www.contactmag.org
october 2005 8th year of publication free!!!
contact a dharamshala community publication
Tibetan charity offers hope to Dharamsala’s forgotten refugees A look at how Tong-Len has turned compassion into action for the poorest members of Indian society Dharamsala, literally ‘place of shelter’, certainly lives up to its name, and Tibetans are not alone in seeking refuge here. Migrant communities from India’s poorest regions have also settled in the area.
into a life of begging. They live in flimsy makeshift shelters clustered together in groups of up to 300 people. These camps have no sanitation or easily accessible clean water. Consequently, disease is rife, and is usually exacerbated by severe Attracted by Himachal’s relative wealth malnutrition. At least five children from and cooler climate, these people come the camps died during the monsoon this mostly from Maharastra and Rajasthan. year. The majority were once farmers and herders who came to Himachal in search Tong-Len was founded by Lobsang of work after encroaching desert and Jamyang , a monk from Sera monastery sustained drought put an end to their and a group of his friends. The charity’s livelihoods. name comes from the Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice of ‘giving and taking’, Sadly, very few of the settlers have found whereby one takes on the suffering of Four, in harmony regular employment, and most struggle to others whilst simultaneously sending out survive on an income which barely covers love and kindness. These young Tibetans their staple diet of rice and dal. The more were inspired by the teachings of His fortunate have found casual work as Holiness, and set up the charity because labourers, baloon vendors and shoe they felt grateful for the support offered shiners. Women and children scavange to them by India, and wanted to give through rubbish looking for anything something back to their town. Tong-Len they can use or sell, but many are forced is their way of saying ‘thank-you’.
Above: Lobsang Jamyang with one of the children who now lives at the Tong-Len Mandala Hostel
Jamyang explains ‘we noticed that while various charities were working with Tibetan refugees, little was being done to help these people, and they are, in effect, refugees within their own country.’ At the end of 2004, Tong-Len began its child sponsorship programme to give the opportunity for some children from the camps to attend school. Very quickly it became clear that they would not be able to cope with mainstream schooling without additional support. The charity had provided volunteers to assist them continued on page 3 House No. 118 Nandni Niwas Chonor House Road McLeod Ganj
Help us to help them! Donations of all kinds are Welcomed: Time ! Money ! Clothes ! Blankets ! Books ! Household items ! Anything! All enquiries, including volunteering please call 9816438790 or email info@tong-len.org. For more information or to donate online please visit our website: www.tong-Len.org Tong-Len: Registered in India Charity No. 16284 Tong-Len UK: Registered in Scotland Charity No. SC036383
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