HIV/AIDS AND SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE awareness AT TIBETAN SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH EAST INDIA

at the beginning of this year Department of health (CTA) has request Kunphen to help them on their project on HIV/AIDS and substance dependence awareness in Tibetan settlement in north east India. We are very glad about that opportunity and accept it with great humility. We have arranged a client to speak about his life story and a prepared him to talk to the audience. There are to visit four towns which have more than 150 Tibetan families and four Tibetan settlements. At the beginning of March our staff Mr. Tenzin woaber and our client Mr. Pema Gyalpo has left for the project along with a staff from Department Of Health.

Darjeeling (11th March 2010):- Their first stop was in Darjeeling which is located in West Bengal State of India. Darjeeling it’s known for its Tea and Tourism, Tibetans has been settling in that town every since we have lost our country. There were more than Two hundred Tibetan families and the main occupation of the Tibetans is cloth business. There is a Tibetan school administrated by CTSA (Under Department of human resource, Indian government). This school has more than 700 students and class up to higher secondary level.

We have organized this awareness session in Tibetan community hall; we have school students and general public for the session. More than 70 people have come for the session. The session was begun with the introductory speech from local Tibetan leader, followed by Mr. Lobsang Dhargya on the facilities provided by Tibetan government, then our staff Mr. Tenzin Woaber spoke about HIV/AIDs and Substance Dependence, followed by showing them video on subject than our client Mr. Pema Gyalpo La has spoke about his life experiences under the influence of Drugs and how he has come out of it. After that we have ask people to ask their questions and speak their concern.

The session last for more than two hours and people are very happy to have us visiting their place and making them aware about two of the most important Health concerns of exile Tibetan communities. After the session the local Tibetan people has invite us for a lunch with graduate.

In the evening we left for Kalimpong, which took us four hours in cab.

Kalimpong(12th March 2010)Tibetan people has been settling in this hill town from the beginning of 19th century, this place has been trading hub for trade between India and Tibet before 1959. After 1959 this place has been centered for Tibetan handicraft and there were more than 3000 Tibetan family including minorities like Tibetan Muslim. Many people have secure Indian citizenship and many of them works for Indian establishment like Government and private sectors.

The sessions begin at 08:00 in the morning because that day was Tibetan Women’s uprising day and we were requested by them to finishing the session before nine as there have got minimum time for their uprising. The audience is bigger than perceived. We had all the member of the regional Tibetan women’s association, students from center school for Tibetan and Himalaya Buddhist Association’s School. The session begun with showing Video on HIV/AIDS and substance dependence, followed by Mr. Lobsang Dhargyal speaking about the help DOH (CTA) can do for people facing these two illness, then I have Spoke about HIV/AIDS and substances dependence. My client Pema was not able to talk as he not confident to talk. The session last for more the one and half hours and then we gave the audience an opportunity to ask question besides having Time constrain. The question and answer session are commence as same as every other awareness sessions.

After we were done with our awareness session, the gathering ceremony of Tibetan women’s uprising day was conducted and we left their community hall as we have to prepare our self for a journey to Ravangala Tibetan Settlement. In the afternoon we left for Ravangla and reach there at late evening like 07:00 PM.

Ravangla (13th march 2010):- Ravangala Tibetan settlement is located near the Township of Ravangla in southern district of Lamchi. It has a 1500 Tibetans and a Tibetan Army Unit under Department of Home (Government of India) is also located next to Tibetan settlement. The major source of income for Tibetan families in that settlement is pretty business in nearby Indian town, farm which has been seriously affected by Organic farming policy of Tibetan Government in Exile, and every household has a father or a son serving in Indian army.

In Ravangla we are not able to conduct awareness program as it was Sunday and there is no other alternative option rather than to conduct it with the Elders. The session begun at 09:00, it last for two and half hour. The session was started with chief representative giving introductory speech, followed by showing them some video relating to HIV/AIDS and substance dependence, then I have talk about the substance dependence and HIV/AIDS and it was followed by Mr. Lobsang telling them about the facilities and supports made available by Department of health (CTA). Then session went well and every members of that Village are really admiring us for visiting their Village. In the afternoon we have to leave Ravangla for Shilligura for a train to Tensukia in Assam.

Mioa (16th March 2010)

Mioa Tibetan settlement is located in east part of Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The main sources of income for a family are Farming, Indian Army, and Handicraft which is run by local co-operative society and financial support from Tibetan Government, which is given to a people from lower income group. This village is one of the three most remote Tibetan settlements in India.

