Himalayan Childrens Fund

HCF changed my life. As a former student who received sponsorship to pursue my education, I am now proud to sponsor another student, continuing the cycle of hope this organization fosters. HCF is transparent, impactful, and genuinely cares about transforming lives. Their work empowers individuals to achieve their dreams and create brighter futures. Supporting HCF is one of the most fulfilling decisions I’ve made, and I highly recommend their mission to anyone looking to make a real difference. Thank you, HCF, for shaping my life and so many others!
Chonzom Lhamo

This is an outstanding organization with a truly meaningful mission. HCF helps many Himalayan people (children, families, and monastics) who genuinely need our support. Himalayan culture is under pressure from many directions, especially from China. HCF helps sustain centuries old cultural values which, thanks to a handful of great teachers from the Tibetan Buddhist lineage, remain relevant in our world today. In addition, and perhaps most significantly, HCF helps educate and prepare children of Himalayan heritage to succeed in the modern world.

My wife and I have been sponsoring students at the SMD school in Kathmandu for over ten years. We have visited the school several times and each time we have walked away with our minds and hearts blown wide open. The care and quality of education that these children are receiving is just impeccable. It's clear that all of the donated resources are going directly to fund this worthy project. Shirley Blair and Debra Ann Robinson have done an exemplary job in carrying out Thrangu Rinpoche's vision to help some of the most disadvantaged children in remote regions of Nepal have an opportunity for quality education and healthcare. Blessings on this project!

I have been supporting the Himalayan Children's Fund and specifically Shree Mangal Dvip School for over 15 years. They are an organization with integrity and do wonderful work giving children the opportunity to expand their worlds, get educated, learn important spiritual lesson, and build community. They manage the funds they are given well, using them carefully and where it is most needed. Many of the SMD students go back to their villages in the mountains to teach or provide medical care. Others go on to serve the school or go abroad to make a life for themselves there. The Director of the SMD school, Shirley Blair, is a delight. She has dedicated her life to these children and this school and does it with grace and humility. She's made a huge difference and I'm grateful for all she's done. Support this school if you are able!

I have been a donor with Himalayan Children's Fund for 3 years now. I also had the opportunity to visit the SMD Boarding School in Kathmandu, Nepal and see firsthand the wonderful work they are doing there. This is an amazing nonprofit that supports the education of some of the world's most underserved children, who mostly come from remote mountain villages. You can make a one time donation or, even better, sponsor a student for the year and receive letters from them. I highly recommend this as a charity that does good work on the world!

Thankful to HCF and sponsors for taking care of many Himalayan children for all these years. Many of us are now educated, civically engaged adults in various parts of the world.

Your support has a direct impact on many lives especially during the pandemic when many educational institutions and children have had to go without basic needs and education.

Thu-je-che (thank you in Tibetan)

100% dedicated to saving and improving lives through education and the dharma with the guidance and blessings of Very Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche. Debra Ann is an excellent steward and coordinator of this activity stateside. It's one of the very best ways I have ever spent my money.

I have been a HCF donor for more than 20 years. The fund has provided and supported the education of thousands of Nepali children who, otherwise, would have little on no education. They also provide medical support to remote villages in Nepal plus community support in response to natural disasters.
Barb S.

Through the teachings of Kenchen Thrangu Rimpoche, I found out about the plans to build Tara Abbey sometime in the mid 1990's and have been contributing ever since. I visited Tara Abbey in Kathmandu just before the earthquake in 2015. What a beautiful school/home/medical practice/spiritual crucible. It's my privilege to provide support.

We have been donating and sponsoring through HCF for decades. I have seen their fabulous work up close in Nepal and also am quite familiar with the wonderful selfless people running HCF in the states. It is a wonderful feeling to know that every dollar donated is helping in children and families in ways that will keep growing exponentially. HCF is a blessing in this world. I feel fortunate to be able to contribute to their good work..

I am a relatively newcomer to the HCF giving family , but the Himalayan Children are close to my heart

I have been a donor for 13 years and am so happy with the daily experiences of the children at SMD school ( I visited once, but mostly I learn through their newsletter) and with the outcomes for the children, so many have gone on to higher education and fulfilling work - giving them a chance to give back to their families and community and the world.

