Social Services Fund
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The Social Services Fund Offers Support in Many Areas
The Social Services Fund, established to support Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization, focuses efforts primarily in India, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. Funds help children, the elderly, sick, and very poor through grants for schools, health clinics, soup kitchens, elderly homes, and more.
It is good for FPMT to benefit extensively sentient beings by offering various social services, such as those that bring loving kindness and peace to youth using Universal Education methods, religious interfaith activities which bring peace and happiness and extensively benefit others by spreading Dharma.
Special Social Services Project
Thame Support Fund
On August 16, 2024, the remote Nepali village of Thame in the Solu Khumbu district of Nepal, was devastated by a catastrophic flood caused by a nearby glacial lake bursting it’s banks. Thame at 12,450 feet (3,800 meters) usually has a population of 300 Sherpa people who depend mostly on trekking and mountaineering for their livelihood. Villagers left behind their houses, hotels, animals, and everything they owned. About half of the village has been destroyed or severely damaged, including the school and health clinic plus vital infrastructure. The dam and hydro electricity plant that provide electricity to the whole valley was severely damaged. Several bridges were washed away and the walking trail to Thame was swept away.
Thame holds a special place in our hearts as the birthplace of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Rinpoche lived his early years in Thame village with his family, until he was recognized as a young age as the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama, Kunzang Yeshe, who was also from Thame. It is also the home to many Kopan monks and nuns including Charok Lama.
In response to this crisis, the Thame Support Fund has been established to provide essential aid to the residents of Thame and support their future needs. The fund will be administered through Kopan’s Helping Hands, who will work directly with the community to assess and address their needs. Please consider making a contribution to help Thame during this critical time.
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Children | Healthcare | Elderly, Refugees & Destitute | Environmental Disasters | Animals
Support for Children
The fund focuses on grants that support children in Nepal, India, and Mongolia that are of Tibetan, Nepali, Sherpa, and Indian heritage. Grants help poor schools in these countries and support hostels, and Tibetan refugee communities. Investing in education through schools is one way we can help break the cycle of poverty in disadvantaged areas. Since 2012, grants have been offered to seven schools providing education to over 1,500 children.
In 2023, through the Social Services Fund we granted US$260,807.75 to eight different schools. This support has benefited over 1,500 school aged children in India and Nepal. We invite you to rejoice in our collective accomplishment in 2023, which is helping to break the cycle of poverty in underprivileged communities. Our efforts are providing essential contemporary education and also integrating the profound teachings of the Dharma and cultural preservation. Read the full story »
Since 2012, the Social Services Fund has been supporting schools in India and Nepal that have students of Tibetan, Nepali, Sherpa, and Indian heritage. Approximately 1,000 school-aged children in seven different schools benefit from this support. FPMT’s Social Services Fund provides the food, uniforms, and school supplies for the students and salaries for the teachers to these free schools. We invite you to rejoice in the support we have offered this year, helping break the cycle of poverty and destitution in impoverished areas, and in order to facilitate both a modern and Dharma education, as well as cultural preservation, for those who will benefit most greatly. Read more »
We invite you to rejoice in the ways we offered educational support to these children this year, thus helping break the cycle of poverty in impoverished areas and to help facilitate both a modern education and Dharma education for those in need.
Ngari Institute in Ladakh, India, helps disadvantaged children from remote regions of Ladakh and arranges to send them to, currently, three different schools. The Institute arranges all the costs related to offering this education, including the facility fees, food, uniforms, etc. The Social Services Fund has been covering all the costs of the food for the children and the teachers for eight years. This offering started in 2013 at US$15,720.62, and this year we were so happy to issue a grant for US$33,232. Read more »
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Healthcare
The fund provides grants for health clinics in India and Mongolia, as well as offering grants hospices, in other parts of the world. In the past the fund supported the building of an eye hospital in Tibet and provided medical aid after the Nepal earthquake in 2015.
The FPMT Social Services Fund is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those in need, particularly in India and Mongolia. With a compassionate approach, we strive to support projects that serve vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, the sick, and those who are extremely poor. Our grants are aimed to fund initiatives that can make an impact in local communities. This includes providing help for vital resources like health clinics, soup kitchens, and other non-governmental organizations supporting local Tibetan and Mongolian communities. We believe in the power of these projects to bring about positive change and improve the overall well-being.
In 2023, through the Social Services Fund we have offered US$188,858 to support these critical initiatives. Thanks to all who continue to support this fund, together we can continue to make a difference and extend our reach to even more individuals in need. Read more »
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.
