Lha depends on the goodwill of volunteers and monetary and material donations for it to provide essential rehabilitation resources to the exiled Tibetan community. Lha is a non-profit organization solely dependent on monetary contributions from philanthropic corporations and generous individuals. In India, even a little goes a long way, and a lot goes very far!

Account Name: Lha Charitable Trust
Account Number: 2517000101008335
Swift Code: PUNBINBBPAR
Bank Name: The Punjab National Bank
Branch: Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, H.P

Payable to: Lha Charitable Trust
Lha Office Temple Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, 176219
Distt Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

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Testimonials & Feedback


Here are just a few of the testimonials from volunteers, the local community, and those who have participated in the cultural exchange program.

We use this feedback to help us improve our service delivery to students and monitor the welfare of our volunteers. We are committed to making sure the experience is beneficial and educational for both parties. If you have any questions about the testimonials given, or would like to share your own experience of Lha, click here to join Lha's Blog community.
Thank you so much for making my stay in McLeod Ganj a memorable one. I think Lha does an excellent job creating a community within the volunteers and then integrating them into the local community. -2011 Volunteer


The best part of my volunteer experience was getting to know the girls we tutored! They were really, really wonderful. One girl, Tsewang, even went out of her way to introduce us to Tibetan culture by showing us music videos and feeding us tsampa. – Lisa
I really enjoyed the tight-knit community of volunteer and watching all of my students slowly improve their knowledge of the English language throughout my teaching experience. I also enjoyed learning a great deal about Tibet, as well as developing my own experience within the field of social work and NGO administration. –Dane
Everything was very well organized. My emails were responded to quickly and it was the most professional grass roots organization I found whilst searching the internet. - Sam
I felt like I have learned a lot about the situation in Tibet, which I had very little knowledge of before I came. I really felt appreciated by the student I tutor and massively enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk to locals in conversation class or just with my student or her friends which doesn't often happen when you travel. –Sam
Conversation classes were a great way to understand more about Tibetan culture. Teaching the beginner English class has improved my self confidence, organization skills and knowledge of the English language. I have also enjoyed meeting the other volunteers and felt welcomed into the community.” – Jessica “I was told that Lha had a huge presence in the community and was a solid organization with a stellar reputation, so I decided to go for it! –Deanna
The integration with the local Tibetan community, meeting a network of other teachers and volunteers gave a sense of expat community and support in a place that could otherwise be a bit daunting. My students have been lovely and it’s been mutually beneficial for my own education regarding Tibetan issues and of course, I hope, for the students I taught. -P. Wilkinson
Getting to know the girls we tutored! They were really, really wonderful. One girl, Tsewang, even went out of her way to introduce us to Tibetan culture by showing us music videos and feeding us tsampa. -C. Taylor
Lha was able to connect me with students to personally tutor. These relationships have truly shaped my positive experience here in McLeod Ganj. Also Lha’s connection with other organizations helped me find volunteering opportunities that allowed me to work with children and babies. -R. Sorenson
The best aspect of my volunteer experience at Lha was getting to know my students. I also learnt a lot about the Tibetan cause. All the staff and other volunteers were very friendly and helpful, which also made it a wonderful experience. -J. Crowe
The great, friendly atmosphere among staff and volunteers, most of my students were really motivated and interested in improving their skills in English and French, and Rabsel, the volunteer coordinator, is an exceptionally nice and generous person who makes you feel comfortable as soon as you get off the bus! -F. Dally
Working with Tibetans has been wonderful! They are the best students and I learned a great amount from them and about myself while teaching and being welcomed into the community. -J. Inglish
Getting first hand information about Tibet from my students, as well as discovering the challenges of the Tibetan refugees. The whole experience made me feel that I now want to do more. -J. Chalamel
The welcoming community! Everyone at Lha was open and nice, right from the beginning. Although I didn’t do everything with Lha, I liked the Wednesday movie nights and hiking to Triund. Events like these give volunteers friends in a friend place. -R. Lindmark
The best experience I had was tutoring my student Yangzom Dolma. It was very rewarding to meet and become friends with such an amazing and kind person. I also really loved running the dental and eye care project. I got to meet many wonderful people who, for the next few months, stopped me on the street to say hello. I hope that whoever continues the project finds it as rewarding as I did. -S. Lalonde
Watching how people with zero computer knowledge use it after a few weeks, which nowadays is essential. They were so happy and grateful! In the advanced classes, I liked how students craved more and more knowledge in their favorite software. I also really enjoyed meeting people with different backgrounds, having students with different backgrounds, and working with Yangzom. -D. Almeida
  • Financial Report
  • Annual Reports
  • General Report
  • Review of Achievements
Lha is a non-profit, non-governmental, grassroots social work organization located in Dharamsala, India. Lha was founded in 1997 and in 2005 was registered as a non-profit and charitable trust in Himachal Pradesh. Every year we submit our income statements to the Indian Income-Tax Department and undergo an audit. The following are our financial statements from 2005 to 2011 fiscal years, which have already been reviewed. Following the financial statements are graphical representations of some of the key aspects we would like to highlight.

Lha's commitment is to help the Tibetan people survive and prosper in their new home of Dharamsala and to preserve their profoundly unique culture. The means to which we have been able to accomplish these goals has changed over the years. In 2005, as a young organization, Lha had few assets. Lha has steadily grown since then, and now occupies two buildings, which house our classes, soup kitchen, social services and volunteer and exchange student group accommodations. In 2005 Lha had seven full time employees, which has since expanded to nine. The notable increase in wage expenses between 2009 and 2011 reflects the decision to provide a livable wage to the Tibetan employees.

Lha took on the responsibility to pay rent for the operations building during the 2009 financial year, after the purchasing of the new Ahimsa House building, and becoming more financially stable. Since 2005 we have slowly been accumulating assets for the language classes, computer courses and social services which function out of the building, such as computers for our offices and classes, and books and teaching resources for the community libraries.

In 2007 Lha began the process of acquiring a four story building, the Ahimsa House, to house a community soup kitchen and volunteer accommodation. In May 2011 Lha used the remaining funds from the corpus receipt and capital fund to make the final payment on the Ahimsa House. This will be reflected in the financial statement for the 2012 financial year. We began working on the community soup kitchen project in 2010 and officially opened it in 2011. Since 2007 Lha has also purchased many furnishings and appliances for the volunteer accommodations. The donations from Exchange students and volunteers staying in Lha’s accommodations have also created a new source of income for Lha. In the future, Lha hopes that the donations raised from visitors in these accommodations, in conjunction with cultural exchanges and visitors services, will create a stable and sustainable financial foundation for the organization.

The Annual Report, written by Lha’s Director, Ngawang Rabgyal, sets out the aims of the organization, the year’s developments and the latest financial position. It also illustrates the diversity of the social programs provided, and the numbers of students who have benefited from these services. These achievements could not have been reached without the generosity of the volunteers and the dedication of the students and Lha’s employees.

Lha’s primary goal is to provide meaningful social services, such as free education, computer skills courses, vocational training, health and environmental education and service, volunteer coordination, cultural exchanges, free books, medicine and clothing distribution. The services of Lha are open to Tibetan refugees as well as the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan regions.