Tibetan Community Soup Kitchen

LHA'S TIBETAN COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHEN

PROJECT ABSTRACT: On July 6^th, 2011, Lha opened its Community Soup Kitchen at its new building, Ahimsa House. The Ahimsa House is divided into residential apartments where long-term Lha international volunteers and cultural exchange students can stay. Two such apartments were converted to the space for the dining hall and the actual kitchen is below. The opening of the kitchen commemorated the 76^th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The day was celebrated with a healthy lunch cooked at the kitchen and fresh water from the newly installed water filtration system. This is the first soup kitchen in Dharamsala that serves low-cost and nutritious meals to the Tibetan refugee community. Approximately 35-50 needy refugees will be able to take advantage of this service everyday for a nominal fee of 15 Rupees per person per meal. Meals will be completely free for those who cannot afford to pay this amount.

Lha is seeking monetary support to help sustain the community kitchen, which serves a variety of purposes, both long and short term. The kitchens first and foremost objective is to provide refugees with low-cost and nutritious meals while educating them about healthy eating and living. The kitchen will also serve as a space where refugees who are interested in working in the restaurant and service industry may receive formal training. This vocational training will help refugees get jobs either in India or abroad. The dining room may also act as a space for events such as educational workshops.

The Lha community kitchen project started in 2009 with the support of several key fundraisers. Anoop Jain a student from the U.S along with The Verein Tibetfreunde group from Switzerland contributed to the initial phase of the project. Additionally, former volunteers Milton and Mimi Burke introduced us to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Arkansas, USA, as a means to sustain the operation of the kitchen long-term. Lha continues to receive monthly donations from them.

The total annual operating budget is $ 36,216. Currently, Lha has received $13,200 in funding, although $23,016 is still needed to cover food supplies, staff wages, gas refills, and utilities.

STATEMENT OF NEED: Since 1959, Tibetans living in Tibet have been subject to the strict and repressive policies of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. They enjoy little freedom of expression or political action. Those who do speak out against China’s communist rule face extremely harsh punishment.

Dharamsala is home to over 13,000 Tibetan refugees who are escaping this cultural, religious, and political repression in their homeland. They arrive in India after crossing the Himalayas by foot, an arduous and perilous journey that can take over one month. Once in India, they have no relevant language or job skill, and thus limited opportunities to make money and provide for their families. A survey conducted by Lha during the summer of 2010 found that the average refugee income is about $1.90. High unemployment rates have contributed to homelessness and alcoholism. According to the Tibetan Census of 2009 carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration, there are 4,432 marginal or non-workers living in Dharamsala. Marginal workers are defined as those who work part time or seasonal jobs. Though the skill level may vary in these jobs, pay remains below the average standard of living.

High numbers of refugees living in poverty result in a large scale inability to buy nutritiously dense food. This contributes to increased incidences of chronic lifestyle diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, gastritis, liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and hypertension. According to the 2009 Census, 44% of Tibetans living in Dharamsala and surrounding settlements suffer from one of these chronic lifestyle diseases. The Lha survey found that the majority of refugees have a diet that is extremely heavy in carbohydrates, fat, and salt. Refugees are mostly eating traditional steamed bread (Tingmo), boiled noodles (Thukpa), butter tea with salt, rice, lentils, and vegetables on occasion. Most refugees do not have enough money to buy fruits and none buy filtered water. The Lha survey highlights the fact that on average refugees are only eating fruits about 3 times a week. Doctors recommend at least 2-4 servings of fruit daily; consequently, Tibetan refugees are not receiving nearly enough fruit in their diet. In addition, studies have shown that poor nutrition can negatively affect cognitive development, memory, and activity.

The Community Soup Kitchen will alleviate cases of malnutrition in Dharamsala by offering nutritious, and low-cost or free meals to 35-50 Tibetan refugees daily. Lha will empower refugees to make healthy choices about the food they eat by offering nutrition education classes. Furthermore, by starting a job training program to assist refugees get jobs in the service or restaurant sector, Lha will simultaneously combat unemployment in this community.

LHA SOUP KITCHEN PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The community kitchen will serve as a venue where refugees living in Dharamsala can come and get a very well-balanced meal for an extremely reasonable price of only 15 Rupees. If they cannot afford to pay this amount, they will qualify for a free meal.

To supplement the meal program, Lha will offer nutrition education classes. Lha believes in finding a long-term solution to the malnutrition problem. Simply providing meals once a day is not enough to rectify the prevalence of chronic lifestyle diseases. By offering classes about healthy eating and living, Lha hopes that refugees will learn how they can take simple steps in their daily lives to improve their overall standard of living.

The kitchen will also be a vocational training center. Those refugees who are interested in getting jobs in the restaurant or service sector can enroll in a four-week training course that will be offered by Lha. Trained chefs and restaurant managers will lead training sessions. Upon completion of the course, refugees will receive a certificate that will help them get jobs in restaurants in Dharamsala or wherever they chose to move. Lha believes that this will help tackle the larger issue of unemployment, which has become endemic.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the community kitchen is to positively affect the health and standard of living of Tibetan refugees living in Dharamsala by offering unique services. Lha will provide daily, well-balanced meals and filtered water. Nutrition classes will be offered in conjunction to the meals so refugees will learn how to improve their lives on their own. Lha will offer vocational training classes in four-week segments to combat high rates of unemployment in the area.

Primary project objectives include:

• Fostering the development of an active citizenry by providing healthy meals and employment opportunities
• Provide a measurable increase in the number of Tibetans who are pursuing healthier food options

LHA COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHEN BUDGET