The Tsechhenling temple is a Buddhist temple built in 1992 by a group of 20 Tibetan Buddhists, for the benefit of the general public to hold religious ceremonies. It is located in the Changzamtok district in Thimphu, close to the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. The main purpose of the Lakhang (=temple) is and has always been to perform religious ceremonies, supported jointly by acquiring donations and contributions from its active members as well as from local donors.

Today, the temple consists of two main parts. The first part features a huge statue of Guru Rinpoche (literally “the precious master”), an 8th-century Indian Buddhist master who founded tantric Buddhism, and built the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery. He is considered to be the second Buddha. With a large prayer hall, the first part also serves as the main temple for performing rituals and religious activities.

The second part, which is at the side of the main temple, houses a temple of “Rigsum Gonpo”, which means the “protectors of the three realms”, being Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani. This part of the temple also has a big prayer wheel, and 1.000 statues of Vajrapani, the Holder of the Thunderbolt Scepter symbolizing the power of compassion, who represents the power of all the Buddhas.

For yoga practitioners, Vajrapani is an archetype deity of fierce determination and symbolizes unrelenting effectiveness in the conquest of negativity. Vajrapani transforms the energy of hate into active wisdom and magical perfection. The Tsechhenling temple was built and renovated by the Tibetan community residing in Thimphu. The members take turns looking after the temple whenever religious activities take place. The temple is used solely for hosting prayers all around the year, and for fasting activities particularly during the Nyongney (=fasting) Festival. The members have recently appointed Lama Dawa as care taker for the temple, who will look after the welfare and benefit of the temple. This way the temple can be accessed at all times, making it more convenient for Buddhists to host religious ceremonies in the temple by themselves.

The Lhakhang is definitely a place worth visiting, for its architectural structure and for the praying ceremonies being held. The goal of the renovation in 2016, was to install 108 small prayer wheels around the main temple, and one new large prayer wheel inside the temple. As part of the renovation, the general appearance of the temple has also been improved, noticeably by protecting the 1.000 statues of Vajrapani in glass cabinets. A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle, made from metal and wood. At the core of each cylinder is a “life tree” with many thousands of mantras wrapped around it. On the outside of each wheel, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit. Also depicted are Dakinis, Protectors and the 8 auspicious symbols Ashtamangala. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel has the same meritorious effect as reciting the prayers.

The Himalaya Club has made the renovation of the Tsechhenling temple possible with a donation to the Tibetan Buddhist community in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Deki Yangzom is a 31 year-old Bhutanese woman living in Yurung, Pemagatshel District, Bhutan. She was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in January 2015. Since then, Mrs. Yangzom is undergoing dialysis twice a week at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Thimphu, Bhutan. She was advised by the nephrologist in the hospital to undergo a kidney transplant.

Deki is a house wife by profession and is married with a civil servant, who sustains the family. They have an 8 year old son who is studying in 1st grade. Deki is currently 7 hours travelling distance away from her husband and son to receive treatment in the capital. She currently lives with her elder brother and his family in Thimphu.

Mrs. Yangzom has been looking for a blood related volunteer kidney donor from her siblings. Her three older brothers got disqualified due to an inherited high-blood pressure disease. In November 2016, her cousin, Mr. Thinley, came forward to donate one of his kidneys to Mrs. Yangzom. The preliminary tests have all been performed successfully at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. The next step is to refer Deki to Kolkota, India, for the kidney transplant procedure. After Deki is referred, the kidney transplant procedure will be performed in March 2017. The medical expenses for the kidney transplant procedure are borne by the Bhutanese government. Nevertheless, the patient requires a sufficient budget to stay in India during the transplant procedure, and during the aftercare consisting of post-transplant reviews. The Bhutanese government does not provide such a budget. Because the living standard in India is higher than in Bhutan, this budget is often hard to provide for the patient him- or herself. Deki is taken care of by the Bhutan Kidney Foundation, who organizes the practical, administrative and financial aspects of the medical aid for kidney patients in Bhutan.

The Himalaya Club has decided to provide a donation for the kidney transplant of Deki Yangzom. A kidney transplant will enable Deki to survive, to have a normal and happy life with her family, and to take care of her son.

Tej Bahadur is a 20 year old boy living in Rolpa, Nepal. He was born in a family of six, son to low-income farmers. Agriculture is the only source of income in the family.

During the earthquake in Nepal on April 25th 2015, two of this family members were killed when their house collapsed. Tej survived the earthquake, but both his legs got crushed when the tin roof of the house fell on his legs. He suffered two comminuted fractures but his parents could not take him to a hospital, because they did not have financial means to pay for the treatment. Tej received first aids for the open wounds on his legs, but the family was incapable of providing him any further care.

After a number of weeks the infections on his legs had not healed yet. The family were compelled to take Tej to the hospital for a check-up. In the hospital doctors found that the comminuted fractures and the infections on his legs had caused the blood supply to parts of the bone tissue to be interrupted, which had evolved into gangrene. His legs were damaged beyond repair, leaving no other choice but to amputate them.

After the amputation Tej was admitted in the Khagendra New Life Home, established by the Nepalese Disabled Association in Jorpati, Kathmandu in 1965. This organization provides treatment and rehabilitation services, training and education, employment, standard lifestyle and human rights to disabled people. To provide all these services, the Khagendra New Life Home relies partially on financing of the disabled patients themselves, but Tej’s parents have difficulties to finance his further treatment and education.

Tej is a down to earth and soft spoken young man, with a whole life in front of him. He has reached class XII and wants to continues his studies towards a master’s degree, in a college of good reputation. Prosthetic legs would allow Tej to go back to school, and continue a normal life.

The Himalaya Club gave Tej Bahadur two new prostheses legs so he can have a normal and happy life.

Rinchen Dorjee was born on December 20th 1999, in the village of Khasadrapchu, Bhutan.

He lives in a small hut in the cold mountain tops of Khasadrapchu, with his mother Dorji Lhamo and 14 year old brother Jigme. Their hut is made from steel plates, hardboard, paper and tape, and hardly has any furniture inside. It has always been a very cold place to live, until very recently electric heating was added, in December 2016.

Many years ago, Rinchen’s parents got divorced. After the divorce Rinchen’s father disappeared. Since then, Rinchen’s mother has been sustaining the family with a very modest income, around 25 euro per month, which she acquires as a cleaning woman. When we met Rinchen, the family was in debt, being unable to pay the modest house rent since several months.

Since his birth, Rinchen has been suffering from malformed hands and legs. Year by year his condition has been getting worse, until his legs were damaged beyond repair. In 2015, Rinchen’s left leg was amputated above his knee, and his right leg was amputated under his knee. Six months later he received prostheses legs and revalidation from the Gidakom Hospital in Thimphu.

Unfortunately, at 8 kilogram per piece these prostheses are too heavy for Rinchen to use. Every night his stumps are irritated because of the weight of his prostheses. Lighter-weight prostheses are not available in Bhutan, unless the patients pay for the prostheses themselves. Rinchen’s mother has no means to pay for lighter-weight prostheses.

The Himalaya Club decided to give a donation to Rinchen’s family, to give him two new prostheses legs so he can walk again and lead a happy and normal life.

End of January 2017, Rinchen received new light-weight prostheses at the Prostheses Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Besides all expenses necessary to give Rinchen new prosthetic legs, the donation also included electric heating for their house, clothing, and funds to pay off the family’s debt.

Mr. Ronald Stok recommended Rinchen to The Himalaya Club for sponsoring, after meeting Rinchen in Bhutan in November 2016. Mr. Stok took care of all practical matters of the procedure.