2004 Fundraising Letter |
|
Dearest
Family, Friends and other Arasmas Supporters, This is, I believe,
our fourth Annual Arasmas Letter. Some
of you are first-time recipients, some of you long-time supporters.
I sincerely trust and hope this finds each of you well and in the
midst of a bright holiday season. For those of you
receiving this letter for the first time, it comes to you because I
consider you to be a possible supporter of Arasmas, whether with a
financial contribution, or simply your goodwill and awareness of our work.
Arasmas (samsara spelled backwards), formerly known as The Fund for
the Higher Education of Tibetan Refugees, is a small California 501(c)(3)
Non-Profit Organization that provides scholarship funds to Tibetan
Refugees pursuing higher education in India. The seeds of Arasmas
first sprouted when I participated in an International Human Rights
program as a law student in Northern India, in 1999.
While working at The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
in Dharamsala, a NGO that provides information to the various human
rights-oriented branches of the United Nations, I met Tamdin Youtsa Kyab.
When I met Tamdin he had been in India after escaping from Tibet on
foot four years earlier. He was fluent in Chinese, Tibetan and Hindi – and wanted
nothing more than to study International Human Rights.
Humbled by his story and inspired to help him in any way I could, I
gave him what few books and resources I had and returned to the States
where I shared his story via email with a few select members of my family
and friends. That was five
years ago. With contributions
ranging from twenty to a thousand dollars that trickled in over the next
three years (but altogether amounting to no more than $5,000), Tamdin
completed two years or rigorous English language and pre-law training at
the British High Council in Delhi. I
visited him in late 2001 right before he left India for Belgium where he
currently lives. He is no
longer an Arasmas funds recipient (as he is currently in between academic
programs), but he has not lost sight of his dream and would have never
made it as far as he has – and been the inspiration he is for members of
his community, without your help. Since 2001, Arasmas
has evolved into a legitimate, federally recognized non-profit
organization. All Arasmas
students have to endure a rigorous application process, complete with
referrals, transcripts and personal statements.
Since Tamdin’s success story was published in the local
Dharamsala paper in early 2002, the interest has been overwhelming.
Arasmas students are a highly qualified and worthy select few. Arasmas funded two
students’ educational pursuits in 2003-2004:
Tenzin Norchung (Tibetan Medical Studies at the Medical College in
Dharamsala) and Tenzin Soyang Londan (Intensive English Training to
qualify as an Official Translator for the Keshag, His Holiness’ temple
and seat of the Tibetan Government in Exile).
Although both have exceeded expectations, Tenzin Norchung has
proven to be a particularly special student.
His correspondence is regular and includes his quarterly
transcripts, photographs, etc. He
was even published in his College’s Medical Journal this year.
This is all from a student who left his family in Tibet with little
but the clothes on his back more than a decade ago. Perhaps what impresses me the most is his motive:
his level of commitment comes directly from a genuine desire to
assist in the preservation of his people’s medical traditions, despite
the exile status of so many of the educated members of his community.
We sent Tenzin just over eight hundred dollars in August, 2003; the
funds to cover his tuition, living expenses, and other miscellaneous costs
(books, supplies, postage, etc.). The
last I heard he had budgeted so carefully that he believes this money will
last him through the end of 2005 (for those of you not wanting to do the
math - that is living on $800 for two years and four months, or
approximately $28 per month). Needless
to say, it takes very little to have a dramatic impact on the lives of
these hopeful students. Our challenge for
2005 is that we would like to add two more students to the Arasmas family
(they will be the fourth and fifth since its inception).
The students’ names are Lhakpa Dhondup and Nyima Chundak, they
are brother and sister. They
come to Arasmas via their father, a retired Officer for the Tibetan
Community in India (he represented the Dehra Dun exile community for
several decades). Again,
these students’ needs are minor – the cost of tutoring for Computer
studies for one year for Nyima (approximately $500 for the year) and the
cost of Lhakpa’s supplies for the Cookery Course he attends at the
Tibetan SOS Vocational Training Centre in Silakui, Dehradun (he has
already been awarded a scholarship from the Tibetan Children’s Village
for his fees) which we expect to amount to approximately $1200 for the
year. We have been
particularly impressed by these two; they are the first Arasmas applicants
to actually have the support of their family, with which they live, and
they are both pursuing studies that will enable them to earn enough of a
living so that they may care for their aging parents in their retirement.
Also of note, Nyima is our first female student. As in the past, I am
delighted to share the students’ report cards, letters, photographs, and
mailing addresses with those who are interested in learning more.
I do not consider your request for more information or detail a
request for “proof” of any kind – just an added expression of
interest from those who help to make this all possible.
Please do not hesitate to ask if I can send you copies of any of
these materials. It is a great honor
to be able to maintain this connection with these students and be
ever-inspired by their progress, determination, and commitment.
As I try to remind each of you every year, it would not be possible
without your support, in whatever form it comes. Thank you. If
you decide to make a contribution, big or small, you can trust it makes a
difference. Checks should be
written to Arasmas and sent to the address enclosed.
You will be provided with a receipt for tax deduction purposes
within thirty days. Blessings &
light, Cecily Freyermuth |
Arasmas |