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Jampa Ling Trust
(REP of Ireland Charity No CHY 10452 Patron - H H The Dalai Lama)
Tashi Khyil Trust
(UK Charity No x0948/90 Patron - H H The Dalai Lama)
Maitreya Charity
(USA Nonprofit Corporation EID No 91/2152916)
Director - Ven. Lama Panchen Otrui Rinpoche
Supporting Mongolians and Tibetan Refugees in great need
29th January 2003
Dear Anita,
I hope you are well and happy and that your father’s centre is still progressing.
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche is still travelling to Mongolia on a yearly basis and his work there is expanding quite considerably.
Consequently Rinpoche now has a Mongolian Charity, Asral (Mongolian for Care). It has become increasingly necessary to have our own base from which to work, so we will start building in March. This is the reason for the enclosed package. I hope you don not mind us asking but if there is any help that you could give at all in fund raising we would appreciate it very much.
Building in Mongolia is very expensive because of the severe winters and because of the short building period in the summer it has to go up very quickly.
So we are calling on all our friends and acquaintances. People always want to give for destitute children and not buildings, but without a building now it is going to be difficult to help further. We need room to run courses of all kinds, to help the growing number of street children, and to provide accommodation for Rinpoche’s resident monks and volunteer helpers coming from abroad.
So thank you again for reading this and we look forward to hearing from you.
With many greetings and very best wishes,
Margery Cross.
Information about the work in Ulaanbaatar and Asral Charity.
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche has been visiting Mongolia each year since 1995 when he visited with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He spends approximately two months there during the summer.
At the beginning at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama the main focus of Panchen Otrul Rinpoche’s work was teaching the dharma to both monks and lay people. and helping with the re-establishment of the monasteries by ordaining monks giving refuge and initiations. He was invited increasingly to the remoter areas of Mongolia and also in Ulaanbaatar to other institutions such as the prisons, the orphanage and places of learning.
Two things became apparent to him during these early years. The extent of the poverty that now existed in Mongolia since the break up of the Soviet Union and breakdown of the communist system and that he needed help if he was to continue with his work.
In 1997 he invited one of his monks in India to come to Mongolia to live and to teach and help with this work. Geshe Lhawang Gyaltsen is a young Tibetan man of 34 years who came from Tibet when he was fourteen years by walking over the Himalayan range. He joined a re-established monastery in India and was ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He recently passed his Geshe degree in Tibetan Buddhist theology, which is the equivalent of a doctorate. He now lives permanently in Mongolia.
He has been helped on occasions by other Tibetan monks coming to Mongolia to teach and also by other Western students of Panchen Otrul Rinpoche.
Asral Charity
During the summer of 2000 it was decided to form Asral Charity, Asral being a Mongolian word for ‘caring’. This charity would function and fund raise for the purpose of helping the poorest members of the areas where Rinpoche was now involved, Ulaanbaatar, Gachuurt and Ondershill and any other future venues.
The Charity was given Charitable status as an NGO in 2001. It has a committee of four of Rinpoche’s Mongolian students under Geshe Lhawang who is the President.
The committee are as follows:
Ms. B. Oyumaa, Academic Program co-ordinator, Project Implementation Unit, with the Ministry of Science Technology and Education,
Mr. Dashzeve Chimeddagva, Director Strategic Planning Division, Ministry of Health.
Ms Mungunsittig, Director, Monmotor Engineering Company.
Ms Tongaa, The first person to be provided with work by Panchen Otrul Rinpoche in Ulaanbaatar which gives herself and her family a self-sustainable income.
Asral Charity now has an increasing number of people willing to help with the projects. They provide transport and any other kind of help needed during the year and especially when Rinpoche is visiting.
Work in Ulaanbaatar
Apart from the work that Rinpoche does in the monasteries and giving private interviews to lay people, the following is an overview of his other work in Ulaanbaatar.
Prisons
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche is invited each year to the womens’ prison and to the juvenile detention prison, when he gives a dharma talk and also a small gift for each person.
This year the womens’ prison governor also asked for help in building a small Buddhist temple for women. A temporary structure, a ger (Mongolian tent) was erected very quickly for this purpose until funding could be found for a more permanent building.
