The Wellbeing Programme is a philanthropic initiative by Friends of Tibet, a non-profit organisation founded in 1999 to support the cause of Tibet and to create awareness about the issue of Tibet amongst people all over the world. This initiative researched, designed and implemented by Friends of Tibet aims at the restoration, propagation and promotion of the endangered traditions and practices of Tibet.

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Life at Wellbeing Camp!
(By Eswar Anandan, June 22, 2014)

Eswar Anandan (Right) with Tenzin Nangsel, Tsering Chozom, Dr Thinlay Choephel, Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar and Tenzin Choephel at Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp venue at Ashirbhavan, Kochi.

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"My people celebrate every time I undergo treatment; they come together, sing and wish and welcome me back every time I go back after treatment; rather than giving way to suffering, I see this as an experience and live it".

This quote from a Wellbeing Participant suffering from Cancer summarises the essence of Wellbeing.

Spreading the beautiful message of Wellbeing, WB37 concluded on June 14, 2014. Like the previous camps, more than a medical camp, it was happiness, celebration and the camp was blooming with positivity, energy and enthusiasm.

WB37: The 4-day camp from June 11-14, 2014 benefited over 180 Wellbeing Participants, averaging 47 participants a day. The Wellbeing team was able to efficiently handle the day-to-day activities without causing any discomfort or inconvenience to the Participants or the Men-Tsee-Khang Medical Team. The team was able to make sure that no participant was made to wait unnecessarily and they leave the camp with a smile on their face. Though towards the end of the camp, there was a shortage of medicines, the Men-Tsee-Khang team efficiently was able to provide alternative solutions, without causing discomfort to the participants.

Life Beyond the Camp: The Men-Tsee-Khang team comprising of Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar, Dr Thinlay Choephel, Cashier Tenzin Choephel, Pharma Team Tsering Chozom and Tenzin Nangsel enjoyed the beautiful weather of Kochi and was able to spend mosquito-less nights at the camp. Normally during the breakfast they come armed with their traditional food Tsampa, but on the contrary, during WB37, they thoroughly enjoyed the food served and the happiness showed in their faces.

The volunteers were able to manage the camp so efficiently that the break timings were adhered to on time, leaving little, if not, no discomfort to both the Tibetan Medical team and the beneficiaries.

Every day, the camp concluded with the team enjoying a hot cup of tea and a friendly chat, enjoying the evening showers of monsoon, before freshening up and going for dinner. This was followed by compiling the list of beneficiaries and taking note of the critical participants and reviewing their progress.

WB37 was also very special due to another important occasion. The most holy day of the Buddhists, Buddha Purnima was celebrated on June 13, 2014. The day started early at 4.30 am with the entire team eating the Precious Pill. Though a holiday for the Tibetan community, The Men-Tsee-Khang team made sure the camp was not disturbed and a good number of participants benefited.

Lucky are the participants who were treated on this day, since this day is believed to be the day when the Buddha attained enlightenment. The team also enjoyed a long walk on this day, enjoying the night sky.

The camp was more of a celebration, adding life to the beautiful and serene Ashirbhavan campus, Kochi. The staff members, starting from the cleaning staff to the head staff members, enjoyed the company of the WB37 team and took turns to exchange pleasantries.

Volunteering: "To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind." Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973); Writer, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize Winner

The success of the Wellbeing Camp is because of the efforts of its volunteers. Planning meticulously and working online and offline for nights together for the camp to be smooth and efficient; coming down from different parts of the country during the camp and making sure hundreds of participants are benefited; volunteers play the back bone.

Sri Rajan Menon, Sri Tharanath AK, Smt Mrinalini Gopinath, Sri Sanjumon T, Sri Yeldtho Mathew and Sri Eswar Anandan made sure that all the participants got the best of the team and helped in Registering new participants, briefing them and updating them about the new numbering system, providing translation service. Like a fatherly figure, Sri Sethu Das guided the team, making sure there was little or no complexities involved.

Every single moment was well spent; as quoted by one of the volunteers, "Today am very happy, normally I come here, sit for some time, talk and leave, but today I can do some work and my coming here is well utilised". Another Volunteer was very happy that he was able to guide many participants on the phone.

We had a new volunteer in a relatively new participant, a social activist, who is now paralysed and has a bad vision. We got a call from him on Day 1 and he asked if he could volunteer. When he was given the job of arranging and sorting materials, he said "I am very happy, for the first time in many months am doing something apart from what I do as a routine" and started to sing a John Lennon "Beatles" Song!

Remembering Anushka: One of our dear Friends of Tibet from Gujarat, Sunil Sridhar lost his dear young daughter Anushka who had to fight a brave battle for a week after meeting with a road accident in Surat. A special puja was conducted in Zongkar Choedhe Monastery monastery, Gurupura, Karnataka on behest of Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar and at Nechung Monastery in Dharamshala on behest of Karma Yeshi. As part of the daily prayer at the WB37, the team remembered and prayed for her. At this sad moment, Team Wellbeing remembers Anushka and is with the family.

(This report is prepared by Eswar Anandan, a 'Friends of Tibet' Campaigner based in Kochi. He can be reached at eswar.anandan@friendsoftibet.org)

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