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Little History leading up to the New Building
Louisiana
Himalaya Association “LHA” was
created to form a cultural and social service bridge between
the Tibetan Refugees in Northern India and the people elsewhere
that have so much to learn form their wisdom. LHA has been
serving the Tibetan refugees in India since 1997. The organization
had its beginnings in one tiny room in a Tibetan monastery
in Dharamsala, India. Soon more volunteers and supporters
joined and in 2000 the program moved into the first LHA
building that housed a small computer classroom, an English
language class, a medical supply room and a craft shop.
One of the staff members organized volunteers to teach English
and computer skills while the other staffed the craft shop
and the leprosy assistance project.
Early
Steps
By 2002
the small building could no longer support the level of
activity. With the help of some generous supporters, an
annex building was opened with eight new computers and two
new full-time Tibetan staff positions. The year 2002 was
also the beginning of a new alliance with Tulane University.
LHA was asked by the Tulane School of Social Work to lead
a group of MSW students on an international Social Work
expedition to Dharamsala, to work alongside LHA with the
Tibetan refugee community. After the success of this first
student group, Centenary College and Loyola University requested
similar programs. LHA now assist four university groups
each summer.
After continued growth, in 2004 LHA moved into its current
location, owned by the Tibetan Handicraft Coop. Until recently,
the building has been excellent for expanding the provided
services and for accommodating the growing number of volunteers
looking to assist, as well as Tibetan refugees seeking assistance.
Once again LHA is busting at the seams! In this past year
alone, 427 volunteers from 39 different countries served
through LHA's volunteer coordination program. All English
classes, free to Tibetan refugees as well as local Indian
and Himalayan populations, are full, with students often
sitting in the hallway. The Computer School, which gives
21 scholarships to Tibetan Refugees every month, now offers
four classes daily – all of which are also full. Some
of the other services LHA now provides include: French,
Spanish and Tibetan language classes; the collection and
distribution of donated clothing; medical, dental and eye
assistance and referral; inexpensive internet phone service,
which many Tibetan Refugees utilize to call Tibet; a Community
Newspaper and 2 Libraries.
In
2005 the Tibetan staff members established Lha Charitable
Trust, which is now a non-profit social service organization
officially recognized by the government of India. Lha is
a Tibetan word meaning protector spirit. The establishment
of Lha Charitable Trust was a major step toward self-sufficiency
for the Tibetans we have been working with. Total self-sufficiency
for the community served was one of the main goals of the
founders of LHA. Lha Charitable Trust now has its own Board
of Directors consisting solely of members of the Tibetan
community; the staff members have learned to run a business
and make all their own business decisions.
Current
Update
Since
moving into their current building in 2004, Lha's rent has
been $9100 annually. This rent has been successfully raised
and paid for each year by the LHA New Orleans team and all
our supporters. Since 2004 the Tibetan staff have raised
enough money each month to pay their seven full-time salaries,
utilities, phone and any other necessary repairs or maintenance,
while still offering all classes and services free of charge
to hundreds of Tibetan refugees each month. The Lha staff
have identified and developed services for the tourist population
that generate enough funds for the organization to successfully
and self-sufficiently operate (except for building rent).
They offer tourists an array of services including Tibetan
language and cooking classes, Yoga, massage and translating
services. Besides earning enough for the monthly bills,
our Tibetan friends have managed to accumulate some savings,
which they have already offered toward the purchase of a
new building. Once the new building is purchased the Tibetan
staff of Lha Charitable Trust will be totally self-sufficient!
New
Challenge
We have now found a suitable new building, which is incredible.
The down payment was made in June and from July 1 we have
had access to the building to prepare it for use. This newly
built building is nestled in the Himalaya Mountains alongside
the home and Temple of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala,
India. The owner of the building, Geshe Thupten Phelgye,
monk and Parliament member of the Tibetan Government, has
been most accommodating with a very fair price and payment
plan. On top of this he is putting all income from the sale
of the building directly back into the Tibetan Community.
He is donating one third of the funds to the office of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, one third to Sera Monastery in
south India and the other third will be used for Social
Work projects inside Tibet. Our Tibetan friends say that
when things happen so perfectly it is an auspicious sign
showing that we are moving in the right direction!
Thanks
to so many generous individual donors and to those who helped
with fund raising projects, Lha is much closer to this goal
of owning its own home. The total cost of the new building
is $175,000. In this first year of asking for donations,
we were blessed with $65,000. The largest anonymous individual
donor came to us through the OmPrakash foundation for $25,000.
Louisiana Himalaya Association raised just over $13,000
with our annual New Orleans-based fundraising events. The
other $27,000 came directly from the pockets of generous
individual donors. These individual donations ranged in
the size of just a few cents all the way up to $5000. And
here we are, only $110,000 to go before Lha Charitable Trust
will be self sufficient in its new home!
Once
again we want to express our deepest appreciation to everyone
who has helped out over the years and also to those of you
who have recently joined in. We feel confident, that with
the continued support of all the wonderful volunteers and
donors, this dream will soon become a reality and Lha Charitable
Trust will continue its service long into the future.
Please pass this info on to any others you feel
may be able to donate or may be interested in getting involved.
Once again, thank you so much for all the support and encouragement.
You
can help by donating for LHA's new building by going to
the Donate page on this site and donating via PayPal or
by Bank Draft or check payable to:
LOUISIANA
HIMALAYA ASSOCIATION
Mailing address: P.O BOX 19826, New Orleans, LA 70179, USA
All donations are tax-deductible.
LHA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Tax ID: 72-1487498
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