Lha Charitable Trust is pleased to present our Annual Report for 2015. Last year we carried out 48 significant projects and programmes which are expected to have a positive impact on at least 32,000 people. Lha is continuing to expand its learning and enrichment opportunities worldwide. The Trust focuses its efforts on five areas: Social services, Educational resources, Awareness of the Tibet issue, Volunteering opportunities, and Cultural exchange programmes. Since Lha was founded in 1997, we have continued to be inspired by the compassion, dedication and contributions of generous supporters and thousands of volunteers from around the globe. Thanks to you, our generous supporters and volunteers, 2015 has been a great success.

Lha Charitable Trust is an award-winning, grass-roots, 12AA and 80G non-profit organisation and one of the largest Tibetan social work institute based in Dharamshala, India. Founded in 1997 and registered as a charitable trust by the Indian Government, Lha has continuously provided vital resources to those in need for over 19 years. Lha’s financial accounts are audited annually by a government approved chartered accountant and all tax return certificates are issued by income tax department, Government of India

Lha’s primary goal is to provide meaningful, multi-leveled social and educational services to help ease the transition for the Tibetan refugee community. Lha’s services are also open to the local Indian population and people from nearby Himalayan regions. On a daily basis, Lha serves over 200 people, hosts between 15 to 25 volunteers and provides approximately 20 different kinds of services such as  language classes, tutoring, computer courses, health and environmental education, a Community Soup Kitchen, clean water, free medicine and clothing distribution, a community magazine, volunteer opportunities and co-ordination, and a public library. We also organise cultural exchange programmes for international student groups, and provide reception and orientation services and arrange home-stays for visitors to McLeod Ganj

Language Classes  

This year we have registered 554 new students, bringing the total to 10,872 students since 2006. There were average of 179 students attending the classes on a daily basis. We have restarted the Tibetan Language class, thus taking us to a total of 13 different levels of language classes operating on a daily basis

Computer Classes

To date, Lha has enrolled 120 students in the computer classes and provided 60 students  with full tuition scholarships for free computer education.  This year Lha has also provided a special web design and development course through the medium of Tibetan for two months; 20 students registered and successfully completed the course. The web design course was intended for working people and those who aspire to work on Tibetan websites Clothing & Book Distribution Lha accepts donations of old clothes and books from visitors and tourists in the town and redistributes them to impoverished areas throughout Dharamshala as well as to schools and individuals. This year Lha has distributed over 4,500 articles of used clothing to the Dharamshala’s slum areas through the Rotary Club Dharamshala and Tonglen Charitable Trust. 

Clear Vision Project & Tibetan Smiles Project 

Under the Lha Clear Vision Project, we have provided free eye care to 86 people who needed glasses and medical treatment this year Under the Tibetan Smiles Project,  Lha has provided free dental treatment to 125 Tibetan refugees and people from Himalayan regions who are pursuing Buddhist studies in the Bir and Dharamshala area  

Contact Magazine is one of the oldest and wide spread monthly English language publications of news on Tibet. This year 11,300 copies were published and distributed freely throughout India and abroad.  More than 67 international volunteers have written 151 News and featured articles on Tibetan issues and 93 new postal subscribers have been registered this year.  For more information please visit www.contactmagazine.net 

Clean Water Project

Under this project, Lha has installed eight new R/O+U/V+UF treated water filtration systems, benefiting over 3,900 people. The water filtration systems were installed in different communities including a nunnery, local Indian and Tibetan schools, the CTA staff mess, Delek hospital, the Tibet Library and a Tibetan refugee settlement.   

Community Soup Kitchen

Serving healthy and nutritious lunches for over 50-60 needy Tibetan refugees every day, 69 new users have benefited through the Lha community Soup Kitchen this year, taking the total number of users to 327 beneficiaries since its inception in 2011  

His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche’s Website Project 

Under the project of Preservation of Tibetan Language, Culture and Heritage, this website features a collection of teachings, writings and speeches of Professor Samdhong Rinpoche. It  has been very successful and has become a vital source for researchers, academics, and Tibetologists. There were averages of over 11,000 viewers each month. This year we have added 44 new articles in Tibetan, 30 new articles in English, 162 new audio files, eight new videos and 170 new photographs. We are in the process of editing and proof reading over 500 pages of articles both in Tibetan and English. For more information please visit www.samdhongrinpoche.com      