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. Read more »
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. In addition, due to shutdowns in 2021, we also offered food and monetary assistance to thousands of families in need. We would like to invite you to rejoice in some of the grants recently offered specifically toward medical care, living expenses, and food to those in India, Nepal and Mongolia.
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 Tibetan Refugees. Read more »
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Helping the Elderly, Refugees and Destitute
Dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those in need, particularly in India and Mongolia. With a compassionate approach, we offer grants to support projects that serve vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, the sick, and those who are extremely poor. Our grants are aimed to fund initiatives that can make an impact in local communities. This includes providing help for vital resources like health clinics, soup kitchens and for old age homes supporting elderly Tibetan refugees in India. Since 2015, the fund has offered grants to seven homes for the elderly which provide accommodation for approximately 400 elders.
In 2024, we granted US$141,834 to seven different elderly homes in India. This support has benefited over 280 Tibetan senior citizens and includes a contribution for the renovation of a family’s house in Tibetan settlement of Puruwala in Himachal Pradesh.
Offering support to the elderly is guided by the profound kindness of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Many of the elders in these homes have expressed how much it has meant to them that Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through FPMT, has been providing continual and sustained support and that has made a real difference in their lives.
We invite you to rejoice in our collective accomplishments this year. The ability to offer these grants is due to the kindness of many, and we are so grateful for their generosity. We are committed to continuing our support for these elderly homes for as long as possible, thereby repaying the kindness of our elders. Read more »
In 2023, we granted US$169,067.19 to six different elderly homes. This support has benefited over 250 Tibetan senior citizens and includes a contribution for the renovation of three destitute families’ homes in Tibetan settlements in Himachal Pradesh and near the border of Assam and Bhutan.
Upon receiving the heartbreaking news of Rinpoche’s passing, the residents of the elderly homes we have been supporting gathered to offer pujas and prayers beseeching the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Many of the homes sent messages expressing their profound sadness and how grateful they are for the care and support that Rinpoche has given them over the years, especially when it was so hard to find.
We invite you to rejoice in our collective accomplishment this year, as we have make a real difference in the lives Tibetan refugee elders by providing essential needs such as food, shelter, and medical care. Read more »
For the seventh consecutive year, the FPMT Social Services Fund has continued to offer essential support to 320 elderly Tibetans living in homes throughout India and in Nepal. This service has become an essential mission of this fund with nine elderly homes now receiving grants. Please join us in rejoicing in the following support which is being offered for 2022. Read more »
Since 2015, the FPMT Social Services Fund has been offering support to hundreds of Tibetan elders residing in elderly homes throughout India. Tibetans have been living in exile since 1959 when Communist China invaded Tibet, forcing 100,000 Tibetans to flee to India, Nepal, Bhutan and eventually elsewhere around the world. Many of the Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal are now elderly and many are rendered destitute and in desperate need of care at this critical phase of life. Tibetan families traditionally provide for the elderly and sick among them. However, when a family itself is in deep poverty, or if the elderly individual is alone and without family support, help is needed.
In 2021 we sent US$286,887.28 to support seven elderly homes in India. Please join us in rejoicing that these grants were used in the following ways…Read more »
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Environmental Disasters
The fund sponsors ongoing pujas, practices, and prayers to pacify the elements and protect those harmed by disasters of earth, wind, fire, and water.
The fund also provided over $2.14 million in grants for immediate relief and later rebuilding efforts after the 2015 Nepal earthquake. This was due to the kindness and generosity of so many—please rejoice! Grants were sent for basic necessities needed for survival such as food, water, tents, bedding, and medical aid to many who lost everything in remote regions. Later on, grants were given to rebuild a number of monasteries and nunneries.
On August 16, 2024, the remote Nepali village of Thame in the Solu Khumbu district was devastated by a catastrophic flood caused by a nearby glacial lake bursting its banks. The Thame Support Fund is providing essential aid to the residents of Thame during this critical time, as well as supporting their future needs. The fund will be administered through Kopan’s Helping Hands, who will work directly with the residents to assess and allocate the funds effectively.
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Caring for Animals
Support the saving lives of animals, as well as food, shelter and medical care. The Animal Liberation Fund is also part of the activities of the Social Services Fund and you can learn more and donate directly to the Animal Liberation Fund.
Social Services Fund News & Updates
An Update from Thame: Ven. Sarah Thresher Reports
Offer your compassionate support
The Social Services Fund is a project of FPMT Inc. All donations made to the fund are tax-deductible within the United States in accordance with IRS Code article 501(C)(3) to the extent allowed by law.
For larger donations, wire transfers, or check donations, contact FPMT Donor Services.
For questions about the Social Services Fund activities, please contact the Charitable Projects Coordinator.