Orphanage
Rinpoche has also been asked to help with funding for the orphanage. They have accommodation for 250 children only. This year copybooks for school, rucksack, strong winter shoes were provided for all the school children. Learning toys and strong winter shoes were provided for the kindergarten children. An orthopaedic jacket was also provided for a 5 year old with scoliosis.
Work with Young People
This summer 60 children were taught English, again in a borrowed room, by another student from New Zealand. This could be continued on a 12 month basis if there was accommodation for the teacher and also a permanent centre.
Rinpoche was also asked to help a newly formed Mongolian Buddhist Youth group. He was also asked to teach at the University for Mongolian Army officers. 30 children were also taken on a days outing to the countryside - enjoyed by everyone!!
In the past he has been invited to the Universities and colleges, but because he is usually there during the summer break the opportunity does not arise ever y year.
Businesses
He is always invited to the Gobi Corporation, the main cashmere business in Mongolia and other business, to give the organisation a blessing for their work.
Future Development
The land for the new building has been chosen because it is next to the shanty area, which is growing at an increasing rate round Ulaanbaatar. The poorest people live in these areas.
We hope to be able to develop our vegetable growing plan into this type of area, and the building will be available for a host of training projects for these people. These will be in the areas of basic living skills and self-sustaining work projects which will provide a long term income.
One of these projects is the training of women to sew, using hand sewing machines. This type of sewing machine is readily available in Ulaanbaatar. Also beautiful brocade material is imported from all parts of Asia. This is a skill which will enable women to make small articles for sale in their own home.
Work by Geshe Lhawang Gyaltsen
Geshe Lhawang teaches Dharma every weekend to approximately 150 lay people. At present he borrows a room in one of the monasteries. He also teaches to children during the weekend and regularly provides hot meals. He provides bus fare if necessary, second-hand clothes brought from Ireland for adults and children, school books and rucksacks, money for food and wherever possible work or a means of providing an income for themselves. This is very important.
Sponsoring
We now sponsor 10 Mongolian children so that they can continue going to school. Although we do sponsor some adults for further training, the main aim with adults is to find self-sustaining work. We also sponsor four young monks in Drepung Gomang Monastery in India, who have gone there for training.
Increasing need for a Building
Mongolia has a growing problem with street children, but there is no way these children can be helped adequately, that is to get them off the street, without a building in which adequate care can be provided from an early age.
It has become increasingly necessary to have our own centre from which to work. It means that skilled help from a variety of sources can be accommodated, a place for training and running workshops of all kind, for children and for adults - as a resource and a place where people know they can come to for assistance.
The day before I left Mongolia, returning from a walk, I was accosted by a small street boy. It was very cold, and I was wearing a sweater, a fleece, and a jacket, warm boots and sock. He wore a thin shirt, thin trousers, no socks and old shoes tied with a string. His face was dirty and streaked with tears. He rubbed his tummy and held out his hand.
I showed my empty pockets, but he still kept rubbing his tummy, the hand outstretched - my sense of helplessness was overpowering and I was near to tears. Our difference was startling. I encouraged him to walk with me - he did, reluctantly until I saw a Mongolian I knew. I asked her to tell him to wait and I would get him some food. I ran into the block, up five flights of stairs, grasped a large bag of food from the kitchen, the last of my Mongolian money, and rooted in the children’s clothes brought from Ireland for a warm jacket for him. The look on his face is still with me, as is the sorrow in my heart, the winter was just startling.
The problems in Mongolia are huge but Rinpoche says if we can only help a little - then we must.
Information about Gachuurt. Tov aimac (state)
Settlement
This settlement has approximately 4,000 inhabitants. Three years ago it had 3,000 so it is a growing community. Gachuurt covers an area of 7,000 metres so the territory is large although the village is small. It is 20 km to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city Mongolia and there is a regular bus service. At present the government is repairing the road which had deteriorated badly through lack of funding.
People were settled here originally during the Communist period in order to operate a milking farm. There were large herds of cows providing dairy produce that was sold in Ulaanbaatar.