Environment and Healthcare Awareness Programmes 

Lha’s environment and healthcare awareness programmes are expanding every year. This year Lha organised three mass clean–ups in Mcleod Ganj, in collaboration with the Clean Upper Dharashala Project, Tibetan Women’s Association and Tibetan Footpath Association.     Lha also organised two HIV/AIDS awareness talks, one Hepatitis awareness and dental care talk to Lha students and public. Lha observed organized World AIDS Day in collaboration with Dharamshala Rotary Club and Tibetan Delek Hospital by creating an awareness campaign, performance of a street skit, free blood tests and distribution of brochures On our environment website www.tibetnature.net, we have added 42 articles in the Tibetan language and 51 articles in English related to Tibet’s environmental issues, and Global Warming and the Tibetan Third Pole. The website serves as a collective source of news and researched articles from various authors and news reports on Tibet’s ongoing environmental issues.   

Jampaling Elders Home Project

This year Lha organised two weeks of acupuncture treatment at Jampaling Elders Home through our volunteer Dr. Dong Giao Tran, his wife, Sanh Hy Ngyuyen and friend, Ven Uyen Trinh.  They treated 80 people: 50 elders from Jampaling and 30 other patients from the local community. Lha also arranged 25 Milton stainless steel thermoses, 125 door curtains and 175 window curtains, pocket money of 500 INR each to all the residents and 130 high quality micro-fiber quilts to Jampaling Elders Home through generous donations from Vietnamese Devotees in the United States and Canada

Educational Talks to parents and students 

Lha organised several educational talks by our volunteer Mr. Gyaltsen, the former Education Officer at the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration, during the year. A talk for Mcleod Ganj parents was organised by Lha in collaboration with the Parents and Teachers Association of Petoen School and Mcleod TCV Day School Parents Association which focused on educating parents about the ways they can support their children with learning and how to develop a growth mindset in their children. Lha also organized a educational talk at Tibetan Children’s Village Suja School, aiming to motivate the students by giving them essential tips on how to become good and efficient  learners and how to foster the right mindset for learning. More than 350 students and parents have participated in these talks.   

Cultural Exchange Programmes

This year Lha hosted 12 Exchange Groups. This included seven student groups from Rustic Pathways, two student groups from Lifework Internationals, two student groups from Tulane University, one student group each from Centenary College and Loyola University and two groups of professional medical practitioners from USA.  Over 210 people have participated in the Lha Culture Exchange Programme this year  

HIV Counselling and Training Programme 

This year our health and environment officer attended a four day HIV Counseling and Training programme organised by the Department of Health at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), in collaboration with the Christian Medical College at Vellore, Chennai. There were 20 participants from various hospitals and organisations  

Lha also organised free medical camps in different areas. This year’s programme provided 248 people with medical check-ups, ultra sounds, X-rays, blood tests, urine and stool tests, and 92 people were provided with free medicine.   

This year Lha has won the award for the “Best Use of  Website and Internet Tools”  at the 4th South Asia eNGO challenge Award. The award ceremony was held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi and recognised the excellent use of Lha’s online presence to help the transition and rehabilitation of Tibetan refugees in India.  This year 225 nominations were received from seven South Asian countries and they were listed under six categories. Lha made it to the top among 70 other NGOs who were nominated in the same category “Best Use of Website and Internet Tools.”  

Lha Annual Financial Report of the fiscal year 2014-2015 as per the Audit Report under section 12A (b) of the Income Tax Act 1961, Govt. of India shows a total income of  INR 9,938,974 ($155,296.5) and total expenditure of INR 8,271,624 ($137,860.4) which includes the administrative cost of INR 4,383,006 ($73,050.1) and the project cost of INR 3,888,618 ($64,810.3)  

Organising student exchange groups and arranging student groups and volunteers’ stays in Lha’s Ahimsa House has enabled Lha to raise revenue in order to become more self-sufficient and sustainable in providing our daily social services, including our language and computer classes However, to keep up with the growing needs of the community, and to maintain the operation of our other social services and special projects such as the Soup Kitchen, Contact Magazine, Clean Water, Clear Vision, Tibetan Smiles Dental Care, environmental initiatives, HIV/AIDs awareness etc., we continue to rely on generous donations  