HCF has been an important organization to me for several years now, as I have seen how well run the organization is and that my contributions are actually making a difference in the world. The time and care that is put into each and every aspect of the work is unmatched by most other non-profit organizations. My wife and I plan to continue to support HCF for as long as we are able, and we look forward to all the great things they are able to accomplish!

My husband and I have been supporting this charity for the last six years; he was previously supporting them for years before we were together. We have been supporting two students and a nun and plan to continue. We can't say enough positive things about HCF! They do such an amazing job with educating the children and preparing them for a future where so many give back to their communities. The charity is so well-run and we are able to learn so much about what goes on at the school. We enjoy receiving letters from the children during the year and reading about what they are learning. We feel very fortunate to be able to help them with their education, medical needs, and spiritual upbringing.

My husband and I have sponsored 3 students through HCF. Through our sponsorship, these students have received a wonderful education. They have acquired skills in language, writing, problem solving, athletics and spirituality. Upon graduation, one of our students has gone on to higher education and all of these students have received skills in self sufficiency. They have received medical care, and room and board as well. What a deal we are getting for our donations! And we have always enjoyed the frequent letters from the students ! We will continue to support HCF and their worthwhile goals.

Himalayan Childrens Fund helps poor children, monks and nuns in Nepal. Without this source to help those who mostly come from very poor villages in Northern Nepal their lives would be very difficult. The funds the foundation sends helps give them the tools for a better life and a better life for their families. They get good nutrition, are educated, are able to attend school in their own Buddhist religion and their own culture. Along with preserving their culture, they learn how to live and to learn the skills needed to succeed in a modern world. The Buddhist Monasteries and nunneries benefit by the monastics being educated and being able to manage their institutions efficiently. I cannot overestimate how important the support Himalayan Childrens Fund has been to enrich lives.

Wonderful nonprofit providing underprivileged children with ongoing, multiple avenues of support. Many of the children they serve come from extremely remote areas of the Himalayas, which are some of the poorest areas in the world. It's been a wonderful feeling to receive hand-written letters and drawings from the children we've sponsored over the years, and to know that we've been able to help.

My husband and I were introduced to this nonprofit through his cousin and wife, who have been sponsoring children at the SMD Boarding School through the Himalayan Childrens Fund for years. We are in our first year of sponsoring a little girl as a day student. I was fortunate enough to travel to Nepal last November and was able to tour the school, as well as meet the girl we sponsor, and some other students. I was very impressed by how well-run everything was and to hear the success stories of students who graduate from the school. The focus on bringing education and health care to Nepali children who would otherwise not have access, is a very important mission. It was an amazing experience and I couldn't recommend supporting this charity more!

HCF is an amazing organization with incredible leadership! I was privileged to volunteer at the SMD school in the summer of 2013 and saw first hand how comprehensive and impactful this organization's work is with rural Himalayan children. Some years later, I now have the opportunity to contribute again and am sponsoring one of the student's education and living expenses. I can not praise this organization enough and it really is a model for both modern and culturally relevant education.

HCF does wonderful, profound, and transformative work. The Fund makes an enormous difference in the lives of many children from diverse backgrounds. Donations are spent wisely, efficiently, and productively. I say this on the basis of more than twenty-five years of experience in that part of the world generally and in close relationship with this group in particular. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Prior to the earthquake I was impressed by the projects, education, health and services supported and created by the Himalayan Childrens Fund. I have been involved with many NGOs in the past, and I am greatly impressed that it is almost entirely locally managed, guided and operated. The efficiency with which the donated funds go directly to valuable and meaningful beneficial activities for communities and people is stellar. This is a model all NGO's could use and it assures me that every dollar/Rupee is used to its maximum benefit. That makes me feel great about supporting HCF.

I have been donating to Himalayan Children’s Fund for many years and highly recommend this organization to anyone who is considering offering financial support. I have traveled to Nepal and seen personally how HCF puts charitable donations to good use at Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School, Tara Abbey, and elsewhere, improving the lives of so many people. It is particularly moving to see the education, housing, and hope for a better future that this organization provides to children from the area’s remote mountain regions. I wholeheartedly recommend supporting HCF.

I've contributed to HCF for years. They do great work and are very transparent. They publish a wonderful newsletter on a regular basis and are very responsive to donor inquiries. I can't think of a more deserving and engaging nonprofit.

It is my pleasure to give Himalayan Childrens Fund a five-star rating as a way to acknowledge the tremendous work they are doing on behalf of so many. I have sponsored a nun at Tara Abbey for over twenty years and on my many visits to Nepal over the years I have seen first hand the many projects there. Our OCVV meditation and dharma study group here in Orange County contributes to HCF on a regular basis and celebrate the fact that the funds are managed so skillfully for the benefit of others. I couldn't be more enthusiastic in recommending the HCF.

This is a fantastic charity. There are virtually no expenses; it's run by volunteers who are well connected in the Himalayan region. Your donation truly goes a LONG way in this part of the world which is so poor and has so many needs -- especially after the 2015 earthquakes.

I sponsor 3 students at Shree Mangal Dveep , the HCF boarding school
I have seen one student through his entire primary, middle and high school years and now through a 3 year Paramedic course. Another is currently finishing his high school years and another is also studying to be a paramedic
These children come from astonishingly poor families and would have no chance for education without intervention from outside. The thing about this nonprofit that makes it different, is the very personal relationships I have developed with each child through the years. The help is tangible and direct. The young students have become part of my extended family.
I have watched each child turn into a young adult and we are in close contact through the internet. I have come to know their unique personalities and seen them grow and change through the magic power of a first class education. The academic standards set by the school are high and the students grow up in a safe and spiritual environment. Of all the charitable institutions I have been involved with, HCF is the most personal and the most gratifying. I highly recommend this nonprofit for any one with any amount of money to spare. For the price of a large coffee at Starbucks each day, I managed to see someone through 15 years of education. This was such a small investment for the most powerful return possible: the transformational change of a human being.

I have been a sponsor for many years. I most like the connection I have with the girl I sponsor. We stay connected through letters, then more recently emails and now we occasionally visit on Skype! She brings so much richness to my life. My father passed away recently and she had traditional butter lamps lit to honor him. I had the good fortune to visit the school a couple of times and the friendliness and smiles were immense. I could see how warm and caring the staff were and how privileged the children felt to be there. I bow to all those that help the existence of this school.
Sincerely, Donna McLaughlin

I have been involved with HCF for most of the last decade. I was introduced by friends in a meditation group. Over that time, I've worked hard to contribute every month to help support the efforts of the group. The work done with the students is amazing and I know that Thrangu Rinpoche's influence is part of every step taken.

I have received regular communication from students I've sponsored as well as the regular newsletter. The efforts of HCF need to continue as the benefits to the students are so crucial in their lives. The integrity of HCF is beyond question and I will always make sure that I contribute regularly.

HCF is a group that deserves your support in any and every way possible.

I have been a donor for the last 3 years, and have loved every minute of it. The Himalayan Children's fund has been providing for the basic needs of the Himalayan Children. I am greatly honored to be associated with an organization like the HCF. Words can not describe their accomplishments.
May their work continue to flourish.

Emmanuel

I've been a HCF donor for over 15 years and every year I am more blown away at the amazing work that this charity provides. I could not give it a higher ranking or recommendation!!

The Himalayan Children's Fund supports education and basic healthcare for the children of Himalayas. This noteworthy organization not only supports but also brings opportunity to these children. It is a joy to the volunteers and donors to see contributions are well allocated and put to good use.

HCF is a most worthy charity, providing education, food, clothing, and medical care for deserving children in the Himalayan region. HCF also supports young Buddhist monks and nuns to continue their studies and practice, and in so doing preserves a rich ancient tradition based on compassion for others. HCF is the vision of The Very Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, one of the great meditation masters of our time. The organization’s longtime director, Debra Ann Robinson-Menzies, does an impeccable job. Because this organization is administered by unpaid volunteers, overhead costs are minimal and donations go where they are truly needed.

I feel much gratification in donating to this fine organization. Debra Ann keeps us informed about projects through pictures and articles in the monthly newsletter. Our donations really do make a difference.

My family has been involved with the Himalyan Childrens Fund for most of ten years. What initially started as a glance through a photo album of young children needing sponsors has grown to an understanding and deep appreciation for the work of the school and the huge commitment made by the volunteers, the children attending the school and the families of those children. The school provides for the physical, emotional and spiritual well being of each child that comes there - children that come from conditions in one of the poorest and most destitute areas of the world. Not only does the school succeed in remedying the assorted health ailments associated with chronic malnutrition, but it provides them with an education that easily surpasses what the Nepali government offers and compares to internationally acclaimed programs. And they do this with volunteers, lay people and ordained buddhists who accomplish the seemingly impossible through their unwavering commitment.

My family now sponsors three wonderful children and one ordained monk, and when I read their letters of what they hold valuable and sacred in their lives, I make the aspiration that my own children, who in comparison have every benefit and opportunity, can likewise embrace the world in such a heart felt, intelligent and compassionate way. When I started on the journey of first becoming involved with HCF, I had no children of my own. Now that I have two sons, I understand and appreciate much more deeply what this organization does, and how happy it makes me to be given a chance to afford some/any children to attend the school and grow into literate, healthy adults who care to serve and make a difference in those very destitute conditions from which they were born into. It is absolutely inspiring.

My name is Palsangmo Sherpa B908 from a poor family.I graduated in 2011 and gave one year service to the school as a Hostel teacher and librarian. Right now I'm studying in Grade 11. I'm really grateful to Himalayan Children Fund for their kind support.

I'm Kabita Rokaya B363 from the mountains in the northwest of Nepal. I'm working on a bachelor's degree in social work. I'd like to convey my heartfelt thanks to Himalayan Children Fund for providing support for my education up to now. My life is so much better now because I see myself working in the fields in ragged
clothes if I hadn't got an opportunity to study at SMD School.

I'm Tsewang Chodon B330. I graduated from Grade 10 at SMD School in 2011, then I went back to the give service for one year, as a teacher in my village.
Now I'm waiting for admission into a 3 year paramedic course which starts soon. I'm very thankful to Himalayan Childrens Fund for helping me up to this stage.

HCF has been very supportive to me. This non-profit organization helped me from the time I was small and now, I am studying in university. I am very much thankful and grateful to HCF family. I really appreciate the support. Your love and care to poor Himalayan kids is admirable and praiseworthy. I'd like to express my gratitude to Debra Ann for taking her personal time to help poor Himalayan kids. A Standing ovation for HCF!!!
Tsering Dhundup Lama B340a

We have been donating to Himalayan Children's Fund for over 10 years. We started with a nun, then it turned into 3 students at the school. As well as a Shedra studying to be a translator. We have so much joy in receiving letters from the children. Our oldest son, who is 8, gets to send drawings and share his life with the children. It's really profound. The girl we sponsor sees herself as one of my daughters and includes a picture of herself in the drawings with the picture of our family she draws. I think I cried when I got that card. These children are so special. I have a friend who recently visited and brought gifts for them. I sent 13 of the largest vitamin bottles I could find to send with her. Anything that we can do to help the health of these children, to support them and have them become literate and give back to their country is really beautiful. It is my wish that more people see just how magical this school is and how wonderful the Himalayan Children's Fund is. The giving is so little to get so much in return.

I have been donating to the Himalayan Children's Fund, general use account, for a number of years now and am always appreciative of their activities. As a Certified Public Accountant, with over 25 years working with not-for-profits, I can appreciate the effort and dedication it take to run an operation like this, as well as they do.

I visited the school, in Nepal, and have seen first hand the benefit to the children. The facilities are well maintained, the staff is professional and caring and the children are safe and offered a fine education.

My monthly donations will continue, as long as I am able, in order that HCF can continue to benefit the children from the region.

For the past five years I have had the pleasure of sponsoring a boarding school student in order to enable her to attend the Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School. This school is one of the many wonderful projects funded by the Himalayan Children's Fund. It has been delightful receiving annual hand-written correspondence from this student and watching her grow and develop physically, spiritually, and academically. I have also been impressed by the hard work, devotion, and compassion of the Fund's director, Debra Ann Robinson-Menzies, who I know personally and admire and respect.

I originally got to know the Himalayan Children's Fund through its director, Debra Ann Robinson. I was amazed by the wide range of activities it funds. I have sponsored two residential students at SMD, both of whom established and maintain contact with me personally, which I treasure. HCF has great integrity, a confidence inspired by Thrangu Rinpoche and by all my many dealings with the organization and its projects and members. I have personally visited quite a few of the projects in Nepal and India and plan to continue to do so when I can. I urge others support these projects and to feel assured that the funds are spent wisely.

I am a Himalayan kid from Tatopani, Nepal and I am currently in Canada doing my high school. I was a student at SMD Boarding School. I was sponsored by a American man from Wyoming for 11 years. I was provided with excellent nutritious food, good clothes and challenging modern education. My sponsor donated money via HCF. Thank you!

I have donated to HCF for three years, and have sponsored a Buddhist nun in Nepal. I was in Nepal for a different non-profit, and extended my time in Nepal by a week so I could visit the abbey. The communication system in Nepal is not really efficient, so it took some persistence to actually connect with the nuns of Tara Abbey. But once I met them, they received me with a warm welcome. I visited the abbey and stayed in the guest room for two nights. One of the nuns who spoke fluent English was assigned to be my guide, and she was delightful. We visited some beautiful Buddhist stupas, and she gave me some lessons on the meaning of the traditions.

The nuns seemed to be genuinely delighted that I was there, and I was certainly delighted to be there.

I met the nun who we've been sponsoring for the past three years. And although she did not speak English, she let me know she was very grateful for my sponsorship. Once I heard about her devotion and practice, I feel honored to be her sponsor.

Tara Abbey is a lovely place, very peaceful and loving. I am pleased with the work that HCF is doing with Tara Abbey and the nuns who live there.

This is one of the most beautiful efforts to help poor children acquire an education I have ever had the honor to observe. The motivations of the people running things are as pure and noble as I could hope for. I am honored just knowing such an organization exists in this world.

We so very much appreciate the Himalayan Childrens Fund--for that it makes possible to help not only the Tibetan refugee children but also other Himalayan children. We were first drawn to donate to Tara Abbey but in time we realized that those in charge of the fund knew best where money most needed to go and let them decide what that would be. There are so many ways that one can help... which is one of the positive attributes of this non-profit. We enjoy the personal attention that Debra Ann Robinson-Menzies gives to these efforts and to us as donors. We are touched by the compassion that Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche demonstrates through these many projects in Nepal. Here there are so many people giving of their time, energy, and money in various ways. And then those who are being helped will be helping others as well, now and in the future. All the money donated goes directly to these projects.

The HCF established by VV Thrangu Rinpoche provides food, clothing, education and lots of love for many children in the Himalayan Region. I have visited both the monasteries and schools that are part of HCF and found the children, monks and nuns to all be thriving-healthy, happy and getting an excellent education. Perhaps the most important gift these children are receiving by HCF is to be under the nurturing and compassionate love and care of Thrangu Rinpoche, a meditation master in the Tibetan Buddhist Karma Kagyu lineage. Just to catch a glimpse of Rinpoche is a great blessing and all of his senior teachers, Abbots and Abbess provide guidance in all aspects of life, scholarship and Buddhist and secular training.

I have contributed to HCF for close to a decade and have visited many of the projects that have been funded by HCF. I am particularly impressed with the high quality educational and medical work undertaken by the Fund. The Fund's support for education of girls and women and the providing of both secular and religious studies is important to me. I have confidence that the Fund makes very effective use of donor contributions.

I have been contributing to Himalayan Childrens Fund since its inception.. Early on, before HCF, I had sponsored a little girl who attended Thrangu Rinpoche's school, Mangal Dvip. She was from a very poor family: her father was partially blind and could not make living and her mother had tuberculous. The famiiy was concerned about this little girl's health but couldn't afford the cost of boarding school. Fortunately, I was able to sponsor her so she received a good education in a healthy environment. She is now married with a child of her own and living in the United States. Before the founding of Himalayan Children's Fund the sending of money to sponsor this child was complicated. Currently I am sponsoring a nun from Thrangu Tara Abbey through HCF. This sponsorship is much easier for me. I have been to Nepal many times and have visited Thrangu Rinpoche's beneficent projects. I cannot speak too highly of HCF.

The impact this organization has on the population of Nepal and surrounding Himalayan regions is completely profound and virtually unmatched. This is the poorest country in Asia and children would literally starve and have absolutely no future without this brilliant uplifted organization. Their work and impact is superior. A model of goodness and effectiveness. What a non-profit should be and how all the world should take care of one another.

I have donated to HCF for the past several years. It is heartwarming to see the smiles on these children monks and nuns who so appreciate the assistance and education they recieve. I am pleased that monies that the HCF recieves goes directly to supporting all of the projects. I have great confidence in those who run the organization which is why I am a part of this wonderful community.

