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Gaden
Relief Projects
Helping
Tibetans preserve their unique culture.
Minutes
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Mongolia
Project Teleconference
December
5, 2003, 6:00-7:30 EST
Participants
Zasep Rinpoche,
Conrad Richter (Chair), Martha Foster, Lisa Farnsworth, Evan Zaleschuk,
Matthew Richards, Chuck Damov (Minutes)
[Numbers
in parentheses indicate original agenda item numbers.]
1. Organizational
Structure (#3)
CR: Conrad
is the overall co-coordinator of Gaden Relief. Currently, Gaden
relief is legally part of Gaden Choling. It is a registered Canadian
charitable organization. Generally, GR is decentralized, but there
are reporting requirements to Revenue Canada.
2. Project
Details (#4)
A] Vision:
Rinpoche:
Rinpoche
would like to support Mongolia, keeping in mind our currently
limited resources. Our goal is to help, specifically the Amarbayasgalant
monastery, poor people in Ulaan Bataar, supporting Zava Damdin
Rinpoche (Sarwa Tamden [Hayagriva] Rinpoche) and his monastery,
in Delgertsogt North of Mandalgovi in the Gobi desert. And fund-raising
for other projects when they arise.
Because Mongolia
is democratic, we are free to get involved in dharma works as
well as social works.
B] Project
leader: Matthew Richards
C] Personal
data of people involved: PLEASE FORWARD YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE
NUMBERS TO CONRAD FOR DISTRIBUTION TO EVERYONE
3. Setup
of Mongolia Project (#5)
A] Banking:
done thru Gaden Relief.
B] Reporting]
fiscal year end for Gaden Relief is June 30th; all dispersal of
funds must be properly reported and forwarded to Conrad well before
year end.
C] Contracts:
with Mongolia contacts: GR has a one page contract to use with
our foreign contacts.
D] Communication
for Project members: teleconferencing and e-mail works well.
4. Specific
Projects (#6)
A] AMARBAYASGALANT
MONASTERY: Amarbayasgalant is approx. 6 hr. drive Northwest from
Ulaan Bataar in Selenge Province near the Buryat-Siberian border.
It has about 60 monks right now. Most of them are aged 7 to 20's.
1] Water
well. This is important, because the monks have to walk a long
way right now to get their drinking water. Rinpoche: it would
be good to get a well, because the creek is not so clean, it is
far away, 2 kms from the monastery. A well is cheaper and cleaner.
We should
ask Mrs. Gerlee [Gerlbayasgalant] (Mongolian contact,) ("Amar
Mur" is the Ulaan Bataar city centre and official Mongolian fund-raising
arm for Amarbayasgalant Monastery) to investigate the feasibility
and cost of a well for us. Ms. Gerlee is a former professor in
Ulaan Bataar, who is now devoting most of her time to the Amar
projects. Ms. Gerlee is the person we can try to do our contract
with.
Amarbayasgalant
has been rebuilt by Guru Dev Rinpoche and others. They do not
need so much dharma items for the monastery. They need practical
support for everyday living now. The boy monks are still sleeping
on the floor, or in Yurts. It is cold in the winter.
2] Rinpoche:
it is important that we ask Zava Damdin Rinpoche and Gerlee what
they think they need. We should not just tell them what we want
to do .MATTHEW WILL CONTACT GERLEE ABOUT THE WATER WELL
3] Another
project is to have a Westerner teach English and Dharma to Mongolians,
for say 3-6 months.
5] Rinpoche:
it would be good to contact i.e. Dharma publishers, to see if
they will donate dharma books for the Amar Mur city centre. (MATTHEW,
contact Mahayana Sutra and Tantra press)
5. Volunteers
(#7)
CR: generally
all work has been done on a volunteer basis for Gaden Relief.
Conrad believes this policy should continue. This includes people
traveling to Tibet, India, etc.
However,
no-one has gone on behalf of Gaden Relief for such a long period
of time.
6. Fund-raising
Options
Matthew &
Rinpoche: Blue khatags and prayer wheels are specifically Mongolian
items. These kinds of dharma items, and Dorje and bells, statues,
posters, etc. are quite inexpensive. Also Mongolian clothes and
other items. MATTHEW will send us a list of items.
7. Individual
Participation
Conrad and
Evan: administrative knowledge and support to Matthew and project
members.
Martha: willing
to fund-raise
Lisa: willing
to fund-raise, and may have contacts w/ Mongolian studies dept.
in University in Bloomington. Also Lisa wants to go to Mongolia,
and possibly spring 2004?
Chuck: willing
to fund-raise, and be a liaison with the Mongolian people in Vancouver.
One Mongolian lady, Gana (Sp. ?) is possibly going to Mongolian
in spring 2004. She has offered to take or bring back items for
us. (CHUCK TO CONTACT)
Andrzej:
willing to be involved in any capacity, according to his time.
Rinpoche
is contemplating going to Mongolian for a few weeks in early July,
2004.
CONFERENCE CALL MEETING ENDED @ 7:30 PM. EST.
Recorded
by Chuck Damov
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