“Rewa” means hope in Tibetan. In April, your donations helped establish Rewa Recovery Centre, a new rehabilitation clinic for Tibetans in Dehradun, north India.
Addiction and substance abuse are serious issues within Tibetan communities in India, but there isn’t much help available. They face many challenges as displaced people living the life of refugees.
Unemployment and adapting to a new culture while separated from family and friends means many end up with addictions to drugs, alcohol or prescription medicines.
It is difficult to get proper numbers of substance users from school or a settlement … no organisation admits there is a substance abuse problem in their community because of the reputation. Many addicts are in a cycle of psychosocial issues leading to homelessness and abandonment by family and society at large.
Ngawang, Rewa co-founder
Rewa addresses the challenges faced by Tibetans who can’t afford expensive Indian rehabilitation centres. So far, there are ten service users at the centre, and eventually it will house up to 30 people. Patients follow a six-month treatment plan, which includes after-care and help to find work, often the main barrier preventing people from moving forward.
Thank you for supporting this vital and groundbreaking grassroots project.
