Protect Himalayan Culture through Education
About
ITBCI school was established in Kalimpong, India in 1954 by the late Ven. Dhardo Rimpoche for Tibetan refugees coming over the border from Tibet. The school provides an education to children from the poorest refugee families living in Kalimpong, with a unique emphasis on protecting culture and values through teaching traditional arts like music and dance. The school now welcomes and provides a subsidised education to children from many other other ethnic groups, some of whom live at the school.
Need
Tibetan culture is slowly dying out amongst Tibetan communities in exile. Many Tibetan refugees settled in Kalimpong inside the Indian-Tibetan border. Most of these families are poor farmers, earning work as daily labourers on other people's farms. Daily labourers earn around $2 - $2.50 per day. People cannot afford to send their children to fee-paying schools that enable young people to explore their Tibetan Heritage alongside a quality subsidised education.
Long term impact
450 Tibetan refugee children will gain an education. The children will learn their traditional languages and art forms from Tibet and the Himalayan region. Students will gain confidence in extra-curricular activities such as debate, drama and sport. Importantly Tibetan language, art and culture will continue to thrive among the diaspora community in this Himalayan region.
About the Organization
Karuna, a charity inspired by Buddhist values, works alongside the most excluded people in South Asia, overcoming discrimination with locally-led education, gender equality and sustainable livelihood projects. Karuna believes: - Individual transformation is crucial for genuine social change - Authentic communication has the power to change lives - Every human should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential to grow and develop Karuna is a Triratna team-based Right Livelihood - a Buddhist ideal of working ethically and non-violently. We emphasise the importance of working and practicing together, striving to create positive change in oneself as well as others. This is echoed in our salary system, as each employee at Karuna, including our CEO, is paid on a needs basis and not according to seniority.
GlobalGiving Categories:
- Education
- Arts and Culture
- Refugee Rights
Total Goal
Remaining Goal
What is a Project?
Domestic and international programs and services housed within organizations, addressing specific needs of community groups.