The monks of Sera Je Monastery receiving vaccines thanks to a grant from the Social Services Fund.

The FPMT Social Services Fund offers grants to beneficial projects primarily in India, Nepal, and Mongolia, which are aimed at serving children, the elderly, the sick, and very poor. We offer grants for schools, hospices, health clinics, soup kitchens, and elderly homes. We would like to invite you to rejoice in some of the grants offered in 2022 specifically toward medical care, living expenses, and food to those most in need. We have offered US$191,965 so far this year for this type of aid. 

Patients of Shakyamuni Buddha Clinic waiting to be seen for treatment.

Shakyamuni Buddha Clinic, India

Shakyamuni Buddha Health Clinic, a social service project of Root Institute, Bodhgaya, began in 1991 as a home for the destitute and has evolved into a diverse community health program encompassing a wide range of medical and rehabilitative services and health promotion activities.

The clinic continued to do important work in the community in 2021-2022, some highlights are:

• Re-opening the clinic after 11 months of closure due to the pandemic. During the time of closure full staff salaries were paid for the first three months and then 50% of salaries were paid for the remaining period of the lockdown. Within two months after the first re-opening, the second lockdown was enforced due to the Delta variant and the clinic was closed again. As the numbers of infection and death declined, the staff took the initiative to open the clinic in June of 2021.
• Since 80% of Shakyamuni Buddha Clinic’s beneficiaries are approximately 80% female from traditional,
  conservative families, a female doctor was added to the staff. A roster of four male doctors and one female doctor now services the clinic.

This year we were very happy to offer US$$29,400 toward the operating expenses of this clinic. 

The Social Services Fund has been providing annual grants to the incredible work of Shakyamuni Buddha Clinic since 2012 and in total has offered over US$200,000.

MAITRI Charitable Trust, Bodhgaya

MAITRI is engaged in the eradication of leprosy, the control of tuberculosis (TB), medical assistance and care for expecting mothers and new born babies, life-saving assistance to malnourished small children, education of children and adults in rural areas, rehabilitation of disabled people, the provision of opportunities to women and other underprivileged people, promotion of a holistic development in villages, rescuing and care of animals, and awareness campaigns for all of these programs.

Highlights of their work from 2021 include:

Tuberculosis Care field work: Detection, verification, and management of 207 new cases that were registered for treatment;  the implementation of a humanitarian assistance program by identifying particularly needy under-treated TB patients and having them registered for the distribution of monthly rations at MAITRI; the implementation of the Information, Education, Communication program to raise awareness on TB in villages and by contacting community members to promote collaboration among
villagers; weekly clinics were held at headquarters where 119 people were tested in their lab and 22 others were confirmed and referred for treatment; 22 active patients were hospitalized; rations were distributed to 126 under treated patients; and blankets were distributed to TB patients in the winter.

Leprosy Care field work: Detection, verification, and management of 62 new cases that were registered for treatment; the implementation of the Prevention of Deformities program which instructs on self care for those with disabilities; the implementation of the Information, Education, Communication program to raise awareness on the identification and treatment of leprosy by contacting community members within villages; work at headquarters consisted of the hospitalization of 28 leprosy patients affected with ulcers and reaction;

Thanks to a generous benefactor of the Social Services Fund, a grant for US$78,400 was offered to MAITRI this year, contributing substantially to their operating budget and enabling them to start much needed extensive repairing of their buildings and to purchase a generator, a desktop computer, and a refrigerator. 

Lamp of the Path Mongolia NGO Soup Kitchen offering a meal to beneficiaries.

Lamp of the Path, Mongolia

Lamp of the Path NGO (LOP), part of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, has offered social services to some of the poor and homeless living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the past nineteen years. Current activities include the soup kitchen—which is its main program, a health clinic, a second hand clothing distribution project, vegetable gardening, and food aid for disadvantaged children and families. LOP also helps bring awareness to the epidemic of alcoholism in Mongolia and offers tuberculosis checkups for the disadvantaged in the area.

A grant for US$39,200 was offered to this beneficial project, covering most of their 2022 operating budget.

The Social Services Fund has been providing annual grants to the incredible work of LOP since 2012 and in total has offered over US$357,000.

Patient Care Trust, India

Patient Care Trust (PCT) is an NGO operating in India, with a large proportion of its field work being conducted in Northern India. The NGO facilitates access to quality healthcare and also organizes free medical camps with partner hospitals. The mission of this project is to provide timely access to affordable quality healthcare for the socially marginalized Tibetans living in exile. 

PCT’s experience and competency come from assisting thousands of Tibetan patients since 2012, with the support of the multi-specialty hospitals, leveraging its networks to remedy the current healthcare situation in the exiled Tibetan community. Currently, the most vulnerable Tibetans in exile are the key beneficiaries of PCT’s activities. Their two main programs are Destitute Aid which  enables the most destitute and critical patients be able to receive medical care despite their financial situation; and Patient Housing which is similar to the destitute aid fund and provides housing for very poor and critical patients and their retinue, with priority given to patients coming to New Delhi from afar.

From 2012 to January 2022 a total of 4,666 vulnerable patients have been assisted by PCT. With the introduction of free site medical camps in 2018, PCT managed to increase the number of Tibetans in exile benefiting from its services than in prior years. However, due to the pandemic and minimal resources, they faced many challenges and difficulties and were unable to arrange any medical camps from March 2020 to the end of 2021. 

For the second year, thanks to a grant from Italian Buddhist Union (UBI), we offered this project US$34,965.39 for their 2022 operating budget. 

Sera Je Health Care, India

US$10,000 was offered this year for the medical care of monks at Sera Je Monastery. Health care is one of the most fundamental needs we all share, and we are so happy to support the monastics of Sera Je in this way. This grant enabled the monks to receive oxygen tanks, vaccines, and other supplies needed because of increased illness due to the pandemic.

Rejoice!

Please join us in rejoicing in some of the ways that FPMT is offering direct support for those most in need in India and Mongolia by providing grants for medical and heath care, food, and other essential services. Thank you to the many who make these grants possible and continue to support the Social Services Fund.

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure we can continue to offer support toward the health of those in need.