Tong-Len

A Charitable Trust

We help displaced communities in North India achieve a secure and sustainable future by addressing the root causes of their poverty and ill-health through a range of education and health-based projects

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Taking on humanity, one step at a time...

Tong-Len is a small charity working with displaced Indian communities in the area around Dharamsala. Most families live in a state of desperation within slum camps.

Tong-Len aim to help these homeless communities gain access to basic human rights. The main focus is to break the cycle of deprivation through education. To this end, Tong-Len has established its own school and provides hostel accommodation for those children in most need. .

Our Projects

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Every penny we receive makes a difference and we cannot thank you enough for thinking about us and making a financial contribution.

About Us

Tong-Len Charitable Trust was registered in December 2004, with a vision to help destitute Indian children, seen begging in the streets and scavenging in the rubbish dumps, gain access to education.  Tong-Len UK was founded in March 2005 to raise funds for Tong-Len Charitable Trust.

In some projects, especially health, Tong-Len works in partnership with the Dalai Lama Trust.

When Jamyang, a refugee Tibetan monk, arrived in Dharamsala, north India, he witnessed young children living in miserable slum conditions.  He discovered that none of these children were attending school.  Jamyang was convinced that the only way of breaking the cycle of poverty for these children was through education.

Jamyang shared his concerns and his vision to help these children go to school with a few other Tibetan refugees and Western volunteers who helped him establish the charity. 

The name Tong-Len comes from the Tibetan words meaning ‘give’ and ‘take’, the idea being that through compassion one shares in the suffering and pain of others whilst simultaneously giving out love and kindness. For more of Jamyang’s story, click here.

Our News

Workshop on Conflict Resolution

26 hostel students from classes 8 and above took part in a three day workshop on Conflict Resolution.  The workshop was conducted by the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution over the period April 12th to April 14th, 2017.  The aim of the workshop was to help the...

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Promoting secular ethics in schools

As part of their holistic education programme, the hostel students have set up a new project to promote secular ethics in local schools.  The project is run entirely by the students and mainly involve the senior hostel students and those who have recently graduated...

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A Day Out at the end of the school year

The end of year results of the Tong-Len hostel Students are now out and they have entered new classes. To start the new session with enthusiasm Tong-Len decided to take their junior students out for a day trip to Gopalput Zoo zoological and to the Chamunda Mata Mandir...

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12th Anniversary Celebrated

Tong-Len celebrated its 12th Anniversary and Thanks Day on the 19th November, this being the date on which the first hostels were opened by His Holiness The Dali Lama in 2011. Since the tenth anniversary in 2014, it has been the custom to present Tong-Len awards to...

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Update on the communities evicted from Charan Khad

The plight of the families evicted from Charan Khad, Dharamsala in June is desperate.  After a horrendous time on the road in monsoon rains, the majority have erected flimsy shelters on small pieces of land rented from private landlords in five main locations near...

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Five more hostel children start university courses

Five of the children who finished school this year have now started degree courses in local colleges (Kangra District).  Renu and Ranjeeta are studying for a BA degree and Vijay a batchelor degree in commerce at MCM DAV College Kangra, a college affiliated to Himachal...

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Tong-Len in the UK

Tong-Len UK (Charity Number SC036383),
7A Greenhill Gardens, Edinburgh, EH10 4BN, UK
Phone: +44 (0)131 229 6642    E-mail: anna@tong-len.org

Tong-Len in India

Charity Number 16284, Tong-Len Hostel, V.P.O., Tehsil Dharamsala District Kangra,
Himachal Pradesh
 176215 INDIA
E-mail:

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