Compassion Culture

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To have the greatest possible impact, donate here: your gift will be distributed among all Culture of Compassion initiatives.

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Bylakuppe Tibetan community

Bylakuppe Tibetan community

Care for the essential needs of the refugee community in Southern India
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The world we live in

Cultures that place compassion at the heart of collective life hold a valuable heritage of wisdom and universal values. In these worldviews, individual well-being is inseparable from collective well-being, both in relationships among people and in our relationship with nature, and is grounded in the recognition of the interconnectedness of all elements of reality.

Buddhism and Tibetan culture are emblematic examples of this. Over the centuries, these traditions have preserved practices of care and shared responsibility, thanks to the strength of their communities and institutions such as monasteries.

In these cultures, compassion is not an abstract ideal but a practice rooted in the awareness of the interdependence of all living beings. They nurture kindness, respect, and nonviolence, and thus represent a treasure for humanity that we deeply need today.

Today's challenges

Many of these cultures are now under strong pressure. Wars, forced migration, exclusionary policies, and socio-economic inequalities are eroding traditions that promote respect and solidarity. At the same time, narratives based on individualism and aggression often gain high visibility, offering simplistic and divisive responses to complex problems.

The risk concerns not only the survival of specific cultures, but also the weakening of the values that sustain social cohesion. As intolerance and discrimination grow and spaces for dialogue shrink, the conditions that allow societies to remain open, plural and capable of caring for everyone begin to fade.

In this context, the marginalization of cultures rooted in compassion represents a loss for the entire community, not only cultural but also social and political.

Our perspective

Supporting cultures that recognize compassion as a central value means defending a universal cultural heritage that is essential for the well-being of society as a whole.

In particular, we work to protect the Tibetan and Buddhist traditions, collaborating with local communities, institutions and organizations active in the field, beginning in India. At the same time, we promote intercultural dialogue and social inclusion, knowing that lasting peace can only be built through respect for diversity and mutual care.

In our perspective, protecting these cultures means investing in a vision of the world where compassion is not an abstract principle, but the concrete foundation upon which to build more just and inclusive societies.

Our commitment

To put this vision into practice, we support essential services that address the concrete needs of communities that embody the principles of compassion and nonviolence, starting with the Tibetan communities in exile. In particular, we support initiatives in education, healthcare and housing, recognizing these as fundamental pillars of individual and collective well-being.

Additionally, we accompany our local partners on journeys toward autonomy and growth. We do not limit ourselves to providing immediate support, but help the communities and organizations we work with to grow sustainably.

We recognize that those on the ground — vulnerable communities and our operational partners — possess deep and valuable knowledge of their own context. For this reason, we do not impose top-down solutions, but promote co-creation processes based on trust, dialogue and shared learning.

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Comunità tibetana di Bykaluppe

IN BREVE

La comunità tibetana di Bylakuppe è uno degli insediamenti tibetani più grandi al mondo. Dagli anni ‘60 accoglie generazione di persone tibetane in fuga dopo l’invasione cinese del Tibet. Nel tempo, è diventato un insediamento stabile, con scuole, case, monasteri e un tessuto sociale che custodisce i valori tibetani di compassione e rispetto per ogni forma di vita.

Nonostante questo, la vita qui resta precaria. Le persone tibetane sono ancora oggi rifugiate apolidi e la loro vita dipende largamente dalla solidarietà internazionale.

Ogni iniziativa a sostegno dei loro diritti fondamentali alla casa, all’educazione e alla salute è di vitale importanza per la comunità tibetana. Collaborando con partner locali di fiducia come Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan Children’s Village e Vimala Italia ETS, co-creiamo soluzioni che sostengono il benessere e la crescita della comunità.

PROBLEMA

A Bylakuppe, la garanzia di alcuni servizi essenziali richiede risorse continue per continuare a esistere.

Molte famiglie non hanno una casa e abitano in sistemazioni temporanee, spesso fatiscenti. È normale vivere tra soffitti in amianto, muri che cedono alle piogge monsoniche, muffe pericolose da respirare e mancanza di fonti stabili di acqua ed elettricità.

