HIMALAYAN CHILDRENS FUND
Enhancing the quality of life
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The people of the Himalayan Region are predominantly of Tibetan and Buddhist heritage. Their struggle with severe economic hardship and lack of resources is compounded by the challenge of maintaining their cultural identity. The projects initiated by Thrangu Rinpoche and sustained by the Himalayan Children's Fund aim to preserve the culture of the Himalayan people while providing education, medical care, and basic living assistance.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School (SMD)
Founded in 1987, Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School was the first of its kind to offer an approved Nepali government curriculum to girls and boys, both lay and monastic while helping to preserve the culture of the Himalayan people by providing instruction in Tibetan language and culture as well as Buddhist meditation and philosophy.
Thrangu Tara Abbey
Thrangu Tara Abbey is monastery for Buddhist nuns established and directed by Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche. Over 200 nuns from many mountain villages of Nepal and Tibet receive a monastic and secular education and an opportunity to live a traditional monastic life free from persecution. Financial support for the abbey provides food, clothing, education and medical assistance for all the nuns of the community.
The nuns are gradually becoming teachers and doctors of Tibetan and other medical traditions in order to provide much needed services to the people of the surrounding communities.
Namo Buddha Buddhist Meditation and Educational Center
Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche's Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery has several locations in Nepal. The original small monastery is in Boudhanath, while the main campus is now located in Namo Buddha, a few hours outside of Kathmandu. The monastery provides a secular education for young monks at Shree Mangal Dvip Branch School (SMDBS) and a traditional Buddhist monastic education for all monks including a monastic college and retreat facilities. There are branches of the monastery in the mountain villages of Nubri and Nar.
The Himalayan Children's Fund receives and distributes donations which help to provide food, water, clothing, education, and maintenance costs, supporting all aspects of monastery life
Vajra Vidya Institute
Vajra Vidya Institute (VVI) is a monastic college (shedra) located in Sarnath, India. Inaugurated in 1999 by Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche and consecrated by His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa in 2001, it was built as a place to sustain the traditional study and practice of Buddhism.
Monks from Nepal, India and Tibet live and study here.
The donations received for VVI provide support for living, education and general operation of the Institute.
Thrangu Monastery Tibet
Support is for the monks living and studying in the Shedra (Monastic College) at Thrangu Monastery in Kham Tibet.
Pullahari Drupkhang
Monastery near Nalanda in India. Novice monks begin their training and Senior monks teach and work and practice.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsMeeting fundraising goals for specific projects.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School (SMD)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In addition to our basic sponsorship, we had 2 specific goals for SMD Boarding school. We raised the $1,800.00 needed for earthquake rescue gear & surpassed our $10,000.00 match goal for SMD Clinic.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The goal of the Himalayan Children's Fund is very simple: to continue to inform people of the need to help the children and families of the Himalayan region and thereby provide funding for food, education, medical needs and other programs. We are helping them to help themselves and thereby also aiding in preserving their culture.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We maintain connection with our sponsors and donors with regular newsletters and updates, are enrolled in the CFC, listed with Amazon Smile, PayPal Giving Fund and other organizations. We maintain a web presence through our website and FaceBook, post on other social media platforms and occasionally we have the opportunity to give presentations to groups.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Being an extremely small organization, we do not plan for more than can be accomplished. The calendar of work we are responsible for during any given year is very clear. Funds are received, documented properly and distributed.
The director travels to Nepal and India once a year to meet with those in charge of all of the projects, review finances and needs, take photos of what has been accomplished to share with donors and to keep the communication between HCF and all projects open and clear.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Given the simplicity of our mission and work there is really nothing we can say we have not accomplished thus far. We continue to be able to help fund Thrangu Tara Abbey, Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School and the various Thrangu Monasteries and clinics in Nepal, Indi and Tibet. The need, however, is always present and growing so our intention is to grow our donor base and sustain the engagement of our many sponsors and donors.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
HIMALAYAN CHILDRENS FUND
Board of directorsas of 02/15/2024
Debra Ann Robinson-Menzies
No affiliation
Debra Ann Robinson-Menzies
no affiliation
Maria Bardini-Perkins
No affiliation
Joann Parks
No affiliation
Choje Lama Wanchuk Topden
NBBMEC
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/02/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.