The Tezu-Dhargyeling Tibetan refugee camp in the isolated region of Tezu, India has requested a noodle-making machine to start a business, in addition to a generator and power inverter for their middle school and day care center. A noodle business, which was very successful in a neighboring camp we support, will provide economic opportunity and food for the entire community. The urgently needed generator and inverter will keep young Tezu students in school during power outages.
This settlement, in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is home to 1,600 Tibetan refugees and is one of the largest Tibetan camps that we work in. Isolated from the rest of India and the world by its location near the Burmese border, large swaths of dense jungle, and heavy monsoons, this resilient but vulnerable community faces many struggles to survive. But helping Tibetans to survive and maintain their culture in difficult times is at the core of what we do.
The Tezu-Dhargyeling community has prioritized several projects that would help to improve their quality of life. They would like to launch a noodle-making enterprise, which will create jobs and improve the local economy while providing fresh and affordable noodles to the region. And the local school and daycare center is in need of a generator and power inverter, as frequent electricity blackouts cause closures, interrupting student work flow and consistent education and childcare.
For refugees in Tezu, new jobs and functioning schools are urgently needed. But these projects will also promote the long-term stability of the community. The noodle making business will provide local employment and nutritious food, and the generator and power inverter will keep the daycare and schools up and running. Both will empower the settlement to take control of their own local economy and help to connect them with the outside world.