On behalf of Lha Charitable Trust and all the beneficiaries, we would like to express our heartfelt thank you for all your generous assistance in carrying out our daily initiatives which could not have been this successful without your kind support. Thank you very much, Louisiana Himalaya Association, Tulane University, The Tibet Fund, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Tibet Freunde Swiss, Vietnamese Devotees from US and Canada, Apocolypse Krew, Lifework International, Rustic Pathways, Loyola University, Centenary College, Hospice Group from US and various other individuals and organisations Lha has been going strong for many years and continues to be inspired by the generous supporters and dedicated volunteers from all around the world to tend the needs of the impoverished and underprivileged communities in India  

Each year, our programs and projects are adjusted to meet the conditions and needs of the region. With your generous support, we hope to continue providing these invaluable services to the local community and engage in new initiatives in the coming year. All monetary contributions from philanthropic corporations and generous individuals are greatly appreciated and helpful, large or small. In India, even a little goes a long way, and a lot goes very far! Please follow the links for more details, updated reports and news. If you would like to read our latest updates, please visit Lha’s website www.lhasocialwork.org   Below are some quick facts about Lha’s work in 2015, and we hope for continued success in 2016. Thank you once again for your unwavering support; we could not have achieved these things without you, the volunteers, and of course the dedication of the students and the community    

Ngawang Rabgyal (Director)
Lha Charitable Trust
Temple Road, Mcloed Ganj
Dharamsala-176219
Distt. Kangra, H.P. India

Office phone: +91-1892-220992
Office Mobile: +91-9882323455

Website:

• www.lhasocialwork.org
• www.samdhongrinpoche.com
• www.tibetnature.net
• www.contactmagazine.net
• www.tibetfairtrade.com

Lha’s  You Tube Channel
Lha’s Facebook Page
Contact Facebook Page
Lha’s Twitter 
Contact Twitter

• Provided language classes for 2,043 students attending Lha’s classes, based on monthly attendance
• Enrolled 554 new students in language classes
• 120 students attended Beginner and Intermediate computer classes
• Distributed over 4,500 free articles of clothing to both the Tibetan and local Indian communities
• Served 50-60 needy people daily, with 69 people benefiting from the Lha community kitchen which provides clean water and nutritious meals
• Provided free eye examinations to 86 Tibetan refugees and free glasses to 85 people
• Provided free dental care services to 125 Tibetan refugees, including dental check-ups, cleaning, fillings, extractions, providing medicines, x-rays, braces, etc
• Organised several HIV/AIDS awareness talks and observed World AIDS Day with awareness campaigns, performance of a street skit and distribution of condoms and pamphlets to over 1,300 people
• Circulated educational pamphlets, organised awareness campaigns and mass clean-up on World Environment Day reaching around 2,100 people
• Provided support letters for 101 students. The Indian Government requires a letter from an educational institution as proof from newly arrived refugees that they have registered as relocating to India for educational opportunities
• Worked with 543 new volunteers who donated their valuable time and energy
• Organised Cultural Exchange Programmes for 12 international groups, including University and High School students, with around 210 participants
• Published and distributed 11,300 free copies of Contact Magazine (700-1,000 copies published every month)
• Installed eight brand new water filtration systems, serving around 3,900 people in total with purified water for both their drinking and cooking needs
• Organised two Educational talks for 350 parents and students from different schools
• Organised 2 weeks of acupuncture treatment for 80 patients  
• 248 people were provided with medical assistance, such as check-ups, blood test, stool test, ultra sound, X-rays, etc.

• 10,872 students have benefited from our language courses.
• 2,868 students have benefited from our computer classes and IT workshops.
• Approximately 1,439 students from international education institutes participated in the cultural exchange programme.
• Over 6,834 volunteers from 42 different countries have contributed to Lha’s work.
• 33,340 free books distributed to Tibetan and local Indian schools and libraries.
• More than 36,200 articles of clothing were collected and distributed through the donation centre.
• Installed 24 water filtration systems under Clean Water Project, which continues to provide purified cooking and drinking water to over 13,300 people.
• 453 people received free eye check-ups, and glasses provided for more than 343 people for Clear Vision Project.
• 540 people benefited from Tibetan Smiles – dental care project with services such as teeth check-up, cleaning, extractions, medication, etc.
• Free publication and distribution of 69,200 copies of Contact magazine since 2009.
• 169 people have graduated from Lha’s massage courses.
• 67 people have graduated from Lha’s photography courses.
• The Lha Community Soup Kitchen has fed 50-60 financially disadvantaged people daily, and has benefited 646 people since its opening in July 2011.
• 723 students have been provided with a recommendation letter to comply with the Indian Government’s requirement of a letter from an educational institution as proof for newly arrived refugees who have been registered as relocating to India for educational opportunities.       
• 350 parents and students have benefited through educational talks in 2015.
• 130 elders have benefited through projects at Jampaling Elders Home in 2015. 

