Patron: His Holiness The Dalai Lama TREK-AID helping Tibetan refugees in India & Nepal

Chairman of Trustees Richard Ravensdale

Proposals for Small Scale Aid-Projects by & with Tibetan Refugee Settlements in west Nepal for:

Spring – Autumn 2009


Prepared for Trek Aid Trust, UK 
by 
Richard Ravensdale
Chairman, Board of Trustees
British Government Registered Charity 1025577


Welfare programme's developed with Tibetan refugee communities include: Construction projects – building and equipping two Community Hall's, destitute homeless refugee settlers new and renovated homes in three camps, construction of a toilet and bathroom block; two camps day-care centre’s operation for pre-school children, salaries of carer's and teacher's, Further Studies scholarship fund, school transport, tuition fees; patients ‘rapid response’ medical grants; five performing arts & culture conservation programme’s; electricity costs for one refugee camp; computer for a central refugee welfare office for three communities; community cooking for the elderly people's associations of two settlements and old people's stipend's; gaz stoves for the wool dyeing process in a refugee camp handicraft centre providing 23 jobs.

Email replies trekaid@yahoo.co.uk 

Proposals for fieldwork,
Spring – Autumn 2009:
(all costs are in U.K. Pounds)

1. Construction of a Community Hall at Tashi Gaang Tibetan Settlement, Hyengia, Nepal. Total grant: 4211.oo
A particularly well costed, good value for money project, to create a village hall for a small refugee community to meet to celebrate their festivals, performing arts, cultural shows and communal activities. Important for the community spirit of Tibetans in exile to conserve their culture. The hall will be constructed, within this budget above, to also include three toilets adjoining the building to improve the camps sanitation needs. Plans are available, as are a financial breakdown of costs of materials, a proposal letter and printed description of the construction provided by the camp Settlement Officer, Tsering Siten. Cost: 4211.oo

2. Construction of a community kitchen at Tashi Gaang refugee settlement, Hyengia, Nepal. Total grant: 762.oo
Trek Aid has built community kitchens in four west Nepal Tibetan refugee camps in the past. Photo evidence is available. This very good value construction grant allows communal meals to be prepared for events, festivals, religious days, meetings and cultural shows as well as feeding the elderly residents. Includes the purchase of cooking utensils. Photo evidence is available. Cost: 762.oo

3. Equipping costs for new Community Hall, Tashi Gaang refugee camp. 480.oo
These funds will allow for the purchase of cooling fans, chairs, tables and a microphone / loud speaker system, to the new hall. Plans available, Cost: 480.oo

4. Cultural conservation. 
Funding the making of traditional regional Tibetan dance costumes with five culture & heritage groups, from two refugee camps. These five separate cultural conservation proposals for Pokhara refugee communities amount to 5853.oo, as follows:

(a) Paljorling Refugee Settlement, Pokhara – senior cultural organisation or ‘Shabdo Tsokpa’ . This organisation was formed in 1989 and has performed many original Tibetan cultural shows in the different styles of the three Tibetan provinces, giving their younger generation awareness, as they say “it is our cherished dream to preserve our rich culture” living as refugees in Hindu Nepal. Tibetan ‘Shabdo Tsokpa’ heritage groups proposal letter in English is available along with a cost estimate of 1944.oo for up to 35 sets of costumes for women plus 10 for men.

(b) Paljorling Refugee Settlement, Pokhara – Opera Troupe. Performing arts are well developed in Tibet. This refugee camp opera troupe was formed on the day His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Initially some elderly people started this troupe who had been part of a famous opera company in Tibet. They now have 70 members including most of the camp’s young people. The committee writes that “The main objective of this troupe is to preserve the old Tibetan culture.” Lhamo, or opera “unlike the performance of folk dances, performs on a complete story based on historical epic.” This requires a lot of costumes and ‘props’ such as drums and a specially designed Tibetan tent costing 500.oo. All costume and equipment needs are included in their financial proposal in English for 1838.oo 

