Route map of Tong-Len Mcleod Ganj Temple Road Jogiwara Road Dharamsala Kachehri Chilgari (BSNL Of) Dari Norbulingka Sacred Heart High School Tong-Len Gagal Mataur Sidhbari Sarah (IBD School) Kangra Tong-Len 1 His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama 2 ONG-LEN Charitable Trust T www.tong-len.org 3 Compassion in Action Lobsang Jamyang 4 CONTENTS Inspirations-From Tibet to Dharamsala 23 Aspirations-The Hopes & Dreams for Tong-Len 54 Humble Beginnings- The Early Years 58 Ten Years on, where are we now? 35 Looking to the future – Five years and beyond 54 Acknowledgments 54 5 Inspirations From Tibet to Dharamshala CHAPTER 1 Jamyang Lobsang, founder and director of Tong- Len Charitable Trust was born in Tibet in 1974, the youngest son in a family of eight children. “True Compassion is the cultural revolution, his family remained very not just an emotional religious and his early introduction to caring was learned at his mother’s side. Another great commitment founded on reason” - ing young sheep and goats. His mother, sensing His Holiness, 14th Dalai Lama sent him to this uncle and together they stayed in a small hut hand feeding young animals. This was a very moving experience for Jamyang and planted the seed that would lead to his quest to care for others. From age twelve to his early 6 Inspirations From Tibet to Dharamshala twenties Jamyang lived in a monastery in Tibet, but much attention to his lessons or academic training. His interest was to do something practical to relieve In order to be free to practice his religion and live his life in service of others, Jamyang decided in 1997 dangerous route to exile in India. For safety reasons he was unable to say goodbye to his family. On his last day in Lhasa Jamyang prayed in the temple “If I can care for others and serve the community please keep me safe, if not I will not regret dying on the road” 7 Inspirations From Tibet to Dharamshala Reaching Nepal after thirteen days and nights of deep sorrow in mind and heart Jamyang believed his prayer answered. Soon afterwards he reached Holiness, The Dalai Lama, his inspiration in lov- Living in Dharamsala in a small room, Jamy- ang was moved by the children he saw begging, sharing his lunch and from this small act of car- helping them and the slum communities in which they lived. 8 Aspirations The Hopes & Dreams for Tong-Len CHAPTER Janyang visited the slum called Charan Khad in 2 Lower Dharamsala. He had never witnessed an eating raw vegetable from the garbage, ravaged by disease and fever, mothers ill, conditions worse “Therefore a truly compas- than he could ever have imagined. He was moved to sionate attitude towards others does not change As a young boy his mother said “whatever happens even if they behave nega- to you no matter how desperate your circumstanc- tively” es, do not steal, better to beg’. With this in mind he felt obliged to help these people who were begging His Holiness, 14th Dalai out of desperation. They were not stealing, although Lama - forced to steal to survive but Jamyang understood this and did not judge her actions. In 2002, with no intention in his mind to start a for these people. He spent his days doing his teach- ings at the temple and at night spent time in the slum, helping where he could and getting involved 9 Aspirations The Hopes & Dreams for Tong-Len said he was mad to do this, always feeling tired and sleeping in the teachings. They also thought that it was dangerous for him. Despite their warn- meditation and monastic life but here with these people who had also left their homes and families to survive. He asked of himself “How can I close my eyes, how can I stay and do nothing? As a monk and as a follower of His Holiness who encourages loving kindness and compassion, my responsibility is to do whatever I can for these people.” For two years Jamyang spent his time deepening his understanding of the issues facing the poor people of India. He was confronted by distressing circumstances such as family violence, alcoholism, disease and death. 10 Aspirations The Hopes & Dreams for Tong-Len He was emotionally moved by the conditions fac- ing these people and aspired to give them hope. He just for survival and secondly to bring change for the future. decided to start a society for them that would be called Tong-Len, two Tibetan words meaning “giv- ing and receiving”. for these people through education, better health and empowerment to achieve their full potential and a sustainable future. 11 Humble Beginnings The Early Years CHAPTER The early years of Tong-Len required humility 3 and patience to gain the understanding and trust of the slum community at Charan. The commu- nity, seeing no further than today and tomorrow, “When you realize that Providing some support for basic needs helped all beings are equal in gain trust and opened their minds to seeing an their desire for happi- alternative future - if not for themselves, for their ness and their right to children. obtain it, you automati- cally feel empathy and In these early times Jamyang observed that closeness for them” almost none of the children attended school. It th His Holiness, 14 Dalai the families needed the children to supplement Lama the family income though begging. Most children had no experience of education. Some had never even seen or been inside a school. children in school but school attendance was shared his dream with Rachel and Michael, young Western volunteers who he met through their 12 Humble Beginnings The Early Years to help both with fundraising and with organiz- children were living in the slum. A shelter was used crowded round, all anxious to learn. This was the beginning of the tent schools. With three months of the children starting school the spread of disease from the camp into the school was such that Tong-Len was told that the children would be unable to continue without secure hostel accom- modation in which they could live and study. Also - rented house, opened in February 2005. Navita was appointed as house mother and the ten children moved in. In April they were joined by ten more and in 2007 a second hostel was opened for another 20 children. Equality was given to gender and ethnic from a family to be fair to the whole community. Selection was based on need and on performance in the tent schools. 13 Humble Beginnings The Early Years For those children still due to fear, myths and a sense of powerlessness in not at school, the tu- many families. Hygiene and sanitation was very ition tent was expanded, poor and this needed to be addressed. Just main- teachers appointed, taining life and reducing disease such as TB and who, with the help of diarrhea was a major priority. Rachel, a nurse, volunteer, provided basic who had remained in India to help Jamyang, be- education in literacy and gan a small health project in January 2006. This numeracy. This led to provided general medical care, health awareness, improved enrollments in wound dressing and access to hospital for the Government schools over seriously ill. At the same time a nursery tent for time. the younger children was established. This tent was used as a health clinic in the mornings and Health remained an as a nursery in the afternoons. Many of the older ongoing problem in children had to care for younger siblings, so hav- Charan, and access to ing the nursery feed them for their own studies as medical care was limited well as giving the little ones opportunity to play These humble beginnings laid the foundations of trust and a relationship with the community that would allow positive change for the future, mov- ing from incentives and direct services to promot- ing healthy positive lives. 14 Ten Years on, Where are we now? CHAPTER That Tong-Len has become a familiar and respected 4 name in Charan and other slum communities in Kangra District is a major achievement of the dream. That the people of Charan can call us friends is an important outcome of compassion in action. That ideally one child from every family in Charan “I try to treat whoever I has an opportunity to live in the hostel is an meet as an old friend. This achievement of the dream. That 70% of babies from gives me a genuine feel- Charan are now born in hospital is an achievement ing of happiness. It is the of the dream. That approximately 150 children practice of compassion” attend the tuition tent on a daily basis is an achieve- ment of the dream. That older children from the His Holiness, 14th Dalai hostel have completed secondary school and now Lama attend university is an achievement of the dream. That fresh water and solar lighting support the families of Charan is an achievement of the dream. 3800 people have been supported by the Tong-Len Health Team. Deaths have decreased and life expec- tancy has increased. All of these are achievements of the dream. So many achievements, too many to list here, but the greatest achievement is that Tong- Len, through changed the attitudes and beliefs of many of the 15 Ten Years on, Where are we now? community, allowing them to move from just sur- vival to seeing a better future and better standards of living. This is the true realisation of the dream.