November, 2008
Dear Friends,

I am writing to urge your support and collaboration in our 2008 Fall/Winter Campaign for the Tibetan Refugee Health Care Project. Your smallest act of kindness can help someone receive something as simple, yet as profound, as a glass of pure drinking water.  During these visits we will do onsite inspections of our existing water purification systems, renew maintenance contracts on them, many of which are expiring now, and install desperately needed new units as donations allow.  We will also hold medical clinics. 

TRHCP was established in 1989 to facilitate medical treatment and disease-prevention education to over 135,000 Tibetan refugees living in remote resettlement camps in India. Inspired by a meeting in 1983 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, when he shared the dire needs of the Tibetan people, Director Dr. Marsha Woolf has for the last 25 years been leading volunteer teams of health-care professionals—including Oriental Medicine practitioners, acupuncturists, medical doctors, health educators, environmentalists and others—to provide medical assistance, equipment and donated supplies to thousands of refugees who have little, if any, access to health care and are suffering from a host of illnesses. Among these illnesses are: malnutrition, dysentery, hepatitis, cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, hypertension, stroke, malaria, joint disease and others. As some of these illnesses are directly related to polluted water, TRHCP has also been passionately committed since 2002 to installing water purification systems to as many populations as possible, in particular children and the elderly.

DIRE NEED: Fall/Winter 2008

Help us to purify contaminated water!

In 2002, during one TRHCP visit to India, Dr. Woolf arrived at one large monastery to witness a water crisis in which many young monks were falling ill with hepatitis, parasites and other water-related diseases; in fact, one monk had already died.

Immediately, TRHCP committed itself to take action and initiated a water program with six purification systems. Since then, over 49 water purification systems have been installed, greatly reducing the water-borne contaminants and improving general health in those communities. Today, whenever we make our inspections of these water systems, people are beaming with happiness and appreciation.

However, there are thousands of Tibetans, still in peril, who do not have the privilege of good health and clean water.

WHAT IT COSTS

Each community is assessed by our team of experts to determine how many units and which type best suits its needs. Units can range from $300 to $1000 on average, and each community may need several units. Money is also needed for ongoing maintenance. Water systems are placed in hospitals, schools and hostels, homes for the elderly, community centers, monasteries and nunneries. Recently, we have taken on projects to bring safe water to destitute Indian communities living in these remote areas.

OTHER TRHCP INITIATIVES YOUR MONEY CAN SUPPORT