(c) Tashiling Refugee Settlement, Pokhara - The Tibetan Women’s Association. Their proposal for cultural dance costumes includes a commitment by them to raise 25% of the projects funds as part of their active welfare fundraising. The Tibetan Women’s Association, originally founded in Tibet in 1959 by the women of Lhasa ‘to voice their opposition’ to the Chinese invaders, during the uprising of that year, was set up again in exile to channel the energy of Tibetan women ‘towards the preservation and promotion of our religion and culture’. As their publication states, their aims include ‘the preservation of our distinct identity, the social upliftment of our community and to create an awareness of our existence to the world at large.’ Cultural conservation is seen as very important. The TWA says that ‘having occupied our country, the Chinese worked towards the destruction of our religious and cultural institutions and also tried annihilating our very identity.’ It can therefore be seen how important it is to Tibetan women to ‘promote our unique cultural traditions…our various branches have organised cultural shows in which folk and traditional dances from all parts of Tibet’ are performed. The cultural shows have another function for the TWA acting as a potential fundraiser for their activities. It also enables foreign travellers and tourists to Nepal to witness traditional Tibetan culture first hand and raise awareness of Tibet’s spectacular heritage of performing arts. The President and the Secretary of the Tashiling branch of TWA jointly write to Trek Aid with an appeal to make 48 sets of costumes, from three Tibetan regions, chubas, dresses, headgear, boots with a total budget of 1500.oo. As they are undertaking to fundraise actively for 25% of this total they request Trek Aid to find 75% or 1125.oo making it a good value proposal. At the present time they say “when ever we get the chance to show our cultural dance, we have to go to other Tibetan [refugee] camps and schools to borrow the dresses, which is very inconvenient and sometimes we unfortunately had to cancel the performance. We always appreciate your continued support in different ways to the Tibetan community”. We feel that this is a highly valuable project in many ways. Its supports and helps conserve Tibetan traditions and performing arts and its wider appreciation by both western and Tibetan audiences. The costumes will also provide an ‘asset’, a fundraising ‘tool’, to this Association to assist their other programme's, which we also propose to support, such as pre-school day-care for young children, at home care for elderly Tibetans and after hospital care for disadvantaged families. 75% Grant for 48 costume sets is 1350.oo. Tashiling TWA President’s proposal letter available in English plus photocopies of TWA literature. 

(d) Tashiling Refugee Settlement, Pokhara – Youth Committee or “Sane Shonu”. This youth committee’s proposal stresses the need to conserve the cultural traditions of all Tibet’s different provinces. They say “the culture and performing arts is important because it proves Tibet was a sovereign country, by showing our own culture, tradition, religion and language. On the other hand it is also important, as His Holiness always advises us, to preserve culture and tradition.” They view it as their responsibility to “ keep culture and tradition in reality by performing arts in every Tibetan community and abroad.” They have proposed 18 sets of costumes for girls and 18 sets for boys, 6 in each of three provinces styles. Proposal letter available in English. Grant requested for 36 costumes: 1260.oo. 

(e). Paljorling Settlement, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress branch. Some years ago Trek Aid provided this youth group cultural costumes which are now worn out. Their new proposal is to get six male and six female Kham region dress sets and six male & female sets of Utsang province dress plus repair of the existing costume collection. The project is costed in detail by their Executive Committee at 630.oo. Letter proposal from RTYC President is available. 630.oo 

These five separate cultural conservation proposals for Pokhara refugee communities amount together to : 7022.oo

5. Elderly People's Nutrition at Tashiling & Paljorling settlements. These two refugee camps have no purpose built elderly peoples homes, so our strategy has been to use the Trek-Aid built community kitchens in both camps in partnership with the 'Mani Sokpa' elderly peoples association's prayer days to provide the elderly people, who live at home, with nutritious communally cooked lunches in their community hall where they gather regularly. This helps about 70 elderly residents of Paljorling and 40 at Tashiling. Their own committee's shop for the food and keep annual accounts for us. We provide the new grant once they have published their last years accounts and receipts to us. Past years reports available and accounts. 
Renewal Grant needed: 3000.oo 

6. Mathematics & Accounting Tuition for School students at Paljorling Settlement. This is a project devised by the Settlement Youth Committee to provide 35 school children in classes 5 to 10 extra tuition, one month per semester for three semesters in their weak school subjects. Three teachers will be employed in school holidays at 45.oo per teacher per month salary. This will improve the students chances of passing annual exams. Letter proposal from RTYC President is available. Grant requested: 405.oo.

