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The Ted Worcester/Yangdzom DVD, In the Footsteps of Blazing Splendor, will show at the Mendocino Film Festival on Saturday, May 31st. Check the film festival website for details.
Ted Worcester/Yangdzom Healing Hands 2007 Report and Update
Once again the medical trip undertaken by the Ted Worcester/Yangdzom Healing Hands team far exceeded all expectations for success and achievement. At each project monastery and nunnery, we were welcomed graciously and given yearly reports. The appreciation for this project is constant, and we were repeatedly requested not to abandon this work. We assured all involved that are goals are long-term and stable.
We made progress in each area, and felt our growth is carrying on at a good and steady pace. Aside from checking on clinic building, distribution of funds and gathering information from our previous visit, Frances developed a training program for medical workers that will take place next year for 3 months in Jyeku. She found the organization to oversee & manage the training. The program is already full of participants as each Monastery & Nunnery committed to sending 2 medical workers for the training. We also found a local manager of the program to coordinate all aspects of the project, communication, funding oversight & translation work. Her name is Tsering Yudron & we are very fortunate to have such a capable & dedicated person on board. Each monastery & nunnery appointed a person to keep in contact with Tsering. Report by Area
monk getting glasses, Tsechu Tsechu Monastery, the home of Adeu Rinpoche’s sacred body. Since Rinpoche had died so recently, we were doubtful about any progress toward the building of a clinic there. To our surprise, the small medical clinic was so important to Rinpoche that he made sure that the skeleton of it was already completed before his death. Ted Worcester/Yangdzom Healing Hands’ fund raising paid for $5000 of the clinic. Once again we gave money for a year’s worth of medicine, funds for poor, old people & we carried additional Western medicine as well as distributed reading glasses to old monks, nuns & lay people. The managers of the monastery felt that it was better that they buy food for the elderly & poor & distribute it themselves. This marked a new procedure that we undertook in three other places.
Neten Monastery Neten Monastery reconnaissance, funds given for medicine and the request from Orgyen Topgyal Rinpoche, for a traditional Tibetan Medical clinic will be translated into a proposal. Trulshik Monastery, checked on clinic construction, which is still in the planning stages, distributed medicine & gave funds for medicine and elderly poor people.
Clinic, Dechen Ling Dechen Ling Nunnery, distributed medicine & gave funds for medicine and elderly, poor nuns. The older nuns had a meeting and decided that the most important step toward better health for them was to expand their water system. So, instead of constructing a clinic they requested water development. Frances was able to contact a local NGO, Jinba, adept in water development & got the commitment to oversee the project, once funding is generated.
Gebchak nuns Gebchak Nunnery, checked on clinic construction, distributed medicine & gave funds for medicine and elderly poor people.
Ca Chik landscape Ca Chik Nunnery, reconnaissance & future expansion. Close to Gebchak, this amazing place is the home of 70 nuns in 9-year retreat under the guidance of the great yogi master Tulku Pema Drimey. They have already constructed a beautiful traditional clinic & were appreciative for the medicine funding & future training. Tser Mong Bo Nunnery, visited & met with the abbot, Lama Choedak who requested medical help. We enlisted candidates for training & investigated future distribution of medicines & medical supplies. Tsikey Monastery, reconnaissance & future expansion. We enlisted candidates for training & investigated future help for medical supplies. Dranak Monastery, once again visited, but the priority at this time for the monastery is completion of their Shedra. Lachab Monastery, due to roadwork and lack of a direct contact person, we were unable to follow through on any help this year.
Goals Continue to sponsor medicines, training and clinics in remote areas of Eastern Tibet. In the four places where clinics have been funded or built, we hope to furnish the clinics with needed equipment. Training is still our top priority, and we will work on funding and developing programs.
Needs for 2008 Funds for medicine for nine monasteries & nunneries and sponsorship for elderly people: $5,700 Training program sponsorship per 12 participants: $7,500 Building of Clinics, 2 for 2008: $28,000 Local administrator yearly salary: $1,200 Transport, translation fees, housing food for team: $3,700 Total: $46,100
Update December 12, 2008 Graziella Zanoletti’s, Elite's 20-year celebration and fundraiser was a memorable and wonderful event. They collected $18,900 to complete the construction of the clinic at Tsechu Monastery. Bridge Fund has committed $20,000 for the Gebchak clinic. Private sponsors have undertaken the water project at Dechen Ling nunnery for $15,000.
Yangdzom Healing Hands Initial Journey & Report (2006) Yangdzom Healing Hands conducted a humanitarian medical relief program of assistance and information gathering in Nangchen, East Tibet, from September 8th-24th, 2006. A dedicated and diverse group of 14 volunteers traveled 5,000 kilometers through remote and spectacularly beautiful areas of Qinghai Province, fondly known as Nangchen.
Frances Howland with Lama Chomdor Goals Before we set out our objective was established as:“To make a traveling medical unit to visit periodically and help those in need. The stages of this project will firstly train Nangchen health care providers, monks and nuns in each monastery and nunnery, to care for the sick and elderly, and later to sustain this unit.”) Primary Objectives (from Yangdzom Proposal) What We Accomplished All these goals came about with no obstacles & in a harmonious environment. We treated over 500 patients (both lay and monastic) as well as retreatants with both Western and Tibetan Medicines. We came away with more than we gave & with quite a few of our initial ideas transformed radically. Findings 1. The government does not take care of the basic needs of these people. It does not provide medical clinics, care or medicines, clean drinking water, roads, electricity, schools and sanitation facilities, or education. Our future strategy remains the same as in the Proposal, with an expanded intention to benefit the local population Strategy *To incorporate culturally appropriate traditional and allopathic medical practices into the monasteries & nunneries developing a system that can be duplicated. Activities 1. Employ suitable administrative personnel from the nearest major urban center. Investigate the availability of appropriate health training programs. Monitoring and Evaluation Effectiveness Operational Management I would sincerely like to thank all who came on this trip, particularly our medical people, Francis Howland, Carroll Dunham, Dorjam and Kelsang, our tireless translators, Tsewang, Ani Tendzin Chodzom, Guru Chowang & Kelsang as well as our generous & flamboyant fund raiser & financier, Graziella Zanoletti, & others kind sponsors who include, Margot Pritzker, Jocelyn Sylvester & the Vaek Center. Cheers to the dynamic Jen who filmed it all & will be sending visuals soon for you all. --Marcia Schmidt Monies Given, in addition to treating patients at the Clinics: Funding for medicine replacement at 5 Clinics, $4,000 MEDICINES, $2,000 READING GLASSES Cipro antibiotice eye drops 20 bottles. EQUIPMENT BP cuff, 4 Additional Funding for Poor Practitioners & Old People $2,400 Total Funds Directly Handed out by Yangzdom Healing Hands, $8,400 Other expenses not listed here & covered by additional sponsors include:
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