Lha depends on the goodwill of volunteers and monetary and material donations for it to provide essential rehabilitation resources to the exiled Tibetan community. Lha is a non-profit organization solely dependent on monetary contributions from philanthropic corporations and generous individuals. In India, even a little goes a long way, and a lot goes very far!

Account Name: Lha Charitable Trust
Account Number: 2517000101008335
Swift Code: PUNBINBBPAR
Bank Name: The Punjab National Bank
Branch: Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, H.P

Payable to: Lha Charitable Trust
Lha Office Temple Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, 176219
Distt Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

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Lha Charitable Trust Lha Charitable Trust

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Visitor Services

As well as offering services to the local community, Lha is happy to offer services to visitors to Dharamsala. Taking part in these services gives visitors a chance to experience Tibetan culture firsthand, to be surrounded by Tibetan ritual, to learn, to connect with and support the refugee community and to volunteer on community projects. Visitors to Dharamsala come from many different countries and diverse backgrounds. We have found that our visitors share a common eagerness to learn, and aim to make the best use of their time whilst they are here.

Whether you are here for one week or one year, by volunteering or taking a course you are directly benefiting the local community. Profits of all courses and services for visitors directly benefit the community by supporting ongoing projects and the operation and management of Lha.

Volunteer Opportunities

Lha offers you the opportunity to share your knowledge and skills with the Tibetan refugee, local Indian and Himalayan communities and gain hands-on experience working with a non-profit, social work organization. Whilst taking part as a volunteer at Lha you will be immersed in the fascinating culture of the people you are serving, develop friendships, learn about issues facing the Tibetan refugee community and create positive change in the lives of many people. Every year approximately 600 individuals from all over the world volunteer their time and energy to Lha. We provide a wide array of long and short-term as well as prearranged and drop-in volunteer opportunities at no cost to both individuals and groups.

click here to learn more about volunteering

Cultural Exchange

Our cultural exchange program involves each visitor pairing off with a 'Mutual Learning Partner' – a Tibetan English language student at Lha. Most of the students are not fluent in English but they are all very enthusiastic about learning and sharing their knowledge with others. They can share stories about their lives and experiences. Most of the students are between the ages of 20 and 40. Visiting students get to visit the homes of their new friends, meet members of their family, and make friends in the Tibetan refugee community.

click here to learn more about our cultural exchange program

Home Stay

Lha arranges homestays of one month with Tibetan refugee families. By sharing meals and day to day life with a Tibetan family, your cultural experience will be intensified. If you are interested in the Tibetan language, you will be able to practice your language skills in the home. This homestay program can give you unforgettable insights into ritual, family and life "behind closed doors" in the Tibetan refugee community – and hopefully help you make friends for life. (See more Homestay and apply)

* Note – all profits received for services go directly into the social service programs supported by Lha. A wonderful opportunity is waiting for you, so come and join our friendly team of staff and volunteers at Lha! See Related Information: Advice for Volunteers, Guide for Volunteers, About Dharamshala

click here to learn more about our home stay with Tibetan family

Tibetan Language Class

Lha offers individual and group Tibetan language classes to foreigners, ranging from basic to advanced levels. There are about 20 to 30 foreigners learning the Tibetan language each year at Lha, where there are between three and seven Tibetan classes operating on a daily basis, depending on demand.

Many visitors learn the Tibetan language to understand and study the Tibetan Buddhist religion more comprehensively and/or to become a translator. Buddhist texts are in the Tibetan language, and many high Lamas can only speak Tibetan.

Visitors have also mentioned the benefit of garnering new forms of knowledge which may only be printed or spoken in Tibetan, and experiencing a rich cultural experience through learning this intriguing language.

Many people have wanted to learn about the Tibetan people and culture since the situation in Tibet has gained global attention. Learning and practicing the Tibetan language gives foreigners the key to learning about Tibetan issues from a Tibetan perspective; speaking and understanding the Tibetan language gives foreigners a unique opportunity the listen to the thoughts, opinions and perspectives of the Tibetan people - especially those who cannot speak English. Register Now.

Tibetan Cooking Class

In cooking class with Lha you will expand your cooking repertoire whilst helping to preserve the art of traditional Tibetan cuisine. Each class has a maximum of 5 students in our small kitchen ensuring you are given careful instruction by our skilled Tibetan cook whilst cooking a Tibetan delicacy. You are given the choice of three vegetarian options: Momo, noodle soup or steam bread. Once your delicious dish is prepared you will be able to test and enjoy it, and if you choose, to share it amongst the friendly staff and volunteers at Lha. No cooking experience is required. To register, please contact the Lha reception office or register online at least 2-3 hours beforehand.

Tibetan Art Classes

Learn the basic techniques drawing, painting, and the use of color. This course is for interested individual and small groups and is taught by a professional and qualified artist. Lha has an exchange program for Traditional Tibetan and Western arts. To date, hundreds of people have participated in this cross-cultural opportunity at Lha. Register Now.

Community Libraries

Lha has two community libraries, located in McLeod Ganj and the Tibetan colony of Tso Pema. Lha's libraries are the only collections of books available to the community in these locations.

Our McLeod Ganj library is well stocked with teaching aids for volunteer teachers and also houses a good collection of novels and non-fiction literature. In addition, the library contains a section dedicated to books about the fundamentals of Buddhism, meditation and happiness. Borrowing is free for all.

