Lha community Soup kitchen proposal

LHA CHARITABLE TRUST INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL WORK AND EDUCATION

Community Soup Kitchen Funding Proposal Submitted by Ngawang Rabgyal, Lha Director Compiled by Laura Manley, Lha Consultant

Lha Charitable Trust Temple Road, Mcleod Ganj Dharamsala-176219 Distt. Kangra, H.P. INDIA TEL: +91 (0)1892-220992 EMAIL: director@lhasocialwork.org WEB: www.lhasocialwork.org

ABOUT US Lha Charitable Trust is a 12AA non-profit organization based in Dharamsala, India. Founded in 1997 and registered with the state government of Himachal Pradesh as a charitable trust in 2005, Lha is one of the first organizations established with a primary focus on Tibetan social work. Lha is managed by Tibetan refugees who draw their expertise from the experience of living in exile, and is supported by volunteers and generous donors from around the world. Seeking to generate an atmosphere of harmony and cooperation, Lha’s services are open to Tibetan refugees as well as to the local Indian population and people from the surrounding Himalayan region.

BACKGROUND: Since 1959, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have chosen to leave their homeland in pursuit of the freedoms and opportunities denied under Chinese rule. Every year, new refugees arrive in India after an arduous journey with only an armful of personal belongings.

Countless refugees arrive with little or no education, speaking only Tibetan, and possessing no viable job skills to support themselves and their families. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult for adult and elder refugees to receive an adequate education in India due to strict school system requirements. Lha plays a crucial role in facilitating the transition of Tibetan refugees from their homeland to the Indian community by providing long-term rehabilitation and education resources.

MISSION: Lha is a resource of education and knowledge that provides meaningful, multi-leveled social and educational services for the benefit of others.

VISION: Lha seeks to generate an atmosphere of harmony and cooperation within the community by tending to the needs of the impoverished and underprivileged.

PURPOSE: To help the Tibetan people survive and prosper in their new home and to preserve their profoundly unique culture. In addition, Lha offers volunteers and students from around the world opportunities to engage in meaningful community service and social work.

OBJECTIVES: 1. To provide a meaningful variety of social services to Tibetan refugees as well as to the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan region.

2. To provide Tibetan refugees with education and health services, as well as the skills and assistance needed to build a new life in exile.

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3. To facilitate meaningful mutual learning and cultural exchange experiences between Tibetans, volunteers, and groups of students who visit from countries around the world.

4. To create awareness about the Tibetan refugee situation and preserve the endangered Tibetan culture.

BENEFICIARIES: Lha’s primary beneficiaries are Tibetan refugees, local Indians and others from the Himalayan region who are deprived of educational and health facilities. In addition, Lha serves the general community through its programs and services, including language classes, a community soup kitchen, vocational skills training, health and hygiene initiatives, environmental awareness activities, volunteer services, and cultural exchanges.

IMPACT Lha provides meaningful multi-leveled social services to Tibetan refugees now living in India, which include providing education, computer skills courses, vocational training, health and environmental education and services, cultural exchanges, free books, and medicine and clothing distribution. Since 2003, Lha has offered as many as 19 different classes daily. 

Over 4,010 volunteers from 37 countries have worked at Lha

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Multi-Language courses have benefited over 7,270 people

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From July 2003 to October 2010, Lha’s donation center collected and distributed over 21,490 articles of clothing to both the local Indian and Tibetan refugee communities

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557 students from international high schools and universities have participated in organized mutual learning

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Over 870 visitors have participated in Tibetan cultural programs

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Approximately 30,000 books have been distributed freely to Tibetan and local Indian schools and libraries

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Computer and IT workshops have benefited over 1,704 people

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152 students have been trained in massage and 57 have been trained in photography

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Free eye check-ups were given to 145 people and free eye glasses were given to 112 people

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COMMUNITY KITCHEN PROJECT PROJECT ABSTRACT: On July 6th, 2011, Lha opened its Community Soup Kitchen at its new building, Ahimsa House. The Ahimsa House is divided into residential apartments where long-term Lha international volunteers and cultural exchange students can stay. Two apartments were converted to the space for the dining hall and the actual kitchen is below. The opening of the kitchen commemorated the 76th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The day was celebrated with a healthy lunch cooked at the kitchen and fresh water from the newly installed water filtration system.

This is the first soup kitchen in Dharamsala that serves low-cost and nutritious meals to the Tibetan refugee community. Approximately 35-50 needy refugees will be able to take advantage of this service every day for a nominal fee of 15 Rupees per person per meal. Meals will be completely free for those who cannot afford to pay this amount.

Lha is seeking monetary support in order to sustain the community kitchen, which serves a variety of purposes, both long and short term. The kitchen’s first and foremost objective is to provide refugees with low-cost and nutritious meals while educating them about healthy eating and living. The kitchen will also serve as a space where refugees who are interested in working in the restaurant and service industry may receive formal training. This vocational training will help refugees acquire jobs either in India or abroad. The dining room may also act as a space for events such as educational workshops.

The Lha community kitchen project started in 2009 with the support of several key fundraisers. The Verein Tibetfreunde group from Switzerland contributed to the initial phase of the project along with a former volunteer and student from the U.S., Anoop Jain. Additionally, former volunteers Milton and Mimi Burke introduced Lha to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Arkansas, USA, to assist in sustaining the operation of the kitchen long-term. Lha continues to receive monthly donations from them. KLP insurance company from Norway provided the funds to furnish the dining hall.

