| December 2007
Water Purification- an urgent plea for immediate funds
In September, I visited 36 or our 48 sites to personally check on our water systems, to supervise necessary repairs, and to renew maintenance contracts on all the units. We also decided to add two new systems, one in a monastery with 250 young monks where their drinking water is BROWN, and the other as an additional system at a school with 1500 children. The unit we have there is not enough and sometimes they are drinking unsafe water. With your help, we can do so much more.
Our goal is to bring water purification systems to as many of the Tibetan schools, monasteries, nunneries, hospitals, and Tibetan homes for the elderly as possible. There are hundreds of these facilities throughout India . In many sites the water is polluted, and each year, especially during the rainy season, people get sick. In fact, many children have died . I have worked with Tibetan refugees over the past 24 years, and have witnessed thousands of patients with compromised health as a result of impure water. There are 135,000 Tibetan refugees living in 54 settlement camps throughout India .
Since 2002, we have successfully installed over 48 water purification systems , greatly reducing the incidence of water-borne contaminants and improving the general health of those with access. No one has become ill from contaminated water at those locations, yet there are many sites that are in great need of these purification systems.
There is a multitude of ways to install purification systems. Some are quite simple involving only a water filtration system hooked up to holding tanks. Others have involved the construction of a concrete or brick hut that can house the unit and be locked. The size of the units and the holding tanks also vary greatly dependent upon the number of people to be serviced and the environmental conditions. Each situation is different.
In particular, we urgently need to make the children's schools and homes for the elderly safe . The purification systems cost can range from $300 to $1000 per unit and each school or home for the elderly may need a few units. We work very hard to keep our operating costs at a minimum. Your donation will enable us to purchase, install, and service these water purification systems.
Tax-deductible contributions can be made by check, payable to Alternative Resources. Please designate in the memo that your donation is for water purification. Or, you can make a general donation to our organization.
For online donations, please visit our site at: www.tibetanrefugeehealth.org or see mailing instructions below.
With enough funding we can move into larger projects – digging wells, installing overhead tanks and RO plants piped water into homes, schools, hospitals, etc., creating motes and purification systems for entire Tibetan communities. If you are interested in supporting these, please contact our administrative offices for more details.
For Checks, please make them payable to:
Alternative Resources Unlimited
101 W.23 St.#158
New York NY 10011
The Tibetan Refugee Health Care Project is an initiative of
Alternative Resources Unlimited Inc.II, a 501c3 non-profit, non-political
organization, which has existed since 1989, under the directorship
of Marsha Woolf. It operates almost exclusively through donations
and volunteer staff. TRHCP was created to facilitate medical treatment
and disease prevention education among the over 135,000 Tibetans
currently living in resettlement camps in India. We bring qualified
volunteer health care professionals to these Tibetan communities
to hold clinics and give treatments with a focus on acupuncture,
nutritional education, self help skills, health talks, women’s
health education, and medical care. We also bring donated medical
and health related supplies, as well as purchase sorely needed
equipment or supplies directly in India. This has included dental
equipment. The project has begun to expand its teams of health
care professionals to include medical doctors, dentists, health
educators, environmentalists, and other medical personnel. All
services are offered on a volunteer basis. With proper funding,
the project plans to have mobile units, which will allow multiple
teams to go to various camps simultaneously. Please make checks
to Alternative Resources with a memo on the check telling us where
you would like your donations to go. Or, you can make a general
donation, and we will decide.
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