The library is a comfortable room equipped with a sofa and chairs, providing a quiet location for people to read or study. The library offers filtered water for Rs. 5, and is also an official distribution outlet for the renowned (and free) Contact Magazine, a Dharamsala community publication.

Lha also set up a new community library in Tso Pema (Rewalsar), which opened on September 31st, 2006. The library provides books and information for the local population about all things Tibetan. There is space for people to meet and have chai at the drop-in room. The library contains a good fiction section, and books on a multitude of subjects.

Tso Pema is a place of pilgrimage for both Tibetans and Sikhs. A place of beauty with friendly and welcoming people, it contains a sacred lake, three Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, and many caves, one of which a Tibetan Buddhist monk has lived in for over 20 years. Currently, a new statue of Guru Rinpoche is being built.

If you should be fortunate enough to visit Tso Pema, please consider either donating your time, books, magazines or anything else that you may have that is useful to the new Lha library at Tso Pema. All donations will be gratefully received. Please smile at everyone!

Massage Therapy & Training

Lha offers massage treatments and training courses for Tibetan refugees and visitors

Massage treatments are provided by professionally trained massage therapists with many years of experience. We have both male and female therapists offering a combination of Swedish and remedial massage using traditional Tibetan healing oils. In our dedicated massage space, we have quality massage beds and chairs in a rejuvenating atmosphere - assisting you to get the most out of your physical treatment.

Please make an appointment at Lha reception or register online at least one or two hours before your massage.

Community Newspaper

Contact Magazine is a free monthly publication of Lha Charitable Trust, a Tibetan grassroots nonprofit based in Dharamsala, India. Recognized by Lonely Planet and other international travel resources, Contact has been a popular source for Tibetan issues and community information in Dharamsala for over 14 years. It is one of the longest running Tibetan publications in the area and provides local residents and international visitors with news and resources relevant to the Dharamsala community.
In addition to containing Tibetan issues, international news, and local information, Contact aspires to bring the West and East together in a meaningful and beneficial way.  700 copies are printed per issue and distributed in the greater Dharamsala area, and will soon extend to a variety of diplomatic missions across India, as well as popular tourist destinations like Goa, Delhi, and Manali. Here in McLeod Ganj, Contact will continue to be overseen and distributed by its long-time publisher, Lobsang Rabsel, and will be available at the Lha Office, as well as in libraries, travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, and a variety of local shops.
For more information on Contact Magazine, and for submission guidelines and procedures, please visit Contact’s website at http://contactmagazine.net/.

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© 2011    :     Lha Charitable Trust All Rights Reserved    
The Annual Report, written by Lha’s Director, Ngawang Rabgyal, sets out the aims of the organization, the year’s developments and the latest financial position. It also illustrates the diversity of the social programs provided, and the numbers of students who have benefited from these services. These achievements could not have been reached without the generosity of the volunteers and the dedication of the students and Lha’s employees.
Lha’s primary goal is to provide meaningful social services, such as free education, computer skills courses, vocational training, health and environmental education and service, volunteer coordination, cultural exchanges, free books, medicine and clothing distribution. The services of Lha are open to Tibetan refugees as well as the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan regions.
Lha is a non-profit, non-governmental, grassroots social work organization located in Dharamsala, India. Lha was founded in 1997 and in 2005 was registered as a non-profit and charitable trust in Himachal Pradesh. Every year we submit our income statements to the Indian Income-Tax Department and undergo an audit. The following are our financial statements from 2005 to 2011 fiscal years, which have already been reviewed. Following the financial statements are graphical representations of some of the key aspects we would like to highlight.

Lha's commitment is to help the Tibetan people survive and prosper in their new home of Dharamsala and to preserve their profoundly unique culture. The means to which we have been able to accomplish these goals has changed over the years. In 2005, as a young organization, Lha had few assets. Lha has steadily grown since then, and now occupies two buildings, which house our classes, soup kitchen, social services and volunteer and exchange student group accommodations. In 2005 Lha had seven full time employees, which has since expanded to nine. The notable increase in wage expenses between 2009 and 2011 reflects the decision to provide a livable wage to the Tibetan employees.

Lha took on the responsibility to pay rent for the operations building during the 2009 financial year, after the purchasing of the new Ahimsa House building, and becoming more financially stable. Since 2005 we have slowly been accumulating assets for the language classes, computer courses and social services which function out of the building, such as computers for our offices and classes, and books and teaching resources for the community libraries.

In 2007 Lha began the process of acquiring a four story building, the Ahimsa House, to house a community soup kitchen and volunteer accommodation. In May 2011 Lha used the remaining funds from the corpus receipt and capital fund to make the final payment on the Ahimsa House. This will be reflected in the financial statement for the 2012 financial year. We began working on the community soup kitchen project in 2010 and officially opened it in 2011. Since 2007 Lha has also purchased many furnishings and appliances for the volunteer accommodations. The donations from Exchange students and volunteers staying in Lha’s accommodations have also created a new source of income for Lha. In the future, Lha hopes that the donations raised from visitors in these accommodations, in conjunction with cultural exchanges and visitors services, will create a stable and sustainable financial foundation for the organization.