HIMALAYAN CHILDRENS FUND
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I sponsored a Buddhist nun's entire monastic training through Himalayan Children's Fund and found it to be one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. Through the process she wrote me regularly and shared, through her words and pictures, what she was learning and this allowed me to be able to have a first hand account of my sponsorship. I was also able to travel to Nepal and visit the nun and the abbey she lived at and personally bring her school supplies. It was deeply fulfilling to see the sincere gratitude on her face and to know that, by what amounts to around five dollars a week (one starbucks double espresso), my small effort was having this profound result on a person who would otherwise be constrained to a life of poverty. This was deeply fulfilling. Also, it has been a joy to watch the administrators of the HCF organization do so much with so little and to personally witness the results of their selfless efforts, has made me very gratified to invest in such a noble aspiration.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my participation of their program.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
make them more well known so they could help even more.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
What specific problem, purpose, priority, or project prompted your gift?
The mission of HCF.
For over twenty years, in the Katmundu Valley, The Himalayan Children's fund has been supporting the work of the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche to benefit young children and aspiring young monks and nuns of Tibeten heritage living in Nepal. Nepal is the poorest, hungriest country in Asia. It has the lowest literacy rates in Asia, and one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. There is little infrastructure, and none in remote mountain villages where people live an ancient lifestyle without roads, electricity, telephones, sanitation, running water, hospitals or schools. Geographically isolated and neglected by Kathmandu, Himalayan people are an ethnic and religious minority in a country where until recently +80% were excluded from citizenship on the basis of the Hindu caste system. The work of Thrangu Rinpoche's Shree Mangal Dvip School for young children, the Thrangu Tara Abbey and the Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery, sustains a network of support and education to hundreds of children and young people each year. Rinpoche’s long-term aim is to preserve the culture, language and the Buddhist way of life of the Himalayas, and to give Himalayan children the tools to build a better future, so they can help their own people when they grow up. The preservation of the language, culture and spiritual traditions of Tibet is a gift not just to these children and adults-to-be, but is a gift to us all.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
i have personally experienced the vast and unshakable wisdom of The Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche as well as the light in his smile, as he reminds us that although our world harbors many, many problems, there are also many ways to engage with compassion and energy.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
As far as I know, this organization is entirely volunteer based. The only "change" I might suggest would be to find a way to underscore how completely funds donated to The Himalayan Children's Fund serve its mission, as opposed to administration or publicity.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
The HCF is run incredibly well with continual updates. We love both receiving and writing letters to our young monks. We have been sponsoring a young monk for well over a decade.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
We watched our 1st young monk go from a young age to graduating from the monastery and dedicating his life and vocation to Thrangu Rinpoche's other avenues in which to study and serve. Our current young monk is getting older and we witness his maturity and commitment to his schooling with delight.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Wish more people would sponsor more monks and nuns,
I became familiar with HCF and the Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School through the fundraising efforts of Canadian astrologer Georgia Nicols. So far, I have sponsored five children and contributed to the construction of a rainwater reclamation system to provide water for laundry, gardening and the sports field. The students come from varying situations of difficulty that might be considered life-threatening. One student told me that he had been facing starvation before being chosen for the school. Another student with a learning disability had been abandoned by both her mother and her father and was living with the sister of the Rinpoche who founded the school. (I paid her living expenses AND bought her a teddy bear! I thought, "You might not have a mother or a father, but you WILL have a teddy bear!" Apparently, her mother did take her back....) Another female student was living with I believe six adult males in a VERY SMALL apartment; she was moved to more civil circumstances at the school as a boarder. Yet another student lost her father at the age of four, while he was herding yaks in winter and fell to his death.
In my normal life, I am a simple American worker. Despite my efforts and education, you might say that I am invisible. Participating in this organization allows be to become the "grand benefactor" of my aspirations. A small amount of money goes a LOT farther in Nepal than in America! Contributing through HCF really validates my place on the planet.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the gratitude of healthy, successful, educated children who say that their lives have been preserved and enriched beyond their dreams through the work of the school.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
fund the movement of the school out of the earthquake zone and onto safer land. Regarding HCF specifically, I would suggest that they update the website more regularly, especially the pages presenting students in need of funding.
Three of us have been sponsoring a Buddhist monk, Sangay Dechok, through the Himalayan Children's Fund (HCF) since 2006. Through annual letters and pictures we have had the pleasure of watching this young boy from Dolpa, an impoverished region in the northern part of Nepal, flourish into a fine young monk attending Shedra in India under the guidance and care of HCF and Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. Two of us were exceptionally lucky in being able to travel to Nepal in 2008 and visit with Sangay personally and see what wonderful work the HCF does both for monks and nuns but also for the children and families of the area. We all look forward to Sangye's letters and fine hand drawn cards. There is nothing that compares to having this one on one relationship with someone who has dedicated his life to the Dharma. We are very happy to be part of his life and he part of ours and we are proud of all he has accomplished.
Photos
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I have visited Nepal and seen the fine work of the Himalayan Children's Fund under the guidance of the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche. I have seen their schools, monasteries and medical facilities.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
I would try and get the word out more widely so that many more people could take advantage of the opportunity to sponsor or make donations to this fine organization.
I have been sponsoring a Buddhist nun at Thrangu Tara Abbey since 2005 when I visited there while on a trip to Nepal. I was so impressed by the nuns, both their dedication to learning the dharma and their devotion to Thrangu Rinpoche. At that time their nunnery was still under construction, but the shrine room was finally nearing completion. The nuns did a very lovely Tara Dance for us there amid the chaos of the building materials. I was so moved I asked if there was a nun I could sponsor. I was introduced to Ani Sangye and immediately felt a strong connection to her. Now we exchange letters and I always appreciate hearing about her life at the nunnery. I am so proud of her that she is studying the higher teachings of the Shedra. It is wonderful to know that I am helping the Himalayan Children's Fund in my own small way.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the remarkable work they have done building the Thrangu Tara Abbey and providing education for their nuns. I especially appreciate the letters from my nun as well as the Himalayan Children's Fund newsletters. I also visited the Shri Dveep school and was so impressed by both the children and the quality of education they are receiving in a country like Nepal. The come from such poor families. This education gives them an opportunity to improve their lives and the life of everyone in their family.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
try to help them to raise more money so they could help more children.
We have sponsored children in the Himalayan region through HCF for nine years. It is so rewarding to receive letters 3 or 4 times a year from them about their lives. It's deeply gratifying to know that a few hundred dollars can have such a powerful impact on a child's life.
For our first child, the education she received at SMD prepared her to go to a fine prep school in Toronto and now she is completing her first year at a university in the US. All the children are determined to take the opportunities they have and go on to contribute to the well-being of others, so in a way, the effect of donating will just continue to grow. We've attached a photo of our first child, Dolma Tsering age 9, taken in her village in NW Nepal before going to school at SMD. And a second photo taken at age 17.
Our second child, Kamsung Tsewang, is a young monk currently in three year retreat, and the third, Wangchuk Dolma, is a young nun at Tara Abbey. We love them all.
Photos
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Reading the letters we receive from these young people, they are alive with gratitude to everyone who have supported their efforts and with devotion to making a contribution.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
like to have more donors supporting more children.
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