches of Tibet, funding to generate a Human Rights Publication for the Tibetan Women’s Association, and funding to help Lha Charitable Trust with adult educational programs. This has all been possible over the years since 2008 because of your compassion and generosity.
We certainly hope to be able to continue the support to the Tibetan Community in Mundgod and the Indian families sponsored by the program. We do know however that in order to establish a 501c3 nonprofit it can take up to 18 months for government approval of applications, therefore, we are unable to accept your compassionate donations at this time. If you or anyone you know has the ability to assist us during this transition to be able to accept donations please send a private email to penniesforpartnerhsips@gmail.com
Thank you again for all your support over the years and we look forward to growing the People Feeding People garden project in India with compassionate sponsorship from a nonprofit that can help us continue our efforts.
Thank you for your generosity and support over the years and we look forward to finding a new path to serve the people in need.
Kind regards,
Leann Halsey
Director Pennies for Partnerships- People Feeding People Outreach
India-Tibetan Social Work 