COMMUNITY KITCHEN FOR TIBETAN REFUGEES: SEPTEMBER 9 TH , 2010

1. COMMUNITY KITCHEN FOR TIBETAN REFUGEES: SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2010

2. Introduction • Anoop Jain • BS Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University class of 2009 • Came to Mcleod Ganj in summer 2006 • 3 years later, wanted to give back in a bigger capacity

3. In the Beginning… • Desire to build a public radio station • Students could practice English • New medium to spread word about the Tibetan cause

4. Response to an Expressed Need: Qualitative Public Radio Station?! About 20,000 ft of space that could be filled by everything a human could ever need Decreasing Importance Family, love, sense of belonging, religion Shelter, clothes, warmth, security Food, clean water, access to medicine

5. Purpose of This Kitchen • 1. Better Nutrition and Health for Tibetan Refugees • By providing cheap, well-balanced meals • By offering nutrition and health education classes • 2. Cooking Training Facility/Tourist Restaurant • The kitchen will be a training venue for those refugees who want to become chefs, waiters etc • By bringing in chefs from around the world, we hope to train our chefs in a variety of cuisines. They will be given a certificate • Money from restaurant will be used to help sustain the project • 3. Event Venue • For special family events and occasions • These exist here, but are very expensive

6. Kitchen Progress • Construction will begin in October after the last group leaves and after the rains end • Hoping it will be open by Jan/Feb • Working with Sarah Walker (University of Brighton, England) to develop nutrition curriculum • Both of us will be back early spring to incorporate that in to the English language course curriculum • During now and opening, will be focusing on cost analysis and sustainability

7. Tibetans in India • Chinese occupation started in 1951 • Dalai Lama left Tibet in 1959 • He has been followed by thousands of Tibetans • Before 2008: Approximately 2,000 refugees came to India per year • Since 2008: Number of refugees has dropped to approximately 900 per year

8. Health of Exiled Tibetans • 109,015 Tibetan refugees living in India, Nepal, and Bhutan Reported Incidence of Illnesses of Tibetans Living in Exile, 2009 Life Style Disease Pathogenic Disease Source: Tibetan Department of Home 2009 Census Data. To be released later this year

9. Our Students • Surveyed 110 students • Survey was double sided: One side English, one side Tibetan • A translator was used in every class to explain the questions in Tibetan

10. Demographic Data of LHA Students Not all survey participants recorded data in the following categories

11. Tibetan Food • Tsampa: Roasted barley flour (or wheat/rice flour) mixed with salty butter tea • Nutritional value: Nutritional value of barley flour per 100g Also contains trace amounts of Ca, Fe, Mg

12. Thukpa: Type of Tibetan noodle soup • Thenthuk is a type of Thukpa. It is usually served with either meat or some type of mixed vegetable • Momo: Type of dumpling filled with either meat or mixed vegetables. Served with chilies and soy sauce • Butter Tea: Tea leaves, butter, salt, milk • Traditionally made with Yak butter, but not readily available in India

13. Response to an Expressed Need: Quantitative Chai: Milk tea or butter tea Bread: Traditional Tibetan bread Other: Porridge, eggs, cereal

14. Other: Meat, tingmo (Tibetan steamed bread), porridge, tsampa

15. Thukpa: Could be thukpa or thenthuk Other: Tingmo, tsampa, bread, rice, dal, meat

16. Testimony • Doma: Came from Tibet in 2006 with her family (husband & 3 children). Took 1 month and 20 days to walk across the Himalayas. • Stayed at the Tibetan Reception Center in Dharamsala for 21 days. When they left, they only had one blanket with nowhere to sleep • They now have a tiny house with no bathroom. 500Rs/month • 3 meals a day • Sometimes they are forced to miss meals • BF = Tsampa or Bread. Egg maybe once or twice a week. Also Butter tea • Lunch = Rice & Dal with some mixed veg • Dinner = Thukpa/thenthuk with mixed veg • Doma told us that she would love to learn how to cook healthy, well balanced meals that are affordable

17. Conclusions • No one is starving • This community needs help with health/lifestyle education • Only eating 2.5 servings of fruit a week • Should be 2-4 servings per day • Diet is entirely too carbohydrate heavy • Not enough protein and vegetables • Too much butter, fatty oil, salt is used in food preparation • Lack of knowledge regarding healthy eating/cooking

18. Problems We Might Face • Money • Price of fruits and vegetables is on the rise • Our students and members of this community can not afford to buy foods that are considered healthy • Students not taking full advantage of the services we are hoping to offer • We want to influence long-lasting, holistic health/lifestyle change

19. Moving Forward • Working with different schools, monasteries and organizations in the MG area to implement a health, nutrition and lifestyle curriculum with them • This will help create healthy living awareness throughout the Tibetan community • Implement monitoring system to find out how beneficial our services are • Free health clinics like the free eye exam • Our students can go visit other organizations and present on the importance of health • Serve as living examples • Opportunity to practice English

20. Thanks for your time! Questions?