Safe Childbirth in Rural Tibet – 2015 Clinic update

Prayer flags raised to welcome guests to Ayang Gompa, Eastern Tibet

Prayer flags raised to welcome guests to Ayang Gompa, Eastern Tibet

A small team of doctors and students visited the Ayang Gompa clinic in Rima, Eastern Tibet again in July 2015. We held review and training sessions for the two clinic doctors, the midwife, and 22 Community Health Educators. Dr. Zhao, who had also been part of the team in 2009, reviewed measuring blood pressure and monitoring fetal growth with ultrasound in pregnant women, and discussed best practices for prenatal and postnatal exams and for vaccinating infants and children.

Your donation today will help repair the clinic roof and keep salaries paid and medicines and clean birthing kits purchased for 2016. Please, can you help us now with a year-end, tax-deductible donation?

  • $1,008 will repair 1 section of roof or re-plaster and paint 2 rooms
  • $512 will pay the head doctor and clinic administrator’s salaries for 1 month
  • $252 will pay the midwife’s salary for 3 weeks
  • $108 will buy a month’s supply of medicines
  • $52 will buy 1 clean birthing kit, with prenatal vitamins
  • $25 will pay for gasoline for 1 ambulance trip to hospital

Tibet Clinic Sponsorship




Monthly Sponsorship



Ayang Gompa and Clinic across the Lake of Compassion, Eastern Tibet

Ayang Gompa (center) and Clinic (left) across the Lake of Compassion, Eastern Tibet, with new housing for nomads along the shores of the lake (right)

 

Midwife measures fetal size and position using clinic's ultrasound

Midwife measures fetal size and position using clinic’s ultrasound

 

Community Health Educators practice taking blood pressure measurements to monitor for preeclampsia in pregnancy

Community Health Educators practice taking blood pressure measurements to monitor for preeclampsia in pregnancy.

 

Dr. Ngagay checks newborn

Dr. Ngagay checks newborn

 

Midwife vaccinates newborn in the clinic

Midwife vaccinates a newborn in the clinic

 

Clean birthing kits have been a part of our program to reduce infection and promote safe home childbirth since 2005.

Clean birthing kits have been a part of our program to reduce infection and promote safe home childbirth since 2005. Kits contain prenatal vitamins, soap, towels, clean plastic sheet to lie on, clean blade and string to cut and tie the cord, hat, booties and baby blanket.

 

Dr. Ngawang Phuntso dispenses Tibetan and Western medicines from the clinic pharmacy.

Dr. Ngawang Phuntso dispenses Tibetan and Western medicines from the clinic pharmacy.

 

Monks as well as nomads receive treatment in the clinic.

Monks as well as nomads receive treatment in the clinic.

 

The clinic roof leaking has gotten progressively worse and now several rooms are completely unusable. Repairing the roof will cost $15,000, and is our highest priority this year.

The clinic roof leaking has gotten progressively worse and now several rooms are completely unusable. Repairing the roof will cost $15,000, and is our highest priority this year.


Tibet Clinic Sponsorship



May 13 is “Matching Day” for Safe Childbirth in Rural Tibet

Tibetan mother with infant

To raise funds for our Safe Childbirth in Tibet program, we began a new Global Giving campaign in March 2015. On the first day, we received donations from 44 individuals totaling $3,343—thank you everyone who responded! The campaign will continue until we reach our project goal of $30,000. Since 2004, the Amitabha Foundation has been working in Ayang Rinpoche’s birthplace area to help reduce maternal and infant mortality. In 2013-2014, none of the 202 women who used our birthing kits died, but tragically, 14 of their infants died within the first 3 months. Saving the lives of women and infants is critical to stabilizing families and the entire community. We must continue to educate and provide resources for safe childbirth until women are no longer afraid to get pregnant and all infants thrive. Click Tibet Progress Report 2013 to download our 10-year report.

Help spread the word about Safe Childbirth in Rural Tibet 2015 on Facebook and Twitter.

This year we will provide training materials and resuscitation masks, teach the local health care providers to carry out newborn resuscitation at a home birth, pay salaries for the health care providers, and purchase a new ambulance to give all families access to emergency services. On May 13Matching Day, Global Giving contributes an percentage so your online donation will be worth more on that day. You may continue to make donations that are tax-deductible in the US every day until our goal is met. Go online to make a donation by credit card or PayPal, Donor Advised Funds, wire transfer, stock, or see below to mail a check in USD or Canadian Dollars.

 

To donate to our campaign by check (these funds will not be matched but are still greatly appreciated):

  1. Make checks payable to: The GlobalGiving Foundation
  2. Mail the check to:The GlobalGiving Foundation
    1110 Vermont Avenue NW
    Suite 550
    Washington, DC 20005
    USA
  3. On the memo line, please write Project #20098. If you would like to get email updates on the project or a personal thank you, please also write your email address.
  4. GlobalGiving accepts any check in US or Canadian dollars.
  5. Not in the US or Canada? No problem. GlobalGiving also accept checks in any currency for donations equivalent to $100 USD or more.
    Click here to look up currency conversion rates.

Donate by US Mobile Phone

Text GIVE 20098 to 80088 to donate $10 to Safe Childbirth in Rural Tibet 2015. Message and data rates may apply. Only works for US mobile phones.
TXT MSG from our lawyers: Note that your $10 donation will be made to the GlobalGiving Foundation-Safe Childbirth in Rural Tibet 2015 project. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by the account holder. You must reply YES to the confirmation message. You must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Text STOP to 80088 to stop all communication. Text HELP to 80088 for help. Message and data rates may apply. Full Terms: www.mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy: goto.gg/privacy.

Consecration of Ayang Monastery in Tibet August 8, 2014

The present Ayang Rinpoche is the seventh incarnation of the founder of Ayang Monastery in Eastern Tibet (Kham), which was built more than 400 years ago as a branch of the main Drikung monastery. When Rinpoche visited here in 2003, he decided that the original monastery was too remote and that the nomad community and the monks would benefit from having it relocated.  Rinpoche received permission from the Chinese government to relocate it on the shores of Nying-je Tso (“The Lake of Compassion”), about 3 hours west of Jyekundo (Chinese, Yushu) in Qinghai province. The new monastery has been under construction since that time.  Damaged in the great 2010 Yushu earthquake, it is now nearly complete. Ayang Rinpoche will be visiting his monastery in Eastern Tibet for the consecration ceremony, August 8, 2014. To make an auspicious connection with the new monastery and the ceremonies surrounding the consecration, sponsor butterlamps, tsok, tea and bread for the monks, money offerings for the monks and lamas, or ritual offerings (statues, mandalas, bumpas, bowls, capalas, etc.).


Consecration sponsor



Ayang Monastery Clinic in Tibet

At Ayang Rinpoche’s request, in 2004 two of his Western students travelled to Tibet to try to find ways to reduce maternal mortality in his monastery; Local nomads and village leaders requested that a clinic be built and doctors trained to help meet the health needs in the community.
Rima Village Leaders

Rima Village Leaders

First meeting with Nomads in 2004
First meeting with Nomads in 2004

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