Community Fund, (formerly called the National Lottery Charities Board) gave over £151,000 to the Tibet House Trust to provide sustainable livelihood for Tibetan refugees in Ladakh, India. Ladakh was hit hard by an unprecedented early snow in 1998 followed by a flooding disaster in 2001.

With the Lottery funding, 180 family- size green-houses will be built to grow vegetables, fruits, flowers etc. in Sonamling. In the nomadic Jangthang areas, 70 acres of waste-land in the remote highland pastures will be reclaimed by digging irrigation canals to the waste-land, and by growing fodder for the livestock and vegetables for the nomads. This will ensure continuous supply of healthy food as well as beautify and improve the local ecology.

Sonamling Cooperative Society, which is the economic back-bone of Tibetan refugee community in Ladakh, will be turned into a vibrant enterprise. The working capital of the Cooperative has been increased by £43,214. This will reduce its dependency on high interest loans from the local banks and provide flexibility to the incomegenerating activities of the Society.

 Two new trucks have been purchased to provide timely supply of food and other essential items to the people in these localities, especially during winter when roads from other cities are closed.

Project implementation have been going on as per plan and is expected to be completedby August 2003.

The residents of Sonamling and Janthang will greatly benefit from the increased vegetables and fodder production and the regular supply of the essential commodities at reasonable rates from the Cooperative Society