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"I have one idea - to help other poor people"

Born into a poor nomad family, Tenpa is now one of the 47 students in the final year of the Tibetan Medicine course at Chabcha University. "I was very lucky to be helped by Rokpa. Before I went to live at school our conditions were so bad that even my relatives didn't want to know me. Often I think that you give us so much and wonder how I can give the same back. For that I only have one idea and that is to help other poor people as much as I can."

This autumn Tenpa will graduate and join more than 300 other Rokpa graduate doctors working in rural Clinics.

Funding Tenpa at university was expensive for us but is impossible for most Tibetans. Lote Nyima, another eager student asking for our help said: "I thank Rokpa for giving me the opportunity to go to school and ask if it is possible to help me to go to university. My family is very poor, my grandparents are old and my mother had an operation and is still sick. I had an operation that my family had to pay for after an accident on a bus. Now we have no money, especially not for university."

An operation can cost £500. The supply of Tibetan Medicine for one year costs £60.

Rokpa's Tibetan projects

These currently include:

• over 4,000 children and young adults in 86 education projects, from primary to university,
• 11 health clinics
• 16 clinics for social welfare and the elderly
• environmental projects
• the preservation and regeneration of the Tibetan people’s ancient culture and heritage

Many changes, but life is much the same

Structural changes can be seen everywhere in the project area. The main roads are now tarred, many houses are being built in the towns and electricity is more common. But education and healthcare is still unaffordable for many Tibetans. Families are desperate to send their children to Rokpa schools. Akong Rinpoche, Rokpa’s President, finds it hard to turn down requests, but sadly there are not enough places or funds.

ROKPA UK Overseas Projects
Kagyu Samye Ling, Eskdalemuir, Langholm, Dumfriesshire DG13 0QL

Telephone: 013873 73232 Ext: 3
Fax: 013873 73223
email: charity@RokpaUK.org

ROKPA Trust Reg. Charity No: 1059293