"Education shapes our minds. If we don't teach values and nurture inner Wealth, then when there is a crisis, we often find that first and foremost there is a crisis in values. 
The purpose of our life is much more than to survive, much more than sustaining the physical body, it is to help develop consciousness. 
The emphasis and direction of education should therefore be not just about accumulating information to serve outer wealth, but to help develop consciousness, to help young people nurture their innate values of wisdom and compassion for the benefit of society."

Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje


Origins 

Founded in 2001 by Lama Jigme Rinpoche, “Tibet Save & Care – Preserve Tibet” is a non-profit association that works to improve the daily life of Tibetan children both in exile or not, and disadvantaged populations in the northern regions of the Himalaya, in particular Darjeeling, Sikkim as well as Nepal.

To improve access to education for this long-time marginalized population, the association mobilizes funds to finance projects such as the building of schools and Buddhist universities, along with one-off interventions to improve living conditions.

To provide these young Tibetans with the opportunity to receive a comprehensive education and reclaim the foundations of their own culture, both through learning the Tibetan language and studying core curriculum subjects, is to enable them to protect the culture, history and religion of their people. It is to give the knowledge, tools and skills to build their future and participate in a meaningful way in shaping the world.

The association also intervenes when natural disasters strike in these regions, by bringing emergency assistance and participating in reconstruction projects.


Interwiew of Jigmé Rinpoché


Humanitarian Actions 

Tibet Save & Care works to ensure access to education – a basic human right – and decent learning conditions for Tibetan children living in exile or not, as well as for deeply disadvantaged children in the Himalayas.
To date donations from individuals and the private sector companies have enabled the Association to :

  • Acquire warm clothes for these underprivileged children in a region where the winter is severe
  • Build classrooms 
  • Purchase beds and electric generators
  • Improve hygiene conditions (sanitation, latrines) 
  • Acquire sacred texts for traditional teachings 
  • Bring emergency assistance after the natural disasters of recent years in India, Nepal and Tibet.

Education is a long-term challenge.

Tibet Save & Care supports kindergartens, primary schools and traditional ‘universities’ anchored in Tibetan Buddhist traditions, including :

  • School in Thakhta, Darjeeling: welcomes disadvantaged children.
  • Rigjong Public School, Leh, Ladakh: School affiliated with the National Central Board of Secondary Education.
  • Pioneer Preparatory School, Rumtek, Sikkim: welcomes pre-school children.
  • Denjong Padma Choling, Sikkim: general and technical and vocational education, transmission. 
  • Shri Diwakar Vihara Institute, Kalimpong, Sikkim: Shedra (Buddhist university for students from 16 to 17 years and upwards).
  • Khargo School, Kham, Tibet: schooling of children from an isolated region.
  • Karma Chokhor Dechen Ling Centre, Rumtek: monastery for Buddhist nuns.