I have sponsored a day student at the Shree Mangal Dvip for several years. I thoroughly enjoy the correspondence I receive throughout the year from my student. It is very heartwarming knowing that my small contribution can make such a huge difference in the life of a child. I am also pleased to know that every penny is spent to educate and care for the children. It is my pleasure to be linked to such a loving and caring organization.

An interest in Buddhist Studies led my husband and me to a teacher who opened our hearts to the extraordinary commitment that Thrangu Rinpoche has made to educate and care for underprivileged young people from the Himalayan region. Our hearts joined with many others' when my husband began sponsoring 10 young nuns from Tara Abbey via the contributions he received from teaching yoga. It is a lovely relationship of one community (yoga) supporting another community (students). I was inspired by a personal visit to Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School (SMD) and Tara Abbey in Nepal that confirmed the wealth of scholarship, personal development, and broad world view provided for these endearing students by the Himalayan Childrens Fund - all from an operating budget that is unimaginably lean. I now support a nun attending monastic college in her quest for a graduate degree. Our warm correspondence with these 11 young women has made the world a much smaller place. We are grateful for the heart connection we share.

I am especially happy that 100% of my donations for an individual child are given for the support of that child; that no administrative fees are taken out of the total. Excellent service that truly benefits children in need.

I have been an enthusiastic sponsor of HCF students for more than a decade. Over those years I've been fortunate to visit Nepal several times and have had the wonderfully rewarding experience of seeing shy little kids transform into confident young men and women with excellent English and genuine interest in the world around them. The mission of HCF is simple enough, but the results are profound: children from remote villages are being saved from illiteracy and poverty and given a modern education--a future of real possibilities. I can't imagine a more direct or more meaningful way to help change young lives.

I have been a supporter of HCF for 18 years and it has been a most rewarding experience. I helped support a young Nepalise girl for about 15 years and she now has the equivalent of a Ph.D. . I have also supported 2 young boys so that they could complete their primary schooling. The school in Boudhenath, Shree Mangal Dvip, is very well run and the students are incredibly motivated and enthusiastic. I have visited the school on 3 occasions in the past 6 years.
I now support a group of senior students at the above school who are part of an independent living program. A significant portion of the students who participate in this program receive scholarships (including internationally) to continue their schooling. HCF does an excellent job managing their funds and supporting children in Nepal that would otherwise have very little opportunity in life.

I first became involved with HCF as a volunteer while living in Kathmandu. My college age son, who was in Kathmandu for an internship, and I worked at the school opening the library after school hours for free reading and art activities. We loved volunteering there, such a friendly happy place with the children so interested in talking to us. When my son graduated from College the next year he wanted his monetary gifts to go to the school. His aunts and uncle agreed to continue sponsoring the little boy yearly. Two years later my family gave me a gift of sponsorship for a little girl for Christmas. We also have been lucky enough to return to Nepal several times, have visited the school and spent very special time with these two children and several others. This is a very special school, providing both academic education, values of compassionate Buddhism and valuable life skills.

For the past 9 years, through the HCF, we have taken great delight in sponsoring the education of a young boy at The Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School in Kathmandu - one of the many manifestations of Thrangu Rinpoche's compassionate, very practical activities for benefitting many beings! This young boy was a very deprived orphan, wandering alone the streets of Boudha when he came to the attention of the School; he is now a bright-eyed, exuberant, fine mannered, well-educated young man - an avid soccor player! We visited the SMD School to meet him 5 years ago and found a very cheerful school environment which far exceded our expectations! It is clear that the highest principles - awakening to one's fullest potential as a student and aspiring to the finest and best in oneself and others- are flourishing at SMD! It is a very energetic and happy place! We have a warm and appreciative relationship with our young student and share in his challenges, joys and accomplishments through our exchange of letters and now through emails. Needless to say, this cotinues to be a very wonderful connection for us personally!

I have sponsored a girl since she was eleven years old...she is now in her thirties and has become a teacher for young girls like herself. She is incredibly sweet and signs her letters to me: "your darling daughter." HCF has an all volunteer staff and so donations go directly to the students and monks and nuns. It is through the inspiration of Tibetan teachers that so many westerners have joined together to provide education and basic needs for the children of the Himalayas.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.