Kopan House. Ven. Ngawang Sangye sits with the little monks at lunch time.
Project proposal: Balmy South India has a Buddhist monastery and nunnery complex, affiliated with Kopan Monastery in Nepal, numbering near six thousand disciples of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. World peace and harmony, based on looking inward through study and compassion for all, motivates the twenty plus years of study and practice before graduation as a teacher (Geshe). Sangye Tenzin from the Medicine Buddha Health Clinic at Kopan Monastery suggested we go down and see if we can assist the process with an ear care and rehabilitation offering.
Location: Sera Jey Monastery, Bylakuppe, South India
Date Commenced: June 2011
Date Concluded: July 2012
Partners: Kopan Monastery, NAHOH, Sera Jey Monastery
Beneficiaries: The monks, students and staff of Sera Jey monastery, the local Tibetan refugee community, and resident Indian community, and aged persons in Old Age Home for Tibetan Refugees.
Trip 1 -June 2011
Partners: Kopan Monastery, Sera Jey Monastery
Staff: Sangye Tenzin (manager Medicine Buddha Health Clinic at Kopan Monastery )
Volunteers: Lew Tuck (HearingNEPAL Program)
Objectives: Run a pilot ear camp program to evaluate the need for ongoing services.
Outcomes:
- Primary Ear Care: 10
- Hearing Tests: 34
- Hearing Aids / ALDs fitted: 23
- HearingNEPAL Program was invited to return and run an ear camp for all students and monks of the monastery.
- The need was recognised to train health clinic staff in hearing aid maintenance, troubleshooting and the benefits of Primary Ear Care.
Trip 2 – July 2012
Partners: NAHOH, Kopan Monastery, Sera Jey Monastery
Staff: Keshab Dangol CMA (NAHOH)
Volunteers:Sue & Lew Tuck (HearingNEPAL Program), BJ and Sangye Tenzin (Monks, Kopan Monastery, Nepal)
Objectives: To provide primary ear care, hearing assessments and rehabilitation to staff, students and monks of Sera Jey Monastery and children and adults from the local Tibetan Refugee Community.
Beneficiaries: The monks, students and staff of Sera Jey monastery, the local Tibetan refugee community and resident Indian community, aged persons in Old Age Home for Tibetan Refugees.
Outcomes:
- Primary Ear Care: 302
- TM Perforations: 48
- Hearing Tests: 47
- Hearing Aids / ALDs fitted: 23