However with the break up of the Soviet Union the commune collapsed very quickly and consequently there is no work here now for the inhabitants. The majority of the people are poor or very poor. There are 300 families headed by women only - these are the poorest families. It also has a very old population with 700 retired people, 30 over the age of 80 years. People come here from other aimacs (country) in the countryside because although it is rural, it is near Ulaanbaatar.
Amenities
The land in this area is good and there is available water as large rivers flows through the area. However none is piped to the settlement. Some water is delivered in a truck or carried from the river.
There is a small hospital and a few shops which sell most things. Although the settlement itself is very drab, the area is very beautiful bordering onto Terelj a large national park of great beauty. There are ruins of an ancient monastery and many standing stones in the area.
Traditional herbs grow here, and are already collect by some elderly people and made into medicine.
Education
There is a kindergarten for children up to the age of eight but as parents have to pay for this now very few can afford to send their children here. There is a school which take children to the 10th grade. Very few are able to go onto further education. Some of the youth manage to find work in Ulaanbaatar. Unfortunately the reputation of the village is not good because of the poverty and often the people from here are discriminated against. A ger (tent) has just been erected as a temple by one of the monasteries in Ulaanbaatar.
Future Opportunities
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche and Asral Charity were asked to come here to help with the poverty which existed. Last year food was provided and second hand clothing for many of the poorest families.
Project one
However Panchen Otrul Rinpoche is committed to helping people to help themselves on a long term basis so consequently a vegetable growing scheme was started here in 2001 and has proved to be very successful. Our aim was to give the families a better diet without too much cost, work and a sense of achievement. If they were able to grow extra to their needs also they would have produce to sell.
Two people from Asral charity and also Delger, the woman official working with social issues in Gacchurt, went for training with Adra, a Canadian Christian Aid group in Ulaanbaatar, focusing on vegetable growing. Delger then chose five families from the settlement. She then helped to train the five families. The cost and seeds were provided from Ireland through the newly formed Asral charity in Mongolia. This summer we were able to see (and eat) the result. We saw tunnels with tomatoes and cucumbers growing, cabbages, potatoes, water melons, salad crops etc. Also very happy people displaying their crops.
This year 5 more families have been chosen and the original 5 families will help in the training. So now 10 families will be growing extra food. But we realise this only helps a small number of families.
Project two
Consequently our group inspected a large area of land approximately 10 km from the main settlement of Gachuurt in a very beautiful valley with the local governor of the area Tumunbaatar. We are renting this land with the view of cultivating it on a larger scale, again providing work and produce for sale.
The land had been cultivated during the Communist period growing winter fodder for the cattle. However it is suitable for other crops and the proximity to the city of Ulaanbaatar gives a ready market for the ‘market gardening’ type of crops we hope to grow. At the moment most vegetable crops are imported from China.
Apart from vegetables other products have been suggested. One was herbs, as there will be a market for specialised herbs in the future both for Mongolian traditional medicine and also Tibetan traditional medicine. Other products suggested were soft fruit and also apple trees. This will be a long term project for Gachuurt.
Funding
However the following would be needed in order to fund this operation -
- A well - although water is available from a nearby river it would require considerable effort to transport it to the land in the quantities needed - as was done previously.
- Tools of all kind
- Tractor
- Fencing, as animals roam freely
- Buildings for storage etc
- Tunnels in order to start the plants growing early
- A vehicle to transport goods to the city
Training
We made contact with the Mongolia Women’s Farmers Association and were impressed with the work they are doing. They offered to help with this project also. They have excellent vegetable/farming books in Mongolian for new people, covering a huge range of topics in great detail written by Byatshandaa who started this project. She now runs training schemes at her centre.
Once the centre is built in Ulaanbaatar we hope that some of the women from Gacchuurt will be able to participate in some of the training programmes which will be run here.
Information about Ondershill, Dundgov aimac (state), Gobi
Settlement
This settlement has approximately 1, 570 occupants, some people settled in the ‘village’ and some nomadic herders. The settlement is 100 km from the aimac centre called Mandalgov and 400 km from Ulaanbaatar the capital of Mongolia. The access to this community is by dirt road only.
