Frequently Asked Questions
Answers
No. The Australian Government only authorises tax deductibility for donations to organisations whose activities are defined under their criteria as “development”. Because all current Nying-Jey Projects’ programs are paid to and benefit individuals directly they are defined under the Australian Government guidelines as “welfare”. Welfare programs are not eligible for tax deductibility.
The Nying-Jey Projects treasurer remits the monies to the beneficiaries in India and China 6-monthly to keep bank fees down. This saves our partners in Tibet from making the 2 day trip to Chengdu to collect the monies on a more regular basis. Our partners in Tibet telephone on receipt of the money to confirm its arrival and clarify any issues in regards to its distribution. They then distribute the monies to the Students and Nuns. The Ganzi committee in east Tibet have agreed to send us 6-monthly reports detailing their financial activities.
Mail to Tibet
NJP currently recommends sending mail – letters or photos – to Tibet electronically through the NJP office.
Sponsors may send e-copies of your mail to njprojects@gmail.com which will be forwarded on to Ganzi. All mail must clearly identify a student or nun with the correct ID number.
Translation
Unfortunately, NJP is no longer able to offer translation of mail into Tibetan.
BUT ... it’s OK to send your letter to Tibet in English. Many older students in Ganzi are studying English and can help with translation.
Writing to Tibet
The children especially, love getting correspondence from their sponsors. Surprisingly, a great number of letters received by sponsors are written in English. Many of our students learn English or have access to someone who can write an English letter for them – this makes communication between students and sponsors easier and quicker.
You will be notified by the Nying-Jey Projects secretary/treasurer if this situation occurs and given the option of sponsoring a new beneficiary.
For students, $20 Australian per month is the suggested figure. This is enough to enable a family to keep a child at school without financial hardship. For tertiary students, $40 Australian per month will keep them housed, fed and studying at an institution away from home.
If not all, then almost all of it. In the past, deductions have never exceeded 5% and have typically been much lower – between 2 and 3%. Deductions from sponsorship monies cover the running and administrative costs, which include: banking transaction fees, postage, stationery, newsletters, telephone charges and the like. Offsetting this, interest accrued from Nying-Jey Projects bank accounts can often actually cover these deductions.
This is entirely up to you as you are not bound to any contracts. If you could contact the Nying-Jey Projects Secretary and inform them of any changes or if you are unable to continue with sponsorship, it would be appreciated. If contemplating sponsoring a tertiary student it would be better if you’re sure you’ll be able to continue until the end of their course, as it can be difficult to find a replacement sponsor for this greater amount.
Some sponsors who do not want to be tied to a regular payment elect to make ad hoc donations to the Scholarship Fund, the Medical Emergency Fund or to Nying-Jey Projects to help with our administration costs instead.
This is a program that provides financial assistance to the beneficiaries to cover the costs of emergency medical services and procedures. It can also provide financial relief for beneficiaries who have incurred large debts as a result of having expensive medical services and are struggling to pay their debts.
Sponsorship is when one person takes responsibility for the ongoing upkeep of one school student, monk or nun. As the cost of providing for a tertiary student is so high, it is more practical for us to pool donations to support a student at university. Of course this doesn’t mean that you can’t sponsor a university student if you are confident of being able to continue that to the end of their course.