In many Tibetan settlements, living conditions remain at the subsistence level and refugees are susceptible to serious illnesses and diseases due to lack of basic knowledge about diseases and preventive health strategies. The Tibet Fund accords high priority to providing qualitative, accessible and adequate healthcare services and improved sanitation facilities to the Tibetan refugee community. Our support through intervention, prevention, and education is aimed at promoting health and dismantling any barriers that the Tibetan community faces in healthcare services and resources.
With the grant from the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), The Tibet Fund continues to support CTA programs that strengthen the existing healthcare infrastructure and outreach capabilities while providing essential services for the most vulnerable refugees. In 2017 alone,
New and expecting Tibetan mothers often face enormous challenges during pregnancy and childbirth due to poor quality of gynecological and antenatal care at public hospitals and cultural barriers in discussing reproductive health with healthcare providers. With the funding support from the US PRM grant and working in partnership with the CTA’s Department of Health and the Snow Lion Foundation, The Tibet Fund has supported in the provision of high-quality maternal, reproductive and child health services to thousands of Tibetan women and children. In 2016 alone,
Funded by the US State Department and private donations including from the Flora Foundation, Clear Water Project, and Hershey Family Foundation, The Tibet Fund has supported several projects in collaboration with the CTA’s Department of Home and Snow Lion Foundation. By funding water infrastructure and facilities, we not only managed to provide safe and clean drinking water but also help in combating the spread of waterborne illnesses in the Tibetan settlements and schools. Some program highlights in this area are:
Click here for form (in pdf format) to mail with your check or money order.
In partnership with the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD), Henry Schein Cares, 7 Summits Foundation and Srongtsen Bhrikuti High School, The Tibet Fund has organized free dental camps in Nepal for five consecutive years since 2013. Around 35-40 dentists, hygienists and post graduate students from NYUCD visit Nepal for one week and provide comprehensive dental care, preventive services, examinations, treatments and oral hygiene education to thousands of Tibetans including elders and children.
Hearing impairment is one of the chronic health problems of the elderly Tibetans in the exile Tibetan community. With the help of The Starkey Foundation and in collaboration with Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastic Institute of Pokhara and assistance from Mr. Tamdin Dorje of the Tibetan Welfare Office of Kathmandu, a total of 626 Tibetans and other Himalayan people in Nepal received special hearing test and hearing aid devices in 2015. Also, with the help of INHUEWD and The Tibet Fund, 19 Tibetans received hearing assessments through Awaz Hearing Center in 2015.
This four-year USAID-funded project aims to achieve universal health coverage for Tibetans in South Asia and strengthen the capacity of CTA’s Department of Health in delivering high-quality health services. In 2016, the project completed an extensive assessment of the Tibetan health system and created a five-year road map for the Department of Health, focusing in particular on TB care and management, maternal and child health, preventive health education, community outreach, optimal service models, new adolescent health program, and health information systems. In 2017, the CTA’s Tibetan Medicare System, a community health insurance scheme, saw a total enrollment of 24,155 members.
Many Tibetan schools in exile lack resources to provide a balanced and healthy diet for their students which are critical for their overall physical and mental health. Each year, The Tibet Fund supports Nutritional Supplement Program for Tibetan students enrolled in schools administered by the CTA’s Department of Education. Beginning 2010, we have contributed a total of $255,000 with the support from Ann M. Down and Hershey Family Foundation for supplemental nutrition to 23 Tibetan schools. Supplementary diets include fruits, eggs and vegetables.
Tibetans in exile have one of the highest rates of TB which is caused due to poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition, and low levels of TB awareness. With the funding support from the US government, The Tibet Fund continues to support the works of the CTA’s Department of Health to eliminate TB menace from the Tibetan community. Another important initiative has been the Zero TB in Tibetan Kids Project (a joint initiative between Delek Hospital in Dharamsala and Dr. Kunchok Dorjee and Dr. Dick Chaisson from John Hopkins University) to control TB amongst the student population. TB screenings, community awareness campaigns, preventive therapy, and financial supports are some of the major activities undertaken to control TB. In 2016 alone,
With the support from Gere Foundation and Eye Surgery Fund, The Tibet Fund has facilitated free eye screening and surgery camps for Tibetans at some of the poorest and remotest Tibetan settlements in India. Many elderly patients are unable to travel to city hospitals and afford the costly treatments. There is also lack of ophthalmologists in the Tibetan settlements making it harder for the elderly and poor Tibetans to seek eye care. Mostly conducted through the CTA’s Department of Education, these camps have benefited hundreds of Tibetans with preliminary vision tests, sight restoring operations, pterygium surgery, and other appropriate treatments.
The Tibet Fund has supported Tibetan hospitals to strengthen their existing healthcare infrastructure and expand their outreach capabilities to especially serve the most underserved, geographically remote and disadvantaged sections of the Tibetan community. Some program highlights in this area are:
With PRM funding and private donations, The Tibet Fund supported construction and renovation of toilets in India and Nepal benefitting thousands of Tibetans who previously did not have adequate access to clean toilet facilities. Program highlights in this area are:
The Ngoenga School, the first and only school of its kind, was built specifically for Tibetan children with disabilities ranging from autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, polio, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Built in 2000 at the urging of and with initial funding from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the children receive classroom education, vocational training and physical therapy in an atmosphere that is designed to help them develop to their fullest capacity. Apart from supporting the construction of this school including building a wheel-chair safe and accessible footpath for the children, we continue to support 40-60 children through financial support from our sponsorship program over the years.
You can sponsor a child by donating $30 per month or $360 per year. You will receive a case history and photograph of the child and, if you wish, regular correspondence from the child you support as well as progress reports from the school. Funds are urgently needed for operating costs of the school. You may make a general donation in any amount for the general benefit of the school or other Tibetan children. If you would like to sponsor Tibetan children with Special Needs, please click here
Your year-end gift can further advance these important programs and support our various initiatives focusing on strengthening the Tibetan community in exile and in Tibet.
Make you tax-deductible gift today!