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The Tarboche House
The Tarboche Foundation is raising funds to build a school in Dharamsala for intensive English instruction for former Tibetan political prisoners. We are working with the Gu-Chu-Sum Organization (www.guchusum.org) of Dharamsala, which is run by ex-political prisoners from Tibet.
These former prisoners of conscience are some of the most motivated, indomitable, and courageous Tibetans. Often they emerge from Chinese jails mentally exhausted, physically injured, and seriously in need of help to put their lives back together. Our vision is that one of the best ways for these refugees to become self-supporting is to acquire fluency in English. While there are some English classes taught in Dharamsala, none provides the intensity and total immersion that are necessary for rapid acquisition of language skills.
We plan to begin construction of Tarboche House in March 2002 on land provided by Gu-Chu-Sum. The building will provide living accommodations and classrooms for 20 students for 1-2 year intensive English instruction. There will also be classes in Tibetan and computer skills. The two-story concrete structure will contain 2320 square feet and will cost about $15/sq foot. The ground floor will contain 7 bedrooms and two toilets and two shower rooms, while the first floor has three classrooms
We have raised funds for about half of the total expense of $34,000. Tarboche Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization. We are actively seeking donors to raise the additional funds. All of the donated funds will be used for construction or teaching materials in Tarboche House. The names of donors will be inscribed on a plaque in Tarboche House in Dharamsala.
The refugees for whom Tarboche House is intended are some of the Tibetans who have suffered most from the Chinese occupation. Resident students will be laypersons as well as nuns and monks. Nuns, in particular, have been some of the most determined and gutsy proponents of freedom in Tibet. Many remain in Chinese jails with unreasonably long sentences and continue to suffer physical abuse. We hope that some of these nuns, when they are released from jail, will make their way to Dharamsala and may benefit from English instruction at Tarboche House.Click here to see the plans for:
