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After discussing how difficult it is to get people to part with their hard earned money for charities and organisations, like LIT, I came up with the idea of having a festival. Asking people to come and have fun with you and part with a few bob, is much more effective than outright asking them to donate money online. Thus the preparations for the festival for LIT began. This is one thing I like about LIT. You suggest an idea, they let you do it. After all, a volunteer operation relies on it's volunteers to grow and flourish! So I started thinking of different activities and created flyers as I anxiously waited for Saturday to arrive.
When it finally arrived, it was an eventful day that turned out to be a real hit. We certainly achieved the goal of raising some much needed funds, as well as sharing a laugh and a giggle on the way. We raised 3000 rupees which is around $60, so well done everyone who helped out, for helping us achieve this highly appreciated funding! It may not sound like much, but that’s 1/5 of our rent, raised in just 5 hours!
This was down
to some well organized preparation though, by both our dedicated volunteers and students. We spent the prior evening conjuring up some mouthwatering baked goodies that our guests couldn’t get enough of and folding many a ticket in preparation for the tombola, which the gambling fans couldn’t stop throwing their rupees at! This was just the start of the preparation though. The real army of volunteers showed up early in the morning. Our students, who clearly appreciate the free education we give, offered their hands to help in any way possible. Thus, a momo making army was born. It was like the kitchen scene prior to our Monday momo parties, but on a much bigger scale. The strong Tibetan boys amongst them worked on setting up the tent outside and many others worked away making kaptse (the Tibetan cookie), chopping vegetables and much more. We were ready on time and welcomed in our first guest, the first of many more to come.
Despite the disheartening start, that is, when the heavens opened and made many flee for shelter, we had an uplifting turn out. I’d hazard a guess at maybe 200, possibly more, people passing through our doors throughout the
afternoon. Thank you all for joining us and sharing the fun. We treated our many guests to a show of traditional Tibetan dance and music, kindly performed by our talented students and even some modern rap by our hip hop student ‘D’. Many games were played and prizes won. All faces were laced with infectious smiles. Many laughs, a lot of spirit and new friendships were made.
So the hectic start of putting everything together was completely worth it. We had an exhausting and riveting afternoon where everyone enjoyed themselves and helped keep the fire of Tibet L.I.T! This will not be the end of our celebrations though, so look out for our updates about upcoming events, where you too can join in the fun!
www.learningandideasfortibet.org
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