More than 40 percent of escapees from Tibet are children and youth who come in search of an education in India. Due to the steady influx of new refugees, Tibetan exile schools are overcrowded and their resources stretched. The Tibet Fund’s support helps Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan, as well as the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) in Dharamsala, the Tibetan Homes Foundation School in Mussoorie and the Transit School in Sogar. The TCV School at Bir and the Transit School at Sogar were specifically established for new refugees who are too old to attend regular schools. Over 3,000 students have graduated from these two schools in the past five years. Please see our Photo Gallery for more images and go to our Sponsorship Program page to see how you can help support these educational projects.

Fulbright Tibetan Scholarship Program
Funding from the US State Department enables The Tibet Fund to bring fifteen Tibetan students annually from India for higher education in the United States. Some students enroll in one-year certificate or training programs, but the majority enroll in two-year master's degree programs. In any given year, The Tibet Fund must provide full support to approximately twenty-five students. Since the State Department funds a portion of these costs, we raise an additional $250,000 each year to fully cover the expenses of our students. We are grateful to the many colleges and universities that provide tuition remission under this program.

Computer Classes in Schools
While The Tibet Fund still focuses primarily on projects that help provide basic needs to Tibetan refugee communities, the benefits of new technology such as computers is evident. With the help of the Salesforce.com Foundation we provided funding to establish computer labs in five Tibetan schools in India and three in Nepal. Computer classes have been established in an additional five schools in India and Nepal with funding from the US Government and individual donors. We hope to expand this work in schools throughout the Tibetan refugee settlements.

Ngoenga School for Tibetan Handicapped Children
Opened in March 2000, with the seed money donated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, this is the first school of its kind for disabled Tibetan children. Through the generosity of our donors, The Tibet Fund has helped build covered footpaths to make it easier for wheelchair bound students to move around the school. Additional funding was also provided for the construction of staff quarters and a dining hall. More details for assisting this school are provided on our Current Needs page.