There are approximately 50,000 head of cattle. The herders run five types of animals, camels, sheep, goats, horses and yaks. These animals all eat a different variety of foliage. The wool from these animals is taken to Ulaanbaatar to be sold, usually to Chinese buyers who at present are giving the highest price. At present this wool is all that is produced.
The people were brought here and settled during the Communist period. the majority of the people settled in the village would be poor or very poor. The poorest families are headed by women. The majority of the population have no work for there is none.
Amenities
There is no electricity here although they are hoping that within two years time high voltage electricity will be brought. At the moment there is no help from the state or elsewhere for solar power. We are researching this at the moment. During the winter a diesel supplies some electricity between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. This is very expensive to run.
Water is supplied by two wells. The well near the village has water which is not very good for drinking. A second well is 2 kilometres away but has good water for drinking and is near the surface.
One store supplies everything and is owned by Munkhbaata a business man and his wife who also buy and sell the wool from the herders. They are local people and support the settlement in whatever way they are able. They sponsor Panchen Otrul Rinpoche’s visits to Ondershill.
A ger (tent) is used as a temple and looked after by an elderly man Lbsang Palden, who also looks after the spiritual life of the people and the poor in whatever way he can. He is very special. He also helps to sponsor Rinpoche’s visits. He looks after funding that we leave with him for some of the poorer families. The poorer children could not go to school without some financial help.
There is a very small hospital, staffed by one doctor and nurse at present. It is very clean but very limited in what it can offer.
Education
There is a kindergarten school which educates children up to eight years and a secondary school. However the buildings for the kindergarten school are derelict and at present cannot be used. Money for the renovation of this building should be coming soon from a Nordic Aid organisation that focuses on schools and education. The small kindergarten at present operates in part of the downstairs floor of a hostel. They have very few toys or learning aids.
The second floor of the hostel cannot be used as the roof is dangerous and lets in the rains and snow. It is hoped that the hostel will also be renovated. The hostel is an important part of the school as the children of the nomadic herders have to board during the term time.
At present very few of them are coming to school as there is no accommodation for them. Consequently they are getting no education at all. The secondary school also needs a lot of attention although still in use. Most of the traditional skills and handicrafts are being taught at the school and the standard was high for an isolated community such as this.
Music and traditional music is also taught and we were given a show by some older children that was excellent.
Discussions held with the headmistress were good and she said that her staff would be willing to go for further training at summer schools if they could be provided.
Future Opportunities
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche and Asral charity have been asked to help by finding a source of work for the community. It is important to find employment for the settled community here. It would be necessary to use the available raw resources which are wool and leather.
1. A Cottage type industry using the various types of wool, which is produced, and using the traditional skills of felting, sewing and woodcraft to make craft objects suitable for selling, attractive and well made. Any tools would have to be hand operated. At the moment the average person in Ondershill would not have these skills. Training would be a priority and the headmistress of the school was very enthusiastic about this area. At present there is no work for the young people when they leave school. Some drift to Ulaanbaatar, but there is no work their either.
There is an increase each year in the quality and type of goods now being made in Mongolia. There is a growing tourist industry buying craft articles. Also from the research that has been done there would be a market in the West for the type of leather and felt work we envisage being made in Ondershill e.g. Rugs, slippers, bags, wall hangings, waistcoats for men and women, hats table mats, wooden toys.
We already have an international designer willing to oversee work suitable for sale in the west etc.
Also one person skilled in hand-crafted work to start giving training.
2. 30 km away from the main settlement, there is a large area of land which is suitable for growing vegetables. This land was cultivated during the Communist period but is not used now.
The well is inadequate. A new well has been priced at $10, 000. A group of families would then move to live next to the land with the purpose of growing vegetables for sale. Surplus vegetables would be sold in the town of Choyr which is on the main train line to Ulaanbaatar and Zamyn-uud and Mandalgov, the maindown in Dundgobi.
Jungalagmaa, the government official in charge of Social needs in Ondershill has said this project has already started within another settlement in the Gobi and is proving successful as a means of employment. She was very enthusiastic and willing to help in anyway that she could.
3. Research is being done at present to find a way of providing solar electricity
4. Plans are being made to organise a small summer camp for the children during the summer.
5. We are hoping to twin the school with one in a Western country to help in whatever way is possible.