Heart of Asia - The Golden Sufi Center

Newsletter
Jan 2015
Issue 10
Heart of Asia
Bringing healthcare, health
education and essential aid to
remote communities in rural
eastern Tibet.
Heart of Asia
Compassion in Action
2014: News of the past year
HEART OF ASIA DIRECTOR'S TRIP TO TIBET
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014
Heart of Asia'sDirector visited eastern Tibet in Autumn 2014, staying with, and advised by,
Wangdrak Rinpoche of Gebchak Nunnery and his assistant Ani Chozom. The trip enabled
our Director to meet our partners and some of our beneficiaries in Tibet, to develop new
contacts and to assess potential new projects.
Heart of Asia is supporting the
development of a much needed
local health care network that
respects the traditions and suits
the environmentally
challenging conditions in the
remote Himalayan areas of
Derge County and Nangchen in
Kham, eastern Tibet.
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YUSHU EARTHQUAKE ORPHANS
This year Heart of Asia continued to donate to the Yushu Earthquake Orphans Fund, towards
their basic needs and care. Wangdrak Rinpoche, responsible for Gebchak Nunnery, is taking
care of 28 children orphaned by the very devastating earthquake, which hit Yushu County in
southern Qinghai Province in April 2010.
Heart of Asia's goal is to
support vulnerable
communities through working
with, and empowering, local
people. Among other things we
fund simple accredited health
care training in both Tibetan
herbal and allopathic medicine,
provide small medical
emergency funds and distribute
basic health care books and
simple birthpacks.
Ani Chozom writes: “The Yushu orphans continue to attend primary and middle schools in
Yushu, most of them living in the orphanage-home with one house mother, and the
supervision of other Tibetan adults nearby. The three oldest orphans are boys, aged 16-17,
and live with extended families in Yushu, while being financially provided for by Wangdrak
Rinpoche (with the help of Heart of Asia). The children are all in good health and their
complexions and efforts in school are often complimented on by their teachers.
Four years have passed since the earthquake and by now many Tibetan families have
recovered their homes and livelihoods. Wangdrak Rinpoche is now looking at which orphans
can resettle back home with their extended families (7 of the original number of 35 children
have already done so), as this would be the most stable and nurturing environment for them
in the long run. Wangdrak Rinpoche would still oversee that each child continues to attend
school, regardless of whether they live in the orphanage or at home. “
Our donation goes towards funding food, clothes and education for the children.
www.gebchakgonpa.org/donate/yushu-earthquake-orphans
CHOGA RINPOCHE'S NANGCHEN ORPHANAGE
Heart of Asia is entirely run by
unpaid volunteers who work
with, and are advised by,
Tibetans with a deep knowledge
of the area.
During her fact-finding trip to parts of eastern Tibet this autumn
our Director visited an orphanage newly established by Choga
Rinpoche in Nangchen. Rinpoche and his sister are doing
wonderful work caring for a small group of orphans, whom they
prefer to describe as the “Love Family”, and they have created a
Somemembersofthe very warm and nurturing environment for the 15 girls and 2 boys,
aged from 5 to 17. Heart of Asia is happy to begin supporting this
“LoveFamily.”
impressive initiative with funds. Forward thinking and
compassionate Choga Rinpoche plans to add an old people's home to his orphanage in
the future.
DZONGSAR MEDICAL EMERGENCY FUND
Heart of Asiacontinued to provide a small ongoing medical emergency Fund of £2,000 for
Dzongsar/Meshu area in eastern Tibet – a fund administered by Yuthok Yonden Gonpo
Medical Association, a Tibetan NGO with whom we have worked in eastern Tibet for
some years. The fund enables poor people needing immediate life saving treatment to
reach an allopathic hospital and to pay for their treatment there.
MOTHER AND BABY (OBSTETRIC) EMERGENCY FUND
Heart of Asia
Compassion in Action
THE OLD SWAN,
ALFRICK
NEAR WORCESTER
WR6 5HY
UK
E-MAIL:
Info@heartofasia.org
www.heartofasia.org
This year Heart of Asia donated £3,000 to a fund to assist pregnant
mothers and their babies in a group of small villages in Derge County,
in eastern Tibet. In common with most remote rural areas in the
region the maternal and infant mortality rate there is very high and this
fund is absolutely crucial for the protection of local mothers and
babies. An experienced and dedicated British trained Tibetan
midwife, who travels twice a year to the area to deliver Safer
Motherhood training, administers the fund and advises local
community leaders on how to use it wisely. As a result of our fund,
(which has provided both transport to the nearest hospital and money
to pay for the treatment needed,) and valuable local healthcare
training initiatives, 13 mothers and 10 babies lives have been saved
in these villages in the period from May to October in 2014.
Heart of Asia is a
registered charity
No: 1114708
and a company limited
by guarantee
No: 4961681
DRU GU GIRLS
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theirmothers
In 2014 Heart of Asia funded 2 girls from Dru gu area, near
Chamdo, to attend 2 simple obstetric and general
healthcare trainings delivered by our midwife friend in
Derge County. On both occasions the girls were
chaperoned by their mothers, who took an active part in the
training, so the result was 4 ladies trained for the price of 2!
The girls and their mothers were enthusiastic participants
and we hope they will return for further training.
The Dru gu ladies reported that there are many deaths of women during childbirth in their area.
Their community has a population of 10,000 and local facilities are poor or non-existent - the
nearest hospital is about 70 miles away in Chamdo (5-6 hours by car). Sadly the situation in
Dru gu is typical of most remote Tibetan communities and our support is just a tiny drop in an
ocean of need.
TIBETAN HERBS AND A VILLAGE SCHOOL
Many thanks to ...
Once again we wish to express
our deep gratitude
to our donors, helpers
and supporters who are making
our exciting work possible - in
particular
The Golden Sufi Centre
(www.goldensufi.org).
Heart of Asia regularly provides funds for two herbal
medicine doctors who practice in a poor and remote area
in Derge County, in order that they can give medicine free
to poor patients who are unable to pay for their treatment.
We also support a small and struggling school in the
area. This year our Director was able to meet the two
Tibetan Herbal Medicine Doctors once again, and also to
meet the local community leader who is responsible for
the school. She was very happy to learn that our funds
had proved to be helpful and that all 3 men were thoroughly committed to their service to their
communities.
TRAINING IN TB DIAGNOSIS FOR GEBCHAK NUNNERY
Any fundraising initiatives
on behalf of Heart of Asia
are invaluable and
always welcome.
www.heartofasia.org
AmchiYeshe
TB is endemic in Tibet and has been a major issue at Gebchak, Tibet's
largest nunnery situated in a remote part of Nangchen and dedicated to
the preservation of a renowned yogic meditation tradition unique to
women. In the coming year Heart of Asia proposes to send a western
Doctor to the Nunnery to train Amchi Yeshe, the Tibetan Herbal Doctor
there, in correct TB diagnosis. We are very excited that Dr Di Gibb has
volunteered to travel to Gebchak in May, with our Director, to initiate
this task. To find out more about this remarkable nunnery go to:
www.gebchakgonpa.org
HEART OF ASIA INDIA: Child education in Beth Jhikli village.
Heart of Asia continued to fund improved education for 3 poor but gifted children from Beth
Jhikli village in Himachal Pradesh.
UDAYANCARE MEDICAL EMERGENCY FUND.
Udayancare is a very worthwhile organization based in
Delhi that works with orphaned children. This year Heart of
Asia made a one off donation to their new medical fund,
which was established to help needy children and their
extended families once they are beyond the care of the
orphanage. To read more about Udayancare please go to:
www.udayancare.org
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