In this village we are able to organize a separate session for school children and Adults. We had a session for adult in the morning and for school children in the evening. The session for Adults begun at 09:00 in the morning and there were more than two hundred people turn up for the session. After the introductory speech from the representative of Tibetan Government, we have shown them the Video on substance dependence and HIV/AIDS after that I have spoke on the Subject which is followed by Mr. Lobsang Dhargya telling them about the facilities and support available from the Tibetan Government on Exile.

In the evening we have a session in school hall for school student from class 4 to 8. There were more than hundred student and teachers. At the beginning of the session I have ask them to raise their hand if there have family member how smoke. Very few student has raised their hand and then I have ask them to raise hand if there have any family m ember who drinks then to my surprise every student has raise their hand. We didn’t though it would be a good idea to teach them each and every thing about HIV/AIDS and Substance dependence. Instead of that we have tough them on the concept of Fool and cool. In which we have tough them smoking, using drug and drinking alcohol are not a cool things to do but instead it is a fool to use it and it is not an Adult things to do, it’s the elder who are fool using those things. During the session we have shown them the picture of smoker’s lung and non smoker’s lung, Alcoholic liver and a normal in order to show them the effect of using the substance. We didn’t do deep detail about HIV/AIDS as we do for the Adult’s session but we didn’t miss a single important points about it. The reason why we did in that fashion was children has a very short span of attention and it was in the early evening. During the session we have ask the children’s to scream back some important points like its fool to smoke and etc. it was my first time to teach small children on this subject, but the school teachers are really admiring the way I though the children in the topics.

Next day we left for Tezu which is ten hour drive from Mioa.

Tezu (18th March 2010):- Tezu Tibetan settlement is located near Tezu township of Arunachal Pradesh. To reach there we have to cross the Great Bharamaputra River, which is origin from Mount Kailesh. The main sources of income are Farming, Army, and pretty business in nearby Indian Town. There have more than three thousand Tibetan settlers. There have a school, primary health care centre and co-operative society which runs a handicraft center but now it seems very less people are coming there to work.

We had two awareness sessions in Tezu one is for Adults and others for school children. The morning session is for the Adults and it was begun with the introductory speech from local leader then I have spoke about the issues, which followed by Mr. Lobsang talking about Dept of Health. We were not able to show them the Video on the subject as there was power cut. More than three hundred people came for the session and the session last for one and half

In the evening we had session for school children and their teachers. We have conduct the sessions in same fashion. When we ask them if there have any family members who smokes or drinks, the number of people raising their hand up was comparatively less than previous village. The evening session was for one hour. At the end of the session their head master invites us for a tea in his office.

On next we have left for Tensuekia, from which we need to take night bus to Tezpur and then we had to leave for Tenzin Gang Tibetan settlement which is more than seven hour cab ride from Tezpur. We have reach Tenzin Gang at noon and we are ask to held the session on Monday which is 22nd of March.

Tenzin Gang(22nd March 2010):- we have reach Tenzin Gang two days before but we were able to held session there as it was a week end and we are all very tried. As we have discussed with the chief representatives of Central Tibetan Admininstration, he told us he will have it arrangedon that day.

During our rest time we have Visitted the schools, Temple, local Hospital and Handicraft. Tenzin Gang is the second most remote Tibetan settlement next to Toting near Tezu. To reach there it took us seven hour ride in Cab from Tezpur which is the nearest town. There were bus service available, one in the morning and another in the evening. While my visit I have a strong profound feeling this settlement has been forsaken from many facilities and people has tried to solve by finding some foreign donors and with local contributors there have build a hospital and hostel for the school going children. Some year after these facilities are build there were in short of money to run those facilities, there have tried asking Department of Health and Education to centralize the facilities but in return there were replied that Tibetan Government can’t do it unless it is build by them. Last Ama Jetsun Pema la has visit the place and she gave them an Ambulance and School Bus which has great utility for the settlers. Having no good hospital within the seven hours of Drive is a very big question for me. I was there for a purpose and I promise myself that I will do my best to let people know about these illnesses. The main sources of Income for settlers are fruit plantation which has severely hit by Organic policy of Tibetan Government. Tibetan government under the Prime Minister Shamdhong Rinpoche has declare they policy on organic farming just after they have planed Apple trees which requires huge amount of chemical fertilizers which is the new policy by which the local Co-operative Society are not allow to buy them for settlers, that is why many poor farmers could not effort to buy.

