Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Today, on International Youth Day 2023, we proudly launch this brief video, providing inspiring insights in the unique ceremony through which the pathbreaking Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala was honoured as an outstanding Home for Humanity.
Initiated in 1960 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and led for decades by his sister Jetsun Pema, the Tibetan Children’s Village was celebrated as a pioneering showcase of an innovative and engaged school, serving as a home in exile for thousands of Tibetan refugee kids, and preparing them to become active and engaged Earth citizens, true to their Tibetan culture.
When our co-chair, Dr. Youssef Mahmoud from Tunisia, heard the voices of the pupils of TCV, he exclaimed: “If the visions and commitments for future contributions, shared by the young students of TCV, were shared by humanity at large, we could all look forward to a bright future.”
Initiated in 1960 by HH The Dalai Lama, and led for decades by his sister Jetsun Pema, Tibetan Children's Villages, Dharamsala, is an extraordinary showcase of a school, serving as a home in exile for thousands of kids.
We are proud to welcome TCV as part of the Home for Humanity Family!
Text: Alexander Schieffer & Rama Mani (Co-Founders of Home for Humanity)
Video & Photographs as part of Home for Humanity Documentary Film by Eda Elif Tibet Co-Founder of KarmaMotion .
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Jetsun Pema's Letter on TCV;
From its humble beginning 62 years ago, Tibetan Children’s Village has today become a thriving, integrated educational community for destitute Tibetan children in exile, as well as for hundreds of those escaping from Tibet every year. It has established branches in India extending from Ladakh in the North to Bylakuppe in South, with over 16,726 children under its care.
Sixty two years is not a short period in anyone’s life and certainly not in the life of TCV. Tibetan Children’s Village realizes the enormous responsibility it bears for the destiny of our Tibetan children and for the goodwill of the thousands of its donors and friends around the world who have sustained it through all these years.
Today, we are proud to see young people from our villages serving the Tibetan community in different capacities and, at the same time, accept that there are a few children who have not fared so well. In this respect, extensive efforts are being made to further improve the lives of our children, bearing in mind the lessons and shortcomings we have experienced in the past. Though much has been achieved, we still have a long way to go in fulfilling our aims and objectives of providing the children under our care with the necessary resources and the opportunities to develop their abilities to the fullest. As has been highlighted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his message on our 35th Anniversary; “the future direction of our programme will be in the field of further education in specialised studies to meet the human resource needs of the community during our period in exile and more importantly when the time comes for us to go back to our homeland…” We shall endeavour further to improve the quality of our children’s education and their cultural and social upbringing without necessarily sacrificing the simplicity of our exile life-style.
All our achievements would not have been possible without the constant blessing and inspiration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as the unwavering support and understanding from the people and the Government of India. And of course, we would not have been able to do so much for our children without the continued financial help of so many good friends around the world, especially the SOS Kinderdorf International, the backbone of our financial support. Not the least, we must pay gratitude and remembrance to the many, many mothers, co-workers and teachers, both past and present, who have given so much of their life and hard work simply for the joy of seeing the children secure a meaningful life. We know our road is not at the end and that there is still much to be done, for as His Holiness has stated, “The children are the seeds of future Tibet.” I appeal to everyone – to our sponsors, donor agencies and my fellow colleagues- to continue to be at our side during this difficult period in our history and assist us in educating and caring for the Tibetan children in exile.
TASHI DELEK
Jetsun Pema
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For Donations:
As a policy no child living in any of the Tibetan Children’s Villages or schools are given for adoption. TCV believes that the Children’s Villages are home and family for the children under its care wherein they grow up learning ones own culture, beliefs and values befitting to that of a Tibetan, its identity and cause and the very purpose of having a Sponsorship Program emphasises this.
You can support and donate at: https://tcv.org.in/