7. Transport for school children from refugee camp to high school. The refugee camp putting in this proposal, Paljorling is situated in the Pokhara city and students, mainly aged 10 to 13, attend a Tibetan High School at a distance of 4 Km. Once they graduate from the camp primary school they have to attend this distant high school. They find it hard to obtain local city bus services on time and the youth committee request to hire a minibus with 15 seats for 287 days per year at a hire fee of 2.50 per minibus one way. Letter proposal from RTYC President is available. Grant requested is 718.oo 

8. Construction of living accommodation for a widow with a deteriorating mental disability, at Paljorling Settlement. 863.oo The Settlement Office has proposed priority re-housing for a 57 year old refugee single mother, Kalsang Methok who lives in rented rooms outside the refugee camp, to being in the community to get support as she suffers from, a deteriorating mental state. The initial fund for this priority case has been loaned from the Jampaling Agricultural Fund before we can re-pay the settlement. See biography statement and proposal letter from the Settlement Officer. Grant: 863.oo 

9. Conversion of a former carpet weaving hall to be a Community Hall at Jampaling. 3993.oo The collapse of the former Tibetan carpet handicraft industry at the rural Jampaling Settlement means their weaving hall near the Settlement office is unused and in need of renovation. This settlement is very widespread and the hall is near the central office. They have no place to gather for festivals or community meetings and so the Settlement office proposes to convert the use to being their Community Hall as it is near the administrative centre. This would increase the cultural activity of the camp, educational and medical preventative talks etc and would be a tremendous community asset to this poor community which is mainly agricultural. They have obtained two separate builders estimates for this work, at Trek Aid request. 
Grant total: 3993.oo 

10. Medical Grants. 5000.oo A long established scheme for Trek Aid to assist refugee patients to afford medical treatment. Many refugees ignore chronic illnesses because they have no money to pay for hospital assessments, medicines or operations. In Nepal we have an all year round system to immediately respond and help. Medical grants are made after careful scrutiny of patients medical receipts and discharge papers. Trek Aid Project Manager assesses needy cases proposed by settlements where the patient has collected official medical receipts for their operations, tests or prescriptive medicines or their camp office has paid for them. Trek Aid repays the case cost once all details are checked and accounts are agreed. All case papers and receipts from this rapid response service are kept for the donor agency to review. The approach offers the best value for money to a donor agency in treating direct medical cases where disadvantaged families cannot afford treatment. Sample cases and receipts available, many photos and documentary reports available. 
Cost 5,000.oo

11. Two nursery school carer's annual salaries in Paljorling refugee settlement. 720.oo
The nursery school in Paljorling settlement is a vital service to the communities working mothers. It was forced to close several years ago, because the camp office could no longer afford the salaries of the two female carer’s who look after the children. It is a nicely equipped and resourced small school in which Trek Aid has supported facilities for some years and a UK child development specialist who volunteered time there for Trek Aid felt it was an excellent refugee camp asset. We have trained the nursery school teacher as well. Each year we donate the carer’s salaries which, like most local Nepal and refugee salaries are very small. They have each received 20.oo per month, that is 480.oo per year for the two staff to maintain the nursery school operating for a number of years with no increase. We would now like to increase by 10.oo per month, to 30.oo per month each. Due January 2008. Past receipts available, photos and past narrative reports available. Cost 720.oo

12. Nursery School teachers salary, Paljorling. 600.oo
As above, at Paljorling camp nursery school – a facility which only remains open with Trek Aid help - we also pay the annual salary of the nursery school teacher there, Chime Dolkar, who has been professionally trained by Trek Aid and as given loyal service on a low salary now for some years with no increase. In view of Trek Aid now not putting funds into a Projects Manager salary we would like to increase the nursery teachers salary by 10.oo per month (120.oo per year to 600.oo per year.) This is a vital service to working camp mothers, allowing them to go out from the refugee camp to work daytime, confident that their children are well cared for. Due 1st September 2008. Photos, past receipts, employment contract and reports available. Cost 600.oo

13. The Nursery school teachers salary at Jampaling. 600.oo
This is to support the nursery school at Jampaling settlement, (see photo in Project Report). It is run by Ms Dawa Dolma who received training as a nursery school teacher by Trek Aid. As above project 12, trek Aid would like to increase the teachers salary after long service now we are not paying a Projects Manager. Due October 2008. Cost: 600.oo. Photos, and the Jampaling Settlement office proposal letter is available. 

14. Construction of homes for three homeless families at Tashiling. 3500.oo. This follows the 2008 completion of 12 family homes at Tashiling of homeless Tibetan refugee people on the margins of the camp, and is of the highest priority. The families are destitute with little or no income source. The settlement office has provided a three page proposal. They have a good track record with Trek Aid of prompt and efficient construction through a volunteer Management Committee at their community, Tashiling. The Settlement office have provided us with bio-data of the three families. Grant cost: 3500.oo