Le scuole sono un luogo di apprendimento, ma anche uno spazio sicuro dove trovare cura e legami sociali per migliaia di giovani orfani o lontani dalla famiglia, rimasta in Tibet. Per garantire accoglienza, sicurezza e un percorso educativo continuo, queste strutture richiedono sostegno costante.

Anche l’ospedale locale ha bisogno di molte risorse per mantenere attivi i servizi essenziali come particolare il reparto maternità, che offre cure gratuite durante la gravidanza, il parto e i primi anni di vita dei neonati. Senza questa struttura, gli abitanti della zona dovrebbero affrontare viaggi lunghi, rischiosi e costosi per ricevere cure.

COSA PUOI FARE TU?

Con una donazione puoi migliorare la vita delle famiglie tibetane rifugiate in India, sostenendo il loro diritto a una casa sicura, un’educazione continua e cure accessibili. Il tuo gesto aiuta a mantenere vivi servizi essenziali per chi oggi non ha garanzie stabili, nella comunità tibetana di Bylakuppe.

Ogni gesto conta e crea un cambiamento reale. Con la tua donazione puoi dare continuità ai servizi fondamentali della comunità di Bylakuppe e offrire a tante famiglie prospettive migliori per il futuro.

Dona ora per garantire una casa sicura, un’educazione continua e cure accessibili a centinaia di famiglie tibetane.

Hope for Tibet’s Children

OVERVIEW

All children have the right to grow up with joy, dignity, safety and guaranteed access to education.

Today, however, many young Tibetan children in exile see these rights seriously at risk. As stateless refugees, they live in difficult and uncertain conditions, compounded by the danger that their culture, rooted in compassion and wisdom, may be wiped out.

Wisedāna Foundation supports projects that provide these children with safe spaces to study, grow together, and preserve their cultural roots. Among our trusted partners is the Tibetan Children’s Village, an institution led for over 40 years by Jetsun Pema, known as the “Mother of Tibet” and a member of our Board of Directors.

You can also support the right to childhood, health, and education. Together, let’s protect the future of the Tibetan people.

Join us in supporting the right to childhood, health and education. Together, let’s protect the future of the Tibetan people.

CONTEXT

In the 1950s, Tibet was occupied by China. Since then, thousands of Tibetans have been living in exile. Those who remained in their homeland are subjected to ongoing surveillance and repression, aimed at completely erasing Tibetan culture. Fortunately, for more than sixty years, some countries have offered refuge to Tibetan exiles. In India in particular, stable Tibetan communities have developed over time and continue to welcome new refugees fleeing from Tibet or the Himalayan regions.

Tibetan children are the most vulnerable members of these communities. Many are orphans or have been sent away by their families to escape the repression, in the hope that they can grow up safely in refugee settlements abroad.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has always stressed that education is a vital tool to protect the Tibetan people. Only through access to quality schooling can young Tibetans preserve their identity and the precious culture of Tibetan compassion—a priceless gift for all of humanity—and build a life of dignity and self-reliance. Defending the right to a safe childhood and to education for all Tibetan children is one of our core missions.

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PROBLEM

Schools, clinics and shelter centers supporting Tibetan refugee children are in urgent need of sustained funding. The Tibetan cause receives little media attention, international aid is declining, and several institutions are now at risk of closing. This would leave hundreds of children without access to education, healthcare and the safe environments they need to grow.

Without adequate support, these children face heightened vulnerability: to poverty, social exclusion, exploitation, and the loss of their cultural identity. A humanitarian and cultural crisis is unfolding, and the new generations of Tibetans may be left without the essential support they need to build a future.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

With a donation, you can help provide education, medical care, shelter and protection to Tibetan children living in exile. The funds raised will support schools, hospitals and education centers that care for hundreds of young people every day, offering them a safe place to grow and thrive together.

Helping these children means preserving an ancient culture rooted in compassion, nonviolence and harmony with nature. It also means giving a new generation of Tibetans the tools to build a dignified future, for themselves and for their people.

Your support can make a real difference.

Let’s protect Tibetan children’s right to childhood and education.