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TIBETAN CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FUND(TCEF)
Although we have been depending on foreign aid for so many years now, self-help remains one of our ideals which strive to attain wherever possible. And so it was that this council launched its own campaign in 1976, with the valuable advice and help of social worker Mrs Joyce Murdoch, called the Tibetan Children Educational Fund. The Tibetan population in exile has been asked to contribute to this fund, each according to his means, and to date the fund has 112 Tibetan members. The schools have also been encouraged to perform cultural programs to raise money for TCEF, so that all members of the Tibetan cultural programs to raise money for TCEF, so that all members of the Tibetan community may be in some way involved in securing an education for the deprived children.
The aim of TCEF is to establish a regular, yearly income to admit new children to the Tibetan residential schools and maintain them there until completion of their schooling.
Members are invited in the following categories: The money raised is pooled in a central fund and used to pay full schools fees for orphans and destitute children, and part fees for those whose parents can contribute towards the cost. TCEF is also used as an Emergency Fund, to admit very needy children to school immediately that they come to our notice and support them until such time as we are able to find them an individual sponsor. In the early days of TCEF, His Holiness the Dalai Lama generously gave Rs 100000 to the fund , and the response from both Tibetans and non-Tibetans has been fairly encouraging: Rs 53938.64 was received in total for 1979 to 80. TCEF's present membership is 182, included in which are six United Nations office personnel in Geneva, Switzerland; it is heartening for us to know that some UN workers are particularly sympathetic to the needs of the Tibetan children. Each member of the fund is sent a half-yearly Newsletter, giving up to date information on TCEF within the larger context of Tibetan refugee education as a whole. A WORD OF THANKS The Tibetan refugee community is fortunate indeed to have received such extensive aid from many different sources for the education of our children. The biggest debt of gratitude lies of course to the Indian Government, which for twenty years has been unstinting in its financial and administrative support. Thanks are also due in full to the staff of the aid agencies, who work so patiently and tirelessly in the organization of the sponsorship schemes. Then there are the many hundreds of individual sponsors who have given their money-and their love-so selflessly over the years. Although they are too numerous to name here, we thank them all through this booklet, and express our hopes that all these friends will continue their charitable work of supporting Tibetan children in their pursuit of education. |
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