Recommended Programs
Over the years, we have tried to help as many organizations and people as possible. In some instances, we have worked with given organizations for years, while, in other cases, maybe just made a one-time grant. In all cases, however, our goal was to help exceptional programs and people who work tirelessly to help others lift themselves out of poverty. Nevertheless, there have been instances and programs that, due to our limited resources, we were not able to help which either came before us for the first time or sought additional funding. We have decided, however, to pass these groups along to all who visit our website in the hopes that some individuals or like-minded foundations may decide to reach out to help them or ask us to facilitate your efforts to learn more about their work. Please take a look at the organizations we recommend. Thank you for caring!
Source: Landmine Relief Fund
Landmine Relief Fund (Cambodia)
The Landmine Relief Fund (LMRF) was started in 2003 to support the efforts of a Cambodian man who had taken it upon himself to rid Siem Reap’s countryside of decades-old active landmines. To this day, these active landmines still cause death and injury. After clearing a field of all unexploded landmines, their Rural School Village Program (RSVP) built schoolhouses to give the next generation room to grow and thrive without fear.
Source: People Improvement Organization
People Improvement Organization (Cambodia)
The People Improvement Organization (PIO) focuses on educating girls, orphans, and those children who often survive by scavenging off dump sites. Mrs. Phymean Noun, the founder and director of PIO, was honored in 2015 with the World’s Children’s Prize, and was named Child Rights Hero of the year in recognition of her work to improve the lives of Phnom Penh’s most impoverished young people since 2002.
Source: Sirjana Institute
Sirjana Institute (India)
This Institute works to improve some of the long-impoverished communities of Varanasi. Young girls in these areas have very few options. In fact, for most the only option is to marry young and have children, thus not allowing room for economic development.
Under those circumstances, Sirjana offers vocational training to women and academic scholarships for their children, Sirjana offers hope for the future in the communities they serve. Graduates are given assistance to find jobs in their learned trades, which include sewing, beauty salon services, and jewelry making.
Tibetan Children's Village (India)
The Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) was created over 50 years ago. TCV’s objective was to meet the needs of incoming refugee children escaping China/Tibet who come to Dharamshala, India, where His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama still lives in exile.
The number of children coming to India has declined in recent years, perhaps due in part to fewer Tibetan families in China having the money to pay the guides that send their children over the Himalayas. Those who have grown up under the care of TCV receive a sound education and are able to aid in preserving the history, language, and cultural identity of the Tibetan people.
Source: Tibetan Delek Hospital
Tibetan Delek Hospital (India)
The Tibetan Delek Hospital started as a small pharmacy over 40 years ago. Today, it is a 45-bed hospital with multiple departments serving the needs of the local Tibetans and Indians, along with the occasional Western tourist. In 2007, TFI began supporting Delek hospital when we started sending volunteers to this part of India through our Fellowship Program.
Presently, the hospital offers a variety of low-cost services and, in cases of extreme hardship, treats patients regardless of their ability to pay. This hospital offers preventative healthcare for HIV/AIDS, produces anti-smoking campaigns, and provides immunizations, as well as meeting the specific needs of Tibetan refugees. These refugees are susceptible to certain infectious diseases which do not exist in their native highlands of Tibet but are more common in the lower altitudes of India.
Source: One Heart Worldwide
One Heart Worldwide (Nepal)
In 2014, TFI learned of One Heart Worldwide’s (OHW) incredible work. OHW is a program that builds and provides birthing centers that serve pregnant women in the most remote villages of Nepal. Before the earthquake, OHW have had an over 90% success rate on reducing infant and maternal mortality. These rural areas previously reported maternal and infant deaths at a rate of 10 to 20 times the global average. Since the earthquake, OHW has been working to rebuild its damaged birthing centers and continues to provide birth attendant and midwife trainings. In short they not only save lives but bring new ones into the world.
Source: REACH for Uganda
REACH for Uganda (Uganda)
REACH for Uganda (formally known as Arlington Academy of Hope) partners with communities in rural Uganda to improve the quality of their daily lives and realize their future potential through improved education, healthcare, and community development. REACH offers quality primary education through a successful village school they established, scholarships to secondary school, and university education through sponsorships. Many of these graduates return to serve at their primary school and the health clinic they established in 2008. Good health is central to a child’s long-term success, and children in remote, impoverished regions often have long absences from school due to illness, and some never return.
Source: Friends of Orphans
Friends of Orphans (Uganda)
Friends of Orphans was founded in 1999 and is administered by former child soldiers, orphans, and abductees who were and continue to be affected by the war in Northern Uganda. Their experiences as former abductees and orphans –many of whom lost immediate and extended family members, friends, and neighbors and suffered displacement – led them to commit to the ongoing and unmet needs of their communities displaced in resettlement camps. The mission of Friends of Orphans is to contribute to the empowerment, rehabilitation, and reintegration of this vulnerable community and to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Source: Adopt a Family of Marin
Adopt a Family of Marin (USA)
Adopt a Family of Marin helps families in the California Bay Area to overcome temporary financial challenges. They provide services such as utility payments, car repairs, rental deposits, and food assistance to families in need.
Through these services, Adopt a Family of Marin aims to prevent families from falling into homelessness and ensure their clients have a chance to live in security with greater hope for an economically-stable future.
Source: HomeFirst
HomeFirst (USA)
HomeFirst is a leading provider of services, shelter, and housing opportunities to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in Northern California’s Santa Clara County. They serve more than 5,000 adults, veterans, families, and youth each year at nine different locations. HomeFirst seeks to empower low‐income, underserved, and at-risk populations that are experiencing language, economic, and other barriers to opportunity. They strive for lasting change in the communities they serve and envision a community where everyone has a home.
Source: TANC
Tibetan Association of Northern California (USA)
The mission of the Tibetan Association of Northern California is to pursue with dedication the common goal of the Tibetan people, including activities to promote the Tibetan language and culture under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and recognizing and respecting the Central Tibetan Administration as the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people. Through cultural education programs, they successfully transfer language and performing arts traditions to the next generation who will have the responsibility of preserving and keeping the rich traditions of Tibet alive.
Source: TCNYNJ
Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey (USA)
The Tibetan Community of New York & New Jersey (TCNYNJ) focuses on supporting the survival of Tibetan culture and identity, and to enhance the quality of life for all Tibetans living in the local community and worldwide. They offer support of Tibetan-based educational, cultural, and religious programs, while also reaching out to community members in need. They are committed to building strong relationships within the Tibetan community through organizing events that allow members to connect and reach out to one another and the outside community.