15. Annual Electricity costs, Paljorling camp. 1200.oo
This small Pokhara city refugee community of about 400 once had a thriving handicraft industry centred on carpet making; the market for which has now all but dried up. The employment situation is very poor, as Nepal’s tourism industry has also reduced due to political problems. In better years the camp office was able to support the refugee settlers by handicraft centre income which provided their water and electricity charges, schoolteachers salaries, school stationary, medical grants etc. Now they have laid off their workers, reduced staff, would have closed their nursery school but for Trek Aid paying the carer's salaries so mothers could go out to work. They now pay an average of 18000Rs electricity bill monthly to the govt. electricity office for the whole refugee settlement and collect approx. 8000Rs of that from the settlers proportion each month. They are desperate to pay the average balance of 10,000 Rs every month, which they can no longer afford from the office, and have appealed to Trek Aid to locate a donor for one year. The refugee Settlement Officers proposal letter is available. Cost 1200.oo.

16. Core Funding: Annual UK transport, communications, stationary, reporting, photography, printing and administrative costs grant. 1200.oo
Trek Aid has no UK based salaried staff, only a volunteer unpaid Board of Trustees. Our UK administrative costs are thus kept minimal. To ensure effective fieldwork with refugee communities our trustees make supervision fieldwork visits to our project sites in Nepal, to liaise with Tibetan refugee staff, administer grants, photographing & documenting projects for our donor agencies and producing illustrated reports for them. Photographic, secretarial and office supplies are needed. UK admin, transport, documenting, printing and communications can all be managed on a small non-projects annual budget core funding of 1200.oo.

17. Gaz cylinder stoves for wool dyeing at Tashiling. 350.oo. This project identified by Tashiling Settlement Office is in support of their handicraft centre which is able to offer 23 jobs to refugee staff. They weave carpets but buy the coloured wools needed from capital city Kathmandu. With this gaz equipment and its insallation, including brickwork they can dye the wool at their handicraft centre, provide employment and safe money and transport. They are the only carpet centre in Pokhara to provide a dyeing section and giving such employment. It is hoped that the equipment will create more jobs. Grant total: 350.oo

18. Purchase of IT hardware for Paljorling welfare office – administrative hub of three refugee settlements. 697.oo. This proposal is from the Camp Settlement In-Charge. We have worked regularly now for 15 years on many varied projects to help develop the community facilities, such as toilet and bathroom blocks, water storage, community kitchens, nursery school, elderly care, house repairs, NGO meeting room for six community associations all carried out with great efficiency by the camp staff. In this period we had supplied a used computer to the camp office for their welfare administration, butwe have not improved the camp office and its furniture and our present computer is worn out. The proposal is to provide a new computer (577.oo), and a printer (120.oo) as this is also worn out. The proposal says efficient administration is especially vital to them now the three sister Khampa settlements have been brought under one central administration at Paljorling. This will raise the morale of the office and provide more pleasant working conditions for staff and the visiting community members who come for welfare purposes as well as the three communities efficient administrative help to Trek Aid. Recently the re-decoration and painting walls of the camp handicraft centre and office were completed with a grant. Total: 697.oo. Proposal letter from Settlement Officer available.

19. Construction or purchase of a sleeping room for an overcrowded family at Tashi Palkhiel. 1394.oo. One family is living in overcrowded unhealthy conditions and we recently improved their kitchen to accommodate two family members sleeping. A neighbour is willing to give some adjoining land to their house to construct a sleeping room estimated to be 1162.oo by the Settlement officer. He has recently completed construction of other new houses for us at economical rates. Alternatively the adjoining home in the terrace is unoccupied as the mother has re-married and is living in her husband’s house. This one room dwelling could be a simpler alternative to construction, with a linking door if purchased from the woman who built it at a nominal price. This avoids cost of separate land purchase. Total grant: Construction – 1394.oo. or Purchase of terrace room. Proposal letter available from Settlement Officer. (Trek Aid has undertaken many repairs and roof replacements in west Nepal refugee settlements, including over 100 homes in Tarshi Palkhiel refugee camp. We were able to repair and re-build three homes in this settlement in 2006/7 with approx 1000.oo grant and in 2007/8 with 1500.oo grant, two others.) The Settlement officer is very conscientious at providing effective low cost repairs and excellent documentary photos of the results. Past project literature, is available and many photos and reports of past similar re-roofing and building schemes. Total Grant: 1394.oo.