The total annual operating budget for the Community Soup Kitchen is $36,216, the amount needed to cover food supplies, staff wages, gas refills, and utilities. Currently, Lha has received $13,200 in funding, and therefore $23,016 is still needed in order to operate in a manner that supports the objectives of the project.

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STATEMENT OF NEED: Since 1959, Tibetans living in Tibet have been subject to the strict and repressive policies of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. They enjoy little freedom of expression or political action. Those who do speak out against China’s communist rule face extremely harsh punishment.

Dharamsala is home to over 13,000 Tibetan refugees who are escaping this cultural, religious, and political repression in their homeland. They arrive in India after crossing the Himalayas by foot, an arduous and perilous journey that can take over one month. Once in India, they have no relevant language or job skills, and thus limited opportunities to make money and provide for their families.

A survey conducted by Lha during the summer of 2010 found that the average refugee income is about $1.90 per day. High unemployment rates have contributed to homelessness and alcoholism.

According to the Tibetan Census of 2009 carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration, there are 4,432 marginal or non-workers living in Dharamsala. Marginal workers are defined as those who work in part time or seasonal jobs. Though the skill level may vary in these jobs, pay remains below the average standard of living.

High numbers of refugees living in poverty result in a large scale inability to buy nutritiously dense food. This contributes to increased incidences of chronic lifestyle diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, gastritis, liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and hypertension. According to the 2009 Census, 44% of Tibetans living in Dharamsala and surrounding settlements suffer from one of these chronic lifestyle diseases. The Lha survey found that the majority of refugees have a diet that is extremely heavy in carbohydrates, fat, and salt. Refugees mostly eat traditional steamed bread (Tingmo), boiled noodles (Thukpa), butter tea with salt, rice, lentils, and vegetables on occasion. Most refugees do not have enough money to buy fruits and none buy filtered water. The Lha survey highlights the fact that on average refugees are only eating fruits about 3 times a week. Doctors recommend at least 2-4 servings of fruit daily; consequently, Tibetan refugees are not receiving nearly enough fruit in their diet. Studies have shown that poor nutrition can negatively affect cognitive development, memory, and activity.

The Community Soup Kitchen will alleviate cases of malnutrition in Dharamsala by offering nutritious, low-cost or free meals to 35-50 Tibetan refugees daily. Lha will empower refugees to make healthy choices about the food they eat by offering nutrition education classes. Furthermore,

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by starting a job training program to assist refugees in obtaining employment in the service or restaurant sector, Lha will simultaneously combat unemployment in this community.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The community kitchen will serve as a venue where refugees living in Dharamsala can receive a very well-balanced meal for an extremely reasonable price of only 15 Rupees. If they cannot afford to pay this amount, they will qualify for a free meal.

To supplement the meal program, Lha will offer nutrition education classes. Lha believes in finding a long-term solution to the malnutrition problem. Simply providing meals once a day is not enough to rectify the prevalence of chronic lifestyle diseases. By offering classes about healthy eating and living, Lha hopes that refugees will learn how they can take simple steps in their daily lives to improve their overall standard of living.

The kitchen will also be a vocational training center. Those refugees who are interested in pursuing jobs in the restaurant or service sector can enroll in a four-week training course that will be offered

by Lha. Trained chefs and restaurant managers will lead training sessions. Upon completion of the course, refugees will receive a certificate that will help them get jobs in restaurants in Dharamsala or wherever they chose to move. Lha believes that this will help tackle the larger issue of unemployment, which has become endemic.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the community kitchen is to positively affect the health and standard of living of Tibetan refugees living in Dharamsala by offering unique services. Lha will provide daily, well-balanced meals and filtered water. Nutrition classes will be offered in conjunction to the meals so that refugees can learn how to improve their lives on their own. Lha will offer vocational training classes in four-week segments to combat high rates of unemployment in the area.

Primary project objectives include: 

Foster the development of an active citizenry by providing healthy meals and employment opportunities

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Provide a measurable increase in the number of Tibetans who are securing healthier food options

Lha is requesting the sum of $23,016 to enable the full operation of this Community Soup Kitchen initiative for the duration of one year. Lha intends to implement a self-sustainability plan for the

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future of this project once it is in operation in order to become less reliant on external funding and to increase the independence and empowerment of the Tibetan community.

LHA COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHEN BUDGET Description Food supplies

Daily Cost (USD) 40

Weekly Cost Monthly Cost (USD) (USD) 240 1,200

Annual Cost (USD) 14,400

Gas refills

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110

1,320

Water and Filtered Water

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27

324

Electricity

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117

1,404

Cleaning Supplies

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25

300

Kitchen Manager

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255

3,060

Head Cook Salary

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----------------

247

2,964

Assistant Cook Salary

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----------------

190

2,280

Assistant Cook Salary

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190

2,280

Janitorial Staff

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180

2,160

Nutrition Education

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35

420

Cooking Training

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375

4,500

Miscellaneous Costs

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67

804

TOTAL PROJECT EXPENSE ----------------

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$ 3,018

$ 36,216

TOTAL RAISED

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$13,200

TOTAL NEEDED

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$23,016

(Total Project Expense less Total Raised)

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