Image Copyright ~ Dr. Marsha Woolf, All Rights Reserved
Alternative Resources Unlimited, Inc. II is a 501c3 non-profit, non-political organization, which has existed since 1989, under the directorship of Marsha Woolf. Operating almost exclusively through donations and volunteer staff, Alternative resources is an umbrella organization whose primary projects include the Tibetan Refugee Health Care Project, Menla Tibetan Medical Institute, Menla Research Inititative and the Haitian Emergency Alternative Resources Team (H.E.A.R.T.).
Tibetan Refugee Health Care Project (TRHCP) is a grass-roots all volunteer organization that depends solely upon donations. It was created to facilitate medical treatment and disease prevention education among the over 135,000 Tibetans currently living in resettlement camps in India. Along with bringing in much needed medical supplies and equipment, they also bring in qualified volunteer health care professionals who hold clinics and give treatments in the form of acupuncture, nutritional education, medical clinics, and women’s health education. Health care professionals include Oriental Medical practitioners, acupuncturists, Natural Medical pactitioners,,medical doctors, dentists, body workers, health educators, teachers, environmentalists, and other medical personnel, all on a volunteer basis.
Menla Tibetan Medical Institute was founded in 1995 to further the work of Dr. Yeshi Dhonden and to preserve the integrity of Tibetan medicine through research and education.
Menla Research Initiative was founded in 1998. We determined the need for an inititative that focused specifically on research and development from a more wholistic perspective.
The Tibetan Prayer Wheel Project, created in 1996, was designed to bring prayer wheels to Tibetan communities in India, and to introduce this form of prayer to people in the West. Prayer is an integral part of life in a Tibetan community. In Tibetan religion and culture, prayer wheels traditionally surround monasteries and sacred places. A prayer wheel contains thousands of prayers and with each spin, these prayers, on behalf of all sentient beings, are sent into the world.
New Initiatives:
H.E.A.R.T. Haitian Emergency Alternative Resources Teams, was created in response to the earthquake in Haiti in April, 2010. Since April, although in the development stage of this initiative H.E.A.R.T. has partnered with organizations we know to be giving direct support to the Haitian people and that have separately funded or low administration costs. We have partnered with free meal programs and schools in need of help. Our goal is to support trustworthy organizations whose efforts are ongoing. Our projects in Haiti are and will continue to focus predominately on women, children and those left handicapped as a result of the disaster.