Ramoche Monastery has moved from Tenzin gang due to its remoteness and some legal issue there are facing while there to Visit them. This has serious effect on the live hood of the settlers. When Monastery was there then these settlers has an opportunity to earn extra income by setting up the shops and restaurant where the monks can come to eat. On the main road now every house hold has a shop but during my two day stay I didn’t see any promising amount of people coming to buy. Another source of income in the younger member of the family member goes out for an Employment opportunities and business which means extra income for the families and many families has a son or a father in Indian Army.

People have gathered for a session at nine in the morning but we are not able to start session for another one hour as we have lost the power cable to our projector. But lucky we are able to borrow another projector from the school. More than two hundred people have come for the session and we have audience from all age group. We begin the session by introductory speech from chief representative of CTA and then followed by screening videos and then I have spoke about HIV/AIDS and substance dependence, which is followed by my client telling them about how he has begun indulging with substances and how he has been able to quit with the help from Kunphen. Then lastly staff from Department of Health Mr. Lobsang spoke about the help and support his Department has been giving to people infected/effect by those illnesses. There were no question about the session but at the end of the session leader of their local assemble has really appreciate to have come their remote village and advice people to keep these thing in their mind and share it with their family members and loved ones who are not present in the audience.

In the afternoon at two o’clock, we had our session with school children at the very same room. There were more than three hundred students which are from Grade one to Eight. Majority of the students are from the very same settlement but there are some who are from another place such as toting which is the most remote Tibetan Settlement in India. You conduct the session from in same fashion as we did in other schools. But in this school I have found that the children are very attentive and intelligent. During the enquiry session there have ask me about how HIV does not infected animals. We had to leave that session on the very next day there are accepting some other guess from Dharamshala and they did not have enough space for all of us to fit in.

Our next stop is Shillong, the capital of Mahegalaya state of India.

Shillong (26th March 2010):- Shillong is known for its beauty and known for its tourism. This place has been tourist destination. This place is also known for the influences of western culture, which is why I don’t it is wrong to tell, Shillong is the culture capital of north east India. It has a huge number of young adult populations as this place has lots of colleges and many students from other north eastern states are coming here for studies. Shillong has very high number of Drug abuser as the place is locate near Bangladesh from they are smuggling huge amount the illicit drugs into India. As any other north eastern states of India, Shillong is not a sexual restricted society. With having huge numbers of young people and such other socio-culture contribution, Drug addiction and HIV/AIDS has been a major concern for Tibetan families residing there. There are many Tibetan families in Shillong who have stories of having drugs addict in their families and some who lost their sons to drugs.

In Shillong majority of Tibetan families are having shop where there sells cloths but some have runs restaurant and Bar. Recently there has been increasing number of Tibetan settling Shillong, most of them are worshiping Dorji Shugdhen and there have immigrate to Shillong as they were out caste in other Tibetan settlement. The Shillong is a safe place for them as there are less number of Tibetan people plus Shillong Does not have any separate place for Tibetans to settle.

We have reach Shillong on 24th of March but our awareness session has been scheduled on 26th that means we have one day to explore the town. On 26th we have a session for adult member. There were about thirty people in the session. We are not able to show them the Video on topic so we did only oral transmission of the facts about those illnesses. I have spoke about Drugs and HIV/AIDS and my client spoke about his life story and then Mr. lobsang spoke about the facilities and help DOH has been providing. At the end of the session there were some people asking us about the issue and one gentleman has stood up and told us the issue of drugs addiction in Shillong. After the session the local leader has requested us to organize one more session in the late evening as many younger people were not able to come for the session as there has to go to their shops.

In the afternoon we had a session in the school. The school is run by Tibetan Exile government and there have a class till Eight Grade and many of their students are from remote place. In school we had the session in same fashion and we have request student to raise their hand if they have family member who smoke or drinks but there were very less hand rise. During the question answer session students are particularly interest in know how HIV/AIDS is not infected though mosquitoes’ bite.

In the evening at eight thirty we begun the requested session for adults and about sixty people has shown up, most of them are from younger aged group who are being push by their family member to attend the session. We had session in the same fashion but there are no questions during enquiry session. at the end of the session an old man has invited me into his home and spoke about how he has lost his son to drugs two month before we came. This old man was telling me to keep doing this work and make people know what the drug addiction is and how people end up losing their after using those. He told his son would be death if there were sessions like this five year before. I had no answer for him!

Prepared by

Tenzin Woaber (MSW)

Lets save Tibet from HIV/AIDS and Drugs