20. Construction of a house for a homeless family at Tarshi Palkhiel. 1237.oo. This proposal is from the experienced Settlement Officer at Tarshi Palkhiel regarding a family of four who now rent a home outside the refugee camp as they had migrated 15 years ago from the Mustang border area of Nepal for their children's schooling at Tarshi Palkhiel. The income is very low – previously as shepherds and now the husband makes prayer beads – they are destitute and have been offered some land to build a house by a relative. Trek Aid Chairman and Settlement officer karma Legshey agreed and appropriate 25% active fundraising share by the family involved as part of the total required, 344.oo of a total of 1375.oo to demonstrate their commitment. Grant total: 1237.oo

21. Four toilets & four bathrooms at Tashiling. 1339.oo The Settlement Office have self-funded and recently built two toilet and bathroom blocks with water tanks adjacent to the 12 new homes built by Trek Aid in 2008, on the understanding that Trek Aid will fundraise and refund their cost. This provides essential hygiene to the 12 formerly homeless families who have recently moved into their new accommodation. It is a high priority for us to repay the Office for their volunteer work in completing the work with own funds. Grant total: 1339.oo 

22. Old aged peoples stipend's at Tashiling settlement. 1200.oo The Tashiling Settlement Office has proposed Trek Aid provide a monthly pension – stipend to 20 elderly people in most need, of 5.oo per month, 60.oo per year – 1200.oo in total. With the low income's of refugee families mostly trying to sell handicrafts to declining tourist numbers and in heavy competition with Nepali shops etc the refugee settlement office thinks it of great benefit to ease families burden with elderly people by providing the most needy elderly cases with a regular stipend. This settlement has no old peoples home. Grant total: 1200.oo

23. One year water supply by truck tanker, to Tashiling settlement 12 homes. 312.oo.
Trek Aid has recently built 12 homes for homeless families in Tashiling refugee settlement and has installed 6 communal water storage tanks, as this camp has a severe water shortage. We deliver one tanker of water per week to meet the essential needs of these families, for cooking, washing, laundry and drinking, at 6 GBP per tanker x 52 weeks = 312.oo GBP Receipts and past project reports available.

24. One year water supply, 50% shared costs for govt utility water to poorest 45 families at Tashiling camp. The Nepal govt mains water taps, with an inadequate flow, are used by the poorest families who have no personal water storage facility at their dwelling. The refugee camp office meets the govt utility bill by sharing the cost by a contribution by each family. Trek Aid pays approx 50% for each of these poorest families, and this is documented on the welfare office accounts, an average contribution of 30.oo per month x 12 = 360.oo. Receipts and past project reports available. 

25. Re-roofing and exterior painting of Meditation Retreat house. 260.oo. Trek Aid had built a Retreat House and conservation Peace Garden for monks and meditators at a lakeside. In monsoon summer season 2008 the tiled roof leaked causing damage and renovation work done in autumn 2008 was to replace with a new sheet tin roof, to match the existing tin verandah and bathhouse roofs on the site. The outside walls were also re-painted by the work crew of Tibetan refugee’s. Total cost of roof and re-painting the Retreat House was 260.oo only and Trek Aid is seeking a sponsor for a refund of that amount. Receipts available. 

26. URGENT Re-building septic tanks for sanitation at Paljorling refugee camp. 530.oo. In January 2009 Trek Aid received an urgent new request to meet emergency repair work on collapsed septic tanks to a toilet block in Paljorling, which the settlement officer said was a health hazard and danger to children falling in the roofless pit. We accepted to fundraise this so emergency work was then done at the site with borrowed funds and now completed. Digital photos from the camp showing the work are available, and emailed request letters from the camp welfare office. 530.oo needed urgently. 


This 26 project west Nepal Aidwork Programme to Tibetan Refugee Communities for autumn 2007-spring 2008 has a total budget of: 41,953.oo GBP


'Specified Project' Grants from Trusts.

There is no possibility of duplication of funds from the trusts we apply to for support with specified projects. We inform you if a selected project is available to fund. If only one project falls within your priority areas for funding please check with Trek Aid if that project has already received funding yet from any other source. If you nominate a choice of projects for your grant amount Trek Aid will inform you which of the chosen projects have been allocated the funds and later will provide a narrative report with photographs from project sites and a financial report with original receipts from refugee camp offices. 


Unspecified Donations to the overall Nepal 
refugee programme, 2009.

If an ‘unspecified’ donation is preferred, our board of trustees will select projects to fund from the above list within the amount given, on a priority basis, and as above, your charity will be informed of the chosen projects. After the fieldwork period Trek Aid will supply a narrative report with photographs and a financial statement with receipts.

Reporting needs.

If your organisation has specific needs for documentary photography to suit your own publications, please inform these in advance of the fieldwork at the time you make the selection and provide the grant. 

Email: trekaid@yahoo.co.uk 

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