Lha Charitable Trust is a 12AA non-profit and largest social work organization as authorized by income Tax department of the Indian Government, and it’s audited annually by a Government-approved Chartered Accountant.

Lha’s primary goal is to provide meaningful, multi-leveled social services in Dharamsala to help ease the transition for the Tibetan refugee community. On a daily basis, Lha serves over 250 people, hosts between 15 to 25 volunteers, and provides up to 20 different services. These services include, but are not limited to, language education, computer courses, vocational training, health and environmental education and service, a Community Soup Kitchen, clean water, medicine, clothing distribution, and a public Library. Lha’s services are open to Tibetan refugees as well as the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan regions. We also provide cultural exchanges for international groups and free coordination for volunteers from around the globe.
Each year programs and projects are adjusted to meet the conditions and needs of the region, yet our commitment remains constant, to help the Tibetan people survive and prosper in their new home and preserve their profoundly unique culture. The organization is managed by local Tibetans who draw from their expertise and firsthand nowledge of what it means to be in exile, and many of our services are provided by international volunteers and
University Groups.

A major accomplishment this year has been that we have completed the payments on the Ahimsa House, which will serve the dual purposes ofhousing our community soup kitchen, as well as provide a residence for volunteers and Cultural Exchange students. The donations from those staying at the Ahimsa House are reinvested into Lha’s social programs, making Lha a more self-sufficient social institution in our community. Our core programs, such as language, computer and vocational courses, can now continue to be provided regardless of outside funding.
Thanks to our new financial stability, in 2011 we have been able to diversify our social programs. Our community soup kitchen for financially disadvantaged Tibetan refugees opened this year, and serves 40 to 50 nutritious meals daily. Further, due to the success of our health care program in 2009, which provided eye tests and corrective lenses to those in need, we continued to provide the service this year. We expanded the program to also encompass dental health, and now provide free dental care and oral hygiene education.

Our language, vocational and computer classes continue to grow in popularity in our community. This year alone we had 2476 students participate in our English, French and Chinese courses, each student staying for around three months, though some students choose to stay longer. About 20% of our students study long term and are in advanced levels. A new beginner and intermediate computer class is provided each month. This past year we had 226 students participate in these computer classes. We also continued our vocational courses in IT training, photography and massage therapy.
Lha continues to distribute clothes and other donated items to the Indian and Tibetan community in Dharamsala. In 2011, we have distributed over 2000 articles of clothing and other items to the slum areas of Dharamsala, and a further 2000 articles of clothing and footwear to the Tibetan community. School supplies have also been distributed to remote rural Indian elementary schools.

Lha also had nine schools participate in our Cultural Exchange Program, which provides a comprehensive introduction into Tibetan culture and life in exile. Each individual is paired with Lha student who is studying English, and also participates in various events, lessons, and activities about the Tibetan community.

Our 2011 Financial Statement shows the financial developments of Lha over the 2011 fiscal year. Every year we submit out income statement to the Indian income tax department for review. The statement below has already been approved a chartered accountant. In India, the fiscal year begins April 1st and ends March 31st; therefore, the 2011 fiscal year does not include the majority of 2011. Since Lha’s establishment, the means to which we are able to fulfill our commitment to the Tibetan community has changed. Some large changes occurred this past financial year, and are visible in our financial statements.
Our largest asset in 2011 is still our corpus receipt, which are donations specifically for the Ahimsa House building, which had yet to have been fully purchased. Most of our fixed assets had been purchased in previous years, however this year we purchased more furniture for the accommodations in the Ahimsa House.

Our expenditures include the provision of a basic salary to Lha’s nine Tibetan full time employees. In addition to our employees, many more services are provided by volunteers, who volunteer their time and energy for free. We also continue to rent our main building from a handicraft co-operative, which benefits from the income they receive from it.
Another expense is our “tour and travelling” expense, which is the amount spent on the provision of reception and orientation packages in Delhi and Dharamsala to newly arrived volunteers. However, Lha charges a small fee for these packages, and these are therefore not purchased with our donations.
2011 in Numbers

1. Had 2476 students attend language classes
2. Had 717 new students enroll for language classes
3. Had 226 students attend Intermediate and Beginner computer classes
4. Special Courses were provided in Massage, Photography and IT training
5. Distributed 2845 free articles of clothing to both the Tibetan and local Indian communities
6. Opened a new community soup kitchen and which provides clean, filtered water and nutritious meals to 40-50 financially disadvantaged people daily.
7. Provided Eye and Dental Care toover 100 Tibetan Refugees
8. Organized a mass clean-up program in Mcleod Ganj on World Environment Day
9. Provided recommendation letters to 183 of our students. The Indian Government requires letters from an educational institution as proof from newly arrived refugees that they have registered as relocating to India foreducational opportunities.
10. Worked with 546 new volunteers and donate their valuable time and energy.
11. Had 315 international visitors enroll in Tibetan Cooking, Tibetan Art, Tibetan Language and Yoga classes.

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