TIBETAANSE-VLAAMSE VRIENDENKRING

(TIBETAN-FLEMISH CIRCLE OF FRIENDS -BELGIUM)

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Basic needs

- nutrition and medical aid - for the Old People’s Home

in Phendeling Tibetan Settlement Mainpat

Beernem (Belgium), January 2014.

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Content: 1. Situation and background …………………………………………………………………… page 3 2. The Old People’s Home in Mainpat ……………………………………………………… page 4 3. Project Objective ………………………………………………………………………………. page 5 4. Contact ……………………………………………………………………………………………. page 6 5. Pictures …………………………………………………………………………………………… page 7 © Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring, 2014. Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring is an official, registered NGO based in Belgium and founded in 2007. Our mission is to provide support to the Tibetan community in social-humanitarian, educational and cultural matters. We organize social projects for the Tibetan refugees in India, and cultural events like exhibitions and lectures about Tibet in Belgium. We also offer help to the Tibetan refugees in Flanders, the Dutch part of Belgium.

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1. Situation and background

The Phendeling Tibetan Settlement in Mainpat is one of the poorest Tibetan Settlements

across India. This Tibetan refugee camp was establised by the Indian government in 1962

to rehabilitate 1,400 Tibetan refugees who came to India in the aftermath of the Chinese

occupation of Tibet in 1959.

Mainpat is a very remote place in Central-North-East India, located in the South of Varanasi in Surguja district in the State of Chattisgarh. The nearest city is Ambikapur at 50 kilometer from Mainpat. The total population of the Settlement is 1,800, spread across seven camps with a radius of 12 kilometer. The living conditions for the people are very difficult and there is much poverty.

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The landscape of the Settlement is a plateau with many forests. Through the year there is a moderate climate with the annual monsoon rainfall from June to September. Agriculture, especially in Camp no. 5 (organic farming), and sweater selling in other places in India like Bodhgaya, are the primary livelihood activities of the people of Mainpat. Despite the very fertile soil, the agriculture depends entirely on the monsoon rainfall. There is no irrigation facility, either surface or underground. Buckwheat, niger (finger millet), mustard, rice, sesame, wheat and potatoes are the major crops being cultivated in the Settlement. Almost the entire agricultural production is for self-consumption, with the exception of buckwheat, niger (finger millet) and potatoes. Some people in Mainpat have their own small business such as daily provision stores, mobile phone shops, a restaurant and private carpet weaving unit, and bicycle and automobile repair shops. Dennis Barbion, president of our association, has visited Mainpat in July 2012 and October-November 2013. He has witnessed a lot of moving situations in this Tibetan Settlement. 2. The Old People’s Home in Mainpat 20% of the population of Mainpat is older than 60. Many elderly people are living in Mainpat from the very beginning the refugee camp was established in 1962, or shortly after.

Picture by the Phendeling Tibetan Settlement Office Mainpat

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Traditionally, Tibetan elderly people stay with a son or daughter or grandchild. Elderly people who can not take care of themselves anymore, for example single elderly, so unmarried or widows and widowers without children, and those who need severe medical care, can be admitted to the Old People’s Home, that provides shelter, food and medical care. The place is a new home for vulnerable, destitute old people. The Home in Mainpat was built with donations from several foreign organizations and is administered by the representative office. Currently there are 20 residents at the Old People’s Home in Mainpat, and there are 4 Staff Members: one person in charge of the home, one cook, one nurse and one cleaning lady. The staff salary is paid by the Home itself.

Picture by Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring. From left to right: the cook, the cleaning lady, the Secretary of the Tibetan Settlement Office, the president of Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring and the person in charge of the OPH.

3. Project Objective A balanced diet for the residents is very important for the Home. It is essential for the old people’s health. Most of the people have a poor health or suffer from illnesses, so many residents are constantly sick and they need to take constant medicines. The total expenses of the Old People’s Home for nutrition and medication are running very high.

The most important diseases and ailments of the residents are the back and bones, joint pains, high blood pressure, digestive problems, eye problems, diabetes, the locomotion, heart and brain problems…

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When someone is hospitalized, there is a certain reimbursement of costs through an insurance that is called Tibetan Medical System. The Old People’s Home has this insurance since 2012. The insurance for 5 elderly is 40,000 INR per year (478 euros or 650 USD), so for all the 20 residents this is 160,000 INR for one year (1.911 euros or 2.600 USD). All those costs are paid by the Old People’s Home. As old people don’t have any income for their daily needs, donations are urgently needed to survive. In fact the Old People’s Home operates entirely on donations because there are no other income.

The elderly home in Mainpat gets major financial support from the Swedish organization SOIR-IM, GAT from Germany (German Aid to Tibetans) and APACT from France. Nevertheless, the donations that they receive from those organizations do not meet all necessary expenses, in fact they are far from sufficient. Due to the market inflation, the

rise on the prices of daily necessary nutrition and the rising medical costs, the Old People’s Home has a shortage of budget for the running expenses. The total annual expenditure of the Old People’s Home is 1.350,000 INR (16.130 euros or 21.930 USD). Therefore, Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring has set up a sponsorship program. We offer you the ability to adopt one elderly person who is living in the Old People’s Home by means of 30 euros (40 USD) per month. This amount goes entirely to nutrition and medical aid. A general one-time donation is also possible. We guarantee that the full amount of your sponsorship will entirely go to the Old People’s Home, 100%. Our assocation does not charge any costs. We can however not deliver a tax certificate. People or organizations who are interested in supporting the Old People’s Home in Mainpat, please contact us: info@tibetvlaanderen.be or telephone 0032-50.78.17.55. People from outside Belgium can pay by Paypal, the buttom "Donate" on the home page of our website www.tibetvlaanderen.be. A money transfer by Western Union is also possible. 4. Contact Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring v.z.w. (Tibetan-Flemish Circle of Friends) Address: Zuidleiestraat 9, 8730 Beernem, Belgium, Europe E-mail: info@tibetvlaanderen.be Telephone: 0032-50.78.17.55 Website (in Dutch): www.tibetvlaanderen.be Facebook (in English): www.facebook.com/tibetvlaanderen Bank account number (the IBAN code) for our projects for the Tibetan refugees in India: BE25 9795 9253 2282. The BIC-code is ARSPBE22, the name of the bank: Argenta.

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5. Pictures (Pictures by Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring and the Phendeling Tibetan Settlement Office)

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The rooms next to each other

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The vegetable garden

The kitchen

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The prayer hall

The prayer hall

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The place of one person

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Several people in one room

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A cabinet with offerings

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The president of Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring and an elderly man (above) and with the man in charge of the OPH (below)

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Thank you for your support!

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