My Nonprofit Reviews
sa_najera
Review for TIBETAN CHILDRENS EDUCATION FOUNDATION, Helena, MT, USA
Tibetan Children's Education Foundation has sponsorships to assist in the education of Tibetan children living in exile in India. There are also sponsorships for elders who are living in exile in India and are no longer able to work in road repair and other unskilled labor jobs, due to their advanced age. They escaped from Tibet many years ago and because they were living in exile, without a country, there was only road work available to them. Many of them have no one to care for them and lack the bare necessities of life. My monthly donation goes directly to pay for room and board and education of the children I have been assigned. I am able to communicate with them and send packages. The Grandparents I sponsor do not read or write, but I am assured that my donation goes to help them specifically with life necessities and medical care. I am able to travel to India and visit with all of them personally. I see their pictures in my home each day, and it brings us all closer together. TCEF allows for a personal relationship and that is very important to me. I believe I have been called to help the Tibetan people who are living in exile to preserve their culture and identity. I believe we all have an obligation to speak out about the persecution and atrocities being inflicted on the Tibetans still living in Tibet by the Chinese government.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my friend's account of personal service trips made to India to meet and help the Tibetan community living in exile. I volunteered in 2011 in a 4-day fundraising event, working with the Board of Directors and other volunteers. I plan to accompany the service trip to India in 2014 to personally meet my sponsored children and grandparents, and to assist in whatever projects are planned for that trip.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
help TCEF grow and ensure sustainability, because I am convinced of the moral responsibility the world has to the Tibetan people to allow them their fundamental right to independence, and to help preserve their culture and identity through education of their youth.
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
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
What specific problem, purpose, priority, or project prompted your gift?
The knowledge that a 7-year-old Tibetan girl living in exile in India would not receive an education if there was no sponsor. Knowing that a Grandmother or Grandfather had escaped over the mountains to India and were subjected to road work for the remainder of their life to just survive because there were no other jobs - and they are no longer able to support themselves due to age and illness.
Why did you make your donation at this time?
I felt called to help in any way I could.
What would you tell others about this organization?
A donation of 45/month can help a child receive their education and help to ensure a better future. A donation of 30/month can ease the pain of a lifetime of manual labor repairing roads of an elder. I cannot imagine what it feels like to be a citizen of no country--to live your entire life in exile. It is an honor and a privilege to help TCEF preserve the Tibetan history.