• 19th January, 2015 – Lha received a student exchange group from Frostburg State University, Maryland, for the first time. The group was led by Mr Douglas Bear. 
• 25th January, 2015. Lha installed its 17th RO+UV+UF treated water purification system as a part of Clean Water Project at Geden Choeling nunnery where over 170 nuns were living and pursuing Buddhist studies.  
• 6th March, 2015. Lha distributed over 1000 articles of clothing to slum areas in Dharamshala through Rotary Club Dharamshala. 
• 22nd March, 2015 – (World Water Day), Lha installed its 18th RO+UV+UF treated water purification system as a part of Clean Water Project at Sambhota Tibetan School, Dekyiling.  179 students and 30 staff members are benefiting from this project.
• In April 2015 – Lha conducted a survey on the Clean Water Project with our former volunteer Johanna Gartner (Scientific Advisor/Researcher) to evaluate and assess the success of implanting a water filtration system. 183 students and staff members from 15 different schools who have benefitted from our Clean Water Project participated in the survey.
• 29th April, 2015 – Lha installed its 19th RO+UV+UF treated water purification system as a part of Clean Water Project at Delek Hospital, Dharamshala. 41 staff members and more than 60 patients are benefiting from this project on a daily basis.
• 10th May, 2015 – Lha hosted a student exchange group from Centenary College, USA as a part of Lha Cultural Exchange Programme.  
• 25th May, 2015 – Lha donated over 2,000 articles of clothing to Tonglen Charitable Trust. 
• 6th June, 2015 – Lha hosted a student exchange group from School of Social Work, Tulane University, LA, USA, to participate in Lha Culture Exchange Programme. 
• 10th June, 2015 – Lha installed its 20th RO+UV+UF water purification system under the Clean Water Project at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA). 95 staff members, 300 students and more than 20 visitors are benefiting from this system every day.
• 19th June, 2015 –  Lha organised a mass clean-up, in collaboration with the Clean Upper Dharamshala Programme (CUDP), Tibetan Footpath Association, and Tibetan Women’s Association. This clean-up was held as a symbolic act of gratitude to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on his 80th birthday. There were more than 135 participants including volunteers, students, and representatives.
• 20th June, 2015 – Lha hosted the first student exchange group from Rustic Pathways to participate in the Cultural Exchange Programme. 
• 27th June, 2015 –  Lha Charitable Trust conducted an awareness talk on HIV/AIDS for the adult students of the Lha language classes with the help of our former volunteer Ellen Vermes. Lha organised this event to educate students about HIV/AIDS on National HIV Testing Day, celebrated every year on this day.
• 30th June, 2015-  Lha organised a mutual learning programme with a student group from Life Work Internationals for a week. 
• 4th July, 2015. Lha organised a Cultural Exchange Programme with a second student group from Rustic Pathways, 2015.  
• 10th – 27th July, 2015 – Lha hosted a student group from Loyola University, USA led by Michael Smith as a part of the Lha Cultural Exchange Programme. 
• 13th July, 2015 – Lha organised a Cultural Exchange Programme with a third student group from Rustic Pathways, 2015.  
• 18th July, 2015 – Lha organised a Cultural Exchange Programme with a fourth student group from Rustic Pathways, 2015.  
• 20th July, 2015 – Lha organised a Mutual Learning Programme with a student group from Life Work Internationals for 10 days. 
• 24rd July, 2015 – Lha organised a Cultural Exchange Programme with a fifth student group from Rustic Pathways, 2015.  
• 28th July, 2015 – Lha organised an awareness talk on Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) for the adult students of the Lha language classes to observe National Hepatitis Day, 
• 21st August, 2015 – Lha Charitable Trust installed its 21st RO+UV+UF treated water filtration system as a part of the Clean Water Project at the staff dining hall of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). 300 staff members of the CTA are benefiting from this project.
• 9th September, 2015 – Lha won the award for the ‘Best Use of Website and Internet Tools’ at the 4th South Asia eNGO Challenge 2015, held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
