The Latest at TVP

Rotary Club of Australia: TVP was adopted by R.A.W.C.S which is an abbreviation of Rotary Australia World Community Service. This is the national arm of Rotary that supports overseas projects and allows the donations to TVP to be tax-deductible in Australia. Don Cullen, one of the TVP board members, who lives in Melbourne, has been raising funds for several years now, and is also a member of the Rotary Club of Brighton North in Melbourne. This is a huge step for TVP and we are very excited for the opportunity to raise funds and awareness through Rotary in Australia. If you, or someone you know is a member of Rotary, then let TVP know and we may be able to arrange a talk to the club about TVP.

Help Earthquake Victims in China: A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Sichuan province on May 12, killing an estimated 50,000 people according to official sources, with the number expected to rise. Among victims are over 1000 students including 12 Tibetan girls known to be buried underneath collapsed schools. The quake struck approximately 56 miles from the provincial capital of Chengdu, leaving 45 dead and almost 600 injured in the city of over 11 million. Chengdu is a main hop to Tibet and it has approximately 10,000 Tibetans living there.  The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Lungu County (Ch: Wenchuan), Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Ch: Aba) in Sichuan Province (the Tibetan area of Amdo). Please find a way to support the relief effort and keep these people in your prayers. Losing human being livers is just sad regardless of who they are. Donations for the earthquake relief effort can be made to The Bridge Fund www.bridgefund.org.

Trip Cancellations to Tibet: Due to recent unrest, the situation in Tibet is simply unsafe and unpredictable for Tibetan Village Project to go forward with the Conscious Journeys program to Tibet this summer. As a result, the Tibetan Village Project has decided to cancel all its Conscious Journeys trips that are scheduled prior to the Beijing Olympics.  TVP hopes to plan to organize one trip to Tibet the end of September 2008 for three weeks and will resume to normal activities in 2009.  If you are interested in this, please visit www.ConsciousJourneys.org.

Tibetan Children Receive Winter Clothing: As the cold Tibetan winter approaches children at Pa Lhakang Monastic School in Kham will receive winter clothing donated by TVP. The winter Chupa is the traditional Tibetan long robe, warm and woolen. TVP is ordering Chupas that will be made at a local Tibetan tailor shop. This strategy ensures that donated funds will stay in the Tibetan business community and support local Tibetan’s employment. It is very difficult for Tibetans’ to find employment when most jobs go to Chinese immigrants. Learn more.

Don Cullen Receives Paul Harris Fellowship Award: Don Cullen who lives in Melbourne, Australia received the Paul Harris Fellowship Award in October 2007 from the Rotary Club. The award is named after Paul Harris who founded Rotary in Chicago in 1905. The Rotary Club supports humanitarian projects around the globe including Tibet. Don was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow in special appreciation for the ways in which his life exemplifies the humanitarian and educational objectives of The Rotary Foundation. Don has been working with Tibetan Village project since 2005 and travels to Tibet every year. In 2007 two representatives of Melbourne’s Rotary Club traveled to Tibet with TVP. TVP congratulates Don for this special award and expresses its sincere appreciation for being part of the team and making a difference in lives of thousands of Tibetans. 

2 of 10 Greenhouses Built: Malnutrition among Tibetan children is rampant and has resulted in startling rates of stunted growth. With a generous challenge grant and its matching fund, TVP has completed the first of 10 greenhouses this summer. Second and third greenhouses are well under way. Vegetables from the greenhouses will feed and improve the health of approximately 1,200 school children who currently receive school supplies from TVP. Learn more.

Drumda Primary School: This school is located along the highway between the TVP Yari Ghang Clinic and Tidrum hot spring in Drikung valley, about a 3 hour drive north of Lhasa. This school has 30 students in first, second and third grades and is operated and taught by a Tibetan couple. The school's building is poorly built and old. The roof leaks, the walls have settling cracks and the floors are uneven. This year, TVP provided funds for a new floor, roof repairs and for the purchase of new desks, chairs and textbooks. The Teachers suggested that the wall repairs be put on hold until they are able to determine when the Government is going to relocate the school.