Tibet Relief Fund

23/08/2026

Freedom. A simple word with a great deal behind it.

For Tibetans, freedom is a word that carries particular meaning.

More than six decades after Tibetans were forced to flee their homeland, Tibetan communities continue to live in exile across India, Nepal and elsewhere around the world.

They have rebuilt lives and communities, established schools and monasteries, created organisations and businesses, and continued to speak their language, practise their faith and carry forward traditions brought with them from Tibet.

This T-shirt from Enlightened Gifts carries the Tibetan word for freedom.

It's one of a wide range of items you'll find in our online shop, from gifts and books to Tibetan and Himalayan crafts and homeware.

Every purchase from Enlightened Gifts helps support Tibet Relief Fund's work with Tibetan communities living in exile in India and Nepal.

Discover something a little different.

🛍️ https://www.enlightenedgifts.org/on-demand-items

21/08/2026

“Language lives when children use it.”

These are the words of the library educator at Shatsa, a Tibetan children's library in Ladakh that Tibet Relief Fund supports.

For them, encouraging children to read in Tibetan is about much more than learning to read:

“Children should not experience their language only as a subject they have to study. They should experience it as a language in which they can laugh, imagine, question, learn, and dream.”

At Shatsa, that means Tibetan children's books, storytelling, puppets and activities that make reading enjoyable. It also means taking reading programmes out to children in remote areas of Changthang, where access to books beyond the school curriculum can be limited.

But there is a wider reason why work like this matters.

Inside Tibet, children's access to education in their own language has been increasingly restricted. UN experts reported in 2023 that around one million Tibetan children were affected by a residential school system in which children are separated from their families and the compulsory curriculum is taught predominantly in Mandarin Chinese.

Research has also documented the replacement of Tibetan with Chinese as the language of instruction in many schools, leaving Tibetan increasingly taught as a language subject rather than being the language through which children learn.

For Tibetan communities living in exile, keeping a language alive is therefore not simply about preserving something from the past.

It is about children using it now — to read, talk, laugh, imagine and discover the world around them.

Tibet Relief Fund supports Shatsa's work, helping Tibetan children in Ladakh access books, reading activities and opportunities to learn and enjoy their language.

Find out more about Shatsa and the work we support https://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/our-programmes/shatsa-nomadic-library

20/08/2026

For young Tibetans living in exile in India, finding that first opportunity can make all the difference.

A training place. An internship. A chance to gain experience, meet people in your chosen field and begin building a career.

But those opportunities can be harder to access when you are building your future in exile, with fewer professional networks and pathways into employment.

Together with Empowering the Vision Project, we want to create 12 opportunities for young Tibetans through vocational and professional training, internships with employers and paid placements.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the appeal so far, £715 has been raised towards our £5,950 target.

There is still a long way to go. Whether you can give a little or a little more, every donation will help us get closer to creating all 12 opportunities.

You can donate from the UK or overseas.

Help create an opportunity for a young Tibetan living in exile.

https://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/help-12-young-tibetans

19/08/2026

Today marks 49 days since the death of Lobga Rangzen.

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the 49 days following death are a significant period of prayer, as the consciousness passes through the bardo — the intermediate state between death and rebirth.

Tibetan communities around the world will remember Lobga Rangzen and offer prayers for his swift and peaceful rebirth.

For those in London who would like to join together in remembrance, prayers will be held at Jamyang Buddhist Centre from 6pm