• 15th September, 2015 – Lha organised a two week free acupuncture treatment camp with volunteer Dr Dong Giao Tran, his wife, Sanh Hy Nyuyen and friend Uyen Trinh from Canada. They also donated steel thermoses, door and window curtains and sponsored the Lha soup kitchen for two weeks.
• 20th September, 2015 – Lha in collaboration with the Clean Upper Dharamshala Programme and Tibetan Women’s Association celebrated World Mass Cleanup Day by organising a mass Clean-up in the Bhagsu river area. 
• 21st September, 2015 – Lha received a donation of an online Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) from a student group from the School of Social Work, 2015 and Dr. Ron Marks from Tulane University.   
• 23rd September, 2015 – Lha celebrate World Mass Cleanup Day by organising a mass Clean-up in Bhagsu river area. 
• 9th October, 2015 – ‎Lha Charitable Trust won the ‎award for the ‘Best Use of Website and Internet Tools’ at the 4th ‎South Asia eNGO Challenge 2015, held at ‎India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
• 16th -23rd October, 2015 – Lha hosted a group of professional medical practitioners and health care providers from New Orleans, Louisiana as part of Lha’s Cutural Exchange Programme
• 26th October, 2015 – Lha with the Clean Upper Dharamshala Programme (CUDP) organised a mass clean-up in Mcleod Ganj. Over 70 Lha Students, volunteers and staff members have participated in this community clean–up programme.  
• 27th October, 2015 – Lha distributed 25 Milton Stainless Steel Thermoses to the residents of Jampaling Elders Home donated by Venerable Trinh and Dr Giao from Canada. 
• 28th October, 2015 – A talk was given to the Dharamshala parents on “Growth Mindset” organised by Lha in collaboration with the Parents and Teachers Association of Petoen School, and Mcleod TCV Day School Parents Association. The speaker was Mr. Gyaltsen, the former Education Officer at the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration.
• 6th November, 2015 – Lha hosted 16 students from American School of Bombay as a part of Lha Culture Exchange Programme. 
• 9th November, 2015 – A group of members of the Australia Tibet Council led by Paul Bourke visited Lha office as a part of their visit to Tibetan organisations in Dharamshala.   
• 9th -12th November, 2015 – Lha’s environmental officer attended a four-day HIV counselling training organised by the Department of Health at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), in collaboration with the Christian Medical College at Vellore, Chennai. 
• 21st November, 2015 – Lha organised a talk “Key to academic success” at Tibetan Children’s Village Suja School. The speaker was Mr Gyaltsen, former Education Officer of the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration and a Lha volunteer.
• 1st December, 2015 – Lha in collaboration with Delek Hospital and Dharamshala Rotary Club observed World AIDS Day with the theme of ‘Getting to Zero’ at the main square in Mcleod Ganj, including a street procession, free blood tests, distribution of pamphlets and condoms, group song, skit performance and awareness talks. 
• 9th December, 2015 – Lha concluded its Eye Care and Dental Care Project for the year 2015. 125 people received dental care including check-ups, cleaning, x-rays, tooth filling, dental scaling, etc, with tooth extractions, nine root canal treatments. 22 people were provided with free medicine and 86 people were provided with free eye care assistance and with free eye glasses. 
• 11th December, 2015 – Lha installed its 22nd RO+UV+UF treated water filtration systems in TCV School Gopalpur which is home to over 1,200 students and 137 staff members.   
• 18th December, 2015 – Lha installed its 23rd RO+UV+UF treated water filtration system through Rotary Club Dharamshala, at Kand Government High School located near lower Dharamshala, Kanyara Road. This filtration system is funded by Apocolypse Krew Louisiana, USA. There are over 165 students and 35 teachers in the school. 
• 23rd December, 2015 – Lha installed its 24th RO+UV+UF water purification system at Bir Tibetan Society, as a part of the Lha’s Clean Water Project. This system was funded by Vietnamese Devotees from USA and Canada. There are around 1,200 people including Tibetan refugee families and a local Indian community in that locality.