with US$ 20.00 a Month

Peace Times 1

It all started a few years ago: some pictures of children and monks, letters sent to Lama Gangchen from Tibetans in India, Nepal, Sikkim, asking him for help. The Lama would pass them on to us to find sponsors. Then, in South India - where the Tibetan camp of Bylakuppe is located - we also began to take pictures of the children and monks and collect photographs they were bringing to Lama Gangchen: the number of people needing help was growing as was our wish to do something.

Here in South India, after 1959, the Indian Government granted some small plots of land to the Tibetan refugees: land which was initially very poor and slowly, through sheer patient hard work, became very fertile. About 20.000 Tibetans live in this area, with many others still arriving from Tibet. Some of the most important Tibetan monasteries - Sera, Ganden, Drepung, Tashi Lhunpo - have been rebuilt here, housing many high lamas and thousands of monks.

The overall situation has much improved since the absolute despair of the early days, however, it is still very difficult. It is virtually impossible for Tibetan children to attend school without some financial support; the educational system in India requires payment and is quite expensive, and so too are medical assistance and medicines.

The monasteries, which survive solely on donations, are often in a very poor state: they need more rooms for the monks who keep arriving from Tibet; they need medical care, adequate nourishment, and sometimes even clean water is missing. Many children study at the monasteries: those little monks for whom, this is the only chance to study traditional Tibetan language and culture.

Sponsoring a child or a monk is to offer hope, the hope for this wonderful peace culture which has so much to offer to the Western world to survive.

Today, over 400 people have already found a sponsor thanks to Lama Gangchen and the World Peace Foundation. This year the Kunpen Lama Gancen Institute, responsible for the sponsorship programme, has already sent over 100 million liras to India and Nepal, for big and small children, monks, old and sick people. Several magazines have been most helpful in this project: publishing our initiative in Bella, New Age, Marie Claire, Alpha Dimension, Il Giornale della Natura, Occidente Buddhista, to name but a few. Many friends have added their invaluable help by distributing our leaflets everywhere and giving their precious support to this very worthwhile cause. Anybody who can help us promote this initiative is more than welcome.

Thanks to adoption at a distance, many people are very happy: the sponsored ones of course, for whom 30.000 liras a month has really changed their lives; but also the sponsors who feel enriched in terms of positive energy, blessings and of course receiving letters from India talking about harvest, prayers, simple things but most of all overflowing with gratitude.

It is also truly beautiful for us to realize how much kindness there is around us and how many people are just waiting for something good to do: sometimes we also receive wonderful letters from the sponsors.

 You too can be a part of this ever growing family. For information contact: Sharon and Enrica at Kunpen Lama Gancen, Via Marco Polo 13, 20124 Milan. Tel. 02 - 29010263 Fax. 02 - 29010271

(Enrica Mazzi)