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Jul 19, 2010 - 9:00:26
TCEF Montana License Plate
TCEF has been gifted the sponsorship of a Montana license plate. This plate will potentially generate substantial funds which will be used for the ongoing support of Tibetan refugee children and elders through TCEF programs. This is a wonderful opportunity for our organization and we are delighted to have the chance to design a Montana TCEF license plate.
We are inviting all of our friends and artists to submit a creative , beautiful design that reflects the Montana - Tibet connection.
Guidelines: there is a DMV TEMPLATE (email )
1.The license plate design should connect Montana and Tibet
2. We encourage you to look at Tibetan art and cultural images
3. The name Tibetan Childrens Education Foundation must appear on the plate
4.The artists must adhere to the design parameters set forth by the Montana DMV
5. As the guidelines from the DMV state, the following items must appear in their prescribed places:
Montana
the holes for the license plate to hang
the area for the renewal sticker
the plate numbers.
6. Artists are encouraged to submit digital media adhering to the template. We can arrange assistance with final sizing.
Deadline for submissions: AUGUST 15 2010 Submissions will be accepted in digital format only. You can email them to
or CDs can be mailed to PO Box 1403, Helena, MT 59624.
All submissions will be deemed the intellectual property of TCEF as an unpaid donation from the artist.
Please call 439-3580 or email
for a copy of the DMV TEMPLATE or for more information
In case you want to see all the current specialty license plates, go to this
web address:
http://www.doj.mt.gov/driving/licenseplates.asp#sponsoredplates
Then, in the little blue box on the right, click on the words, “Sponsored
including colleges & other organizations”
The next blue box, “Plate Designs & Fees,“ will show them all to you.
Apr 28, 2010 - 3:30:43
Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation appreciates all the support from the generous Helena community. Once again we ask for assistance in the support of Tibetan people living in Yushu an area of Kham, Tibet devastated by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on April 14,2010.
As news of the Yushu earthquake disappears from the world’s front pages, survivor’s needs increase. Those in Yushu still lack blankets and tents. Temperatures are dropping and there is insufficient fuel for cooking and heat. Yushu has no electricity and is still in darkness. People have only meager food supplies and are drinking water from unsafe sources.
A jacket costs 2 USD
A blanket costs 2.40 USD
One ton of coal costs 51 USD
20 50ml bottled water 2.20 USD
Flashlight: 2.90 USD
Winter Tent 345 USD
We understood that the government pledged to put up temporary manufactured homes, but the only visible homes of this kind being set up are aluminum homes arranged by Project Hope for school children. Now we understand that in order to avoid waste, the government will not put up temporary houses and instead will invest in building permanent structures called new socialist villages. It is estimated this will take one to three years to complete. How will families and children survive in the upcoming winter?The average altitude in earthquake-affected areas is about 13,123 feet and it is incredibly windy.
345 USD can purchase a high quality tent that will provide all season shelter to a family
THANK YOU
Below are stories from Tibetans in Yushu
Tashi
I received information about the earthquake from my brother who is a teacher in Yushu. At about 5:00 a.m on the fourteenth of April a low magnitude quake woke people up, but many people then went back to sleep. Later that morning the big earthquake came. At that time many students were reciting lessons outside, by the walls of the school buildings. They were crushed when the walls fell on them. Some female students were going to the cafeteria to collect boiling water to make instant noodles, and the cafeteria collapsed and killed them. Despite all these terrible things, many people survived. They did not have any food for three days. After three days, instant noodles arrived and the people, almost starving, happily ate them. Now people are cold; they don’t have enough clothes, or blankets, or anywhere to stay.
Rinchen
I went to the hospital to help earthquake victims. Although I am Tibetan I couldn’t communicate very well with the patients because we speak different dialects. Nonetheless we could understand each other. People are just bringing them bread to eat and water to drink. They need some good food. The clerks at the hospital told me that many people are volunteering, but they still need qualified, professional, helpers.
Drolma
I went to the hospital to volunteer with my classmates – we spent one night there. There were many patients in the hospital. Some of the patients could not move, eat, drink, or go to the toilet by themselves. When people were awake they were nervous and when they were asleep they had nightmares. One man I helped had bruises all over his face and he couldn’t move his legs. The patients in the hospital still don’t have any clean clothes and what they are wearing has already become dirty and caked with blood.
Tsomo
Three of my female classmates are from Yushu. After the terrible earthquake they lost many relatives and friends, not to mention property. Luckily their parents are still alive. Now those three women are working busily in the hospital, day and night. They have been staying up all night to help the patients from their hometown and cannot attend classes as usual. When they come back to school from the hospital they just fall on the bed and sleep. Patients in the hospital have nothing now. I hope many warm-hearted people will stretch out their hands to help them.
Lumo
There is a girl from Yushu in the dorm room next to mine. She lost her mother in the earthquake. Since then she often calls out her mother’s name and cries. Sometimes she stays silent for a long time. We don’t know how to comfort her. Sometimes we want to talk about it with her, but maybe that will only make it worse. That girl is still going to classes, but she just sits there and we don’t know if she really knows what is going on her around her.
Tsering and Tsemdo
We talked to one earthquake survivor who helped us to distribute supplies we took to Yushu from Xining. He told us, “I woke up when the earthquake occurred at around 5 a.m. I knew that an earthquake was occurring and wanted to get up but I felt very sleepy and stayed in bed. My wife also felt very sleepy and stayed in bed. We were never so sleepy in our whole life – it was very strange. When an earthquake occurred again at 7:49 a.m., our house shook and I woke up. The house continued to shake and I grabbed hold of my grandson and wife, jumped up from bed, and ran outside. Our house collapsed just as I stepped out of the door. Something heavy hit my head and I passed out. When I woke up I could barely see because my vision was blurry. As my sight came back I could only see dust. I heard the sound of houses collapsing. After the earthquake, my daughter and son-in-law were trapped in the rubble and died but the rest of the family was OK. Many other people have died.”
Apr 22, 2010 - 12:10:01
We visited the young monks of Dubdi Monastery in Yuksom Sikkim to see how our lunch program was going.I am thrilled to report we saw young monks with chubby cheeks and full bellies. Imagine achieving this by raising $4.34 USD a day to feed 34 monks ! Lunch is a fresh cooked meal of rice ,dal and veggies. Lunch is still the most substantial meal of the day for these boys.
We did notice very few monks had socks and most of their sweaters were quite worn out. We felt chilly ourselves in the humid cold of Yuksom Village and we were wearing fleeces! When we returned to Gangtok we all contributed some money and bought 43 new warm sweaters and 32 pairs of warm socks and a sack of oranges for the monks.
We brought books, art supplies and puzzles to the boys.These boys just do not see these kinds of books and puzzles and their excitement is heart warming. It justifies all that hauling of excess baggage SO WORTH IT !
Mary Kitchen, Darrell and Lynn Hayes did the Life in America/Australia slide presentation for the kids and they watched with fascination. Valerie Hellermann (TCEF project manager ) then showed them video of last years visit and they laughed and giggled as they saw each other on the screen.
Guy Kitchen , Montana builder, built a beautiful picnic table for the monks. It was quite an amusing process as Nawang took Guy to the local carpenter to borrow some local tools. We knew at that moment it would be an adventure! Guy had lots of help from our group ( Craig Harrington, Nawang Bhutia, Mike Willing, Chogklang, Sonam and Wangchuk) as the first task was hand carrying the long planks of wood through the misty ,soggy, steep forest to the monastery grounds. A local carpenter appeared and first just observed and then tentatively offered his assistance.
Special thanks to our friend and program coordinator in Yuksom, Nawang Bhutia. Nawang supervises the program all year, and hosts our yearly visit in his family hotel, Hotel Yangrigang.
Remember this lunch program costs $4.34 USD a day to feed 34 monks. Less than $5 a day puts warm food in their bellies and creates chubby cheeked monks!!!
Apr 19, 2010 - 5:38:58
2010 Sikkim Report : Padamchen, Zuluk Hostel
Currently the Zuluk Hostel in Padamchen has 52 children . It is still 2 floors with a girls dorm and a boys dorm necessitating the kids to eat , sleep and study in their beds. One of our important goals was to access the situation for the building of a third floor. Guy Kitchen, a Montana builder, evaluated the structure and roof and presented a report verifying the safety of the proposed 3rd floor addition. The addition will become the girls dorm and the first floor will become the common room where the kids can eat , study and recreate. There will be a need for furnishing this common room with tables, benches and perhaps book shelves for a library. 2010 TCEF , committed to raise $7500 towards this project. We are collaborating with the Trans Himalayan Aide Society, Canada to complete the 3rd floor.
Darrell Hayes a member of the Monbuk Rotary Club, Victoria, Australia has committed to fund raise for the thermal solar unit through his rotary club. While in Gangtok, Darrell, Lama Paljor and Valerie met with the Gangtok rotary to discuss their participation and support of this project. They were very supportive but informed us they had minimal dollars themselves to contribute.
The general condition of the hostel was neat and clean and in good repair. The children sleep on VERY THIN pads and many do not have any pads but sleep on a blanket covered board. They do not have adequate bed covers. Their family is responsible for providing this and some just do not have the funds for bedding. Lynn Hayes of Australia suggested we fund raise for Bedding Kits. We estimate the cost of a kit is $35 USD which would include a mattress, sheets, pillow and pillow cover, warm quilt and pajamas.Great idea Lynn! MAY 2010 UPDATE ; A generous kind hearted donor has just pledged to supply all the BED BAGS!
Lama Paljor explained that several of the children we currently sponsor have left(on his request) the hostel because they were failing and unable to keep up. The problem seems to be that these children started school late , some at 12 years old and are not able to catch up and they continue to fail. He wanted to make room for other kids who would succeed. At this point, sadly he felt we could not really change things for these children. Lama Paljor spoke at great length about this unfortunate situation with these students, and that is why he created the Good Star Academy to give the kids a strong early foundation and encourage the families to send their children to school early. Some of these younger children have been moved into the hostel so they can regularly attend school and NEED SPONSORS>
The Good Star Academy now has 104 students. TCEF, on the spot donated $500 for books at Good Star Academy and $500 to the Hostel for ongoing needs.
Guy Kitchen did a vocational program, teaching the older boys how to make a picnic table. This was very successful and a highlight for many of the kids. They learned to measure, plane, cut, assemble, screw, and read construction blueprints. The boys gained a real tangible accomplishment which they were so proud of. The boys also seemed to really enjoy working side by side as a team under Guys direction. Wood and tools were donated so they could build another The girls were invited to participate but did not.
Mary Kitchen of Montana and Darrell Hayes prepared a cultural education class by presenting a slide show: A TRIP to America and Australia which the kids really enjoyed. Mary made boarding passes which were then stamped as the kids entered the country via the slide show. Mary and Darrell narrated the slides of typical vignettes of our modern life including houses, schools, stores, hospitals, roads , local foods and people engaged in every day activities.
Our group brought art supplies; cakes of tempera paint, brushes and good paper and did art projects. Valerie Hellermann(TCEF project manager) and Katie Knight(Helena HS teacher) prepared an art exchange project. The Helena HS kids made personal symbols and strung them like prayer flags to send to the kids in the Hostel. The kids were presented the flags and the hostel children then painted images of their environment to send to the Helena HS kids. Photo images of both groups painting have been exchanged.
Our group also brought knitting supplies to distribute and Lynn did a knitting circle with the girls.
We hauled many large heavy bags of donations that included books, games, puzzles, clothing, jump ropes and flash cards. The educational books, science, math, geography, were very popular as most ,if not all of the kids have not had access to such learning material. The novels were also greatly appreciated . Math flash cards and puzzles were a great hit.
Darrell and Lynn Hayes had money donated by friends in Australia and this was used to buy a complete sound system for the hostel as the kids really enjoy music.
The kids presented us with a wonderful concert of dance both traditional and hip hop. Emma Wieland, Jane Wieland and Craig Harrington entertained the group with a version of a line dance. They loved this exchange . One of the senior boys gave an impressive speech in English thanking TCEF and our group for the visit, our support and friendship. He was especially thankful to Guy Kitchen for teaching them to build the picnic table.
It was a wonderful visit and full of special interactions between our group and the children.
Apr 19, 2010 - 1:32:11
Our visit this year to the Kyitsel-ling Hostel in Clement town was wonderful. Many of the children know us from previous visits and it was like visiting family. Tsering Phuntsok , director of the hostel and family welcomed us and were warm and accommodating hosts. The wonderful Kyitsel-ling staff above are wearing their new TCEF tee shirts and sending their warmest greetings to all of you.
The children looked happy and healthy. The older kids in 10th form were studying diligently for major exams that will determine the very important rank needed for placement in the Indian education system.
The younger children were playful and eager to have us join them to read stories, shoot baskets, play ping pong, and talk. They were much less shy this year and their English much improved.
We had several projects planned for this visit and the children were excited and eager participants.
Vocational Project:
Guy Kitchen, a Montana builder taught the older boys how to build a picnic table. Under his guidance the boys learned how to read the blueprint, measure and cut the pieces of wood, plane the wood, drill, screw and assemble the parts. It was a total hands on experience. The boys were focused and worked as a team and were so excited and proud of the finished project. I am happy to report the table is in constant use by the hostel members.
Cultural Exchange
At the Tibetan School classroom, Mary Kitchen of Montana and Darrell Hayes of Australia, presented a culturally entertaining slide show depicting life in America and Australia. The presentation included each child receiving their own boarding pass which were then stamped to enter the country. The images included typical homes, stores, foods, hospitals , schools, animals, and people. The children were thrilled and paid very close attention some even taking notes.
Art Project
Our group brought art supplies; cakes of tempera paint, brushes and good paper and did art projects. Valerie Hellermann (TCEF project manager) and Katie Knight(Helena HS teacher) prepared an art exchange project. The Helena HS kids made personal symbols and strung them like prayer flags to send to the kids in the Hostel. The kids were presented the flags and the hostel children then painted images of their environment to send to the Helena HS kids. Photo images of both groups painting have been exchanged. Namgyal, Tserings wife was especially happy with the art supplies as
she is the weekend art teacher.
Reading
We hauled several large bags of books for the kids. Thank you sponsors who donated these great books. Lynn and Darrell from Australia, brought their share of great kids books for various age groups. These were so well appreciated. Jane Wieland (TCEF board member) spent quite a bit of time delighting the children with her animated reading of stories. The JOY of cuddling up together for a good story!
General Gifts
Along with books those heavy bags were packed with harmonicas(24), roller blades, stuffed animals, beads(for beading), clothing and all the gifts the sponsors sent to their children. Though it is difficult to transport these heavy bags to and around India, it was so worth it when we opened them up and the kids saw the heartfelt gifts from donors brought from across the world to them!! So, thanks and next year, next trip, please think LIGHTWEIGHT.
KYITSEL-LING WISH LIST
A conversation with Tsering Phuntsok about the ongoing needs generated this rough WISH LIST
National Geographic subscription
Time Magazine subscription
Funds for Primary Health Care Program;
A specific fund for this.Currently it is suggested that new students have immunizations but it is not mandatory and many parents can not afford this. Kyitsel-ling would need to pay for this .Keep in mind the hostel children all sleep in dormitories.
The immunizations needed are: MMR, typhoid, polio, tetanus, Hep A&B and TB test
It is approx. 1500 rs or $35.41 per child.
Kitchen Renovation Project:
Though the kitchen is clean and functional it is tired. There is a need for a new refrigerator and a bigger newer stove.
2 Tables tile or marble topped - 30,000rs $715.00 USD
stainless steel 3 burner stove - 60,000rs $1430.00 USD
Refrigerator - 10,000rs $238.00 USD
new counters for storage - 15,000 rs $357.00 USD
Build a small storage room for LPG(gas) with adequate ventilation and locks - awaiting estimate
Recreation room;
3 medium sized tables with 6 benches - 1500rs each = 4500rs =$108.00 USD
College Support;
A college BS program in New Delhi , costs approx. 40,000rs-45,000rs or $950 -1,071USD per year including hostel living and food. Many of our intelligent graduates from Kyitsel-ling long to further their education by attending college but cannot afford to .Remember these are sponsored children. Please consider extending your sponsorships a few more years to get them through college.
In 2010 , 2 kids graduated from Kyitsel-ling, in 2011 there will be 13. Many who dream of attending college.
Vocational Project
Guy Kitchen taught the boys how to build a picnic table and it was a wonderful project enjoyed by all. It would be a benefit to continue to introduce these skills as they are useful as alternate careers and just for the skill. The boys expressed real pride in their work . Funding for projects would include cost of materials (wood and nails) equipment is already at Kyitsel-ling, and the cost of a local crafts person to come out once or twice a month.
TCEF is a nonprofit 501C3 organization dedicated to Tibetan children, helping preserve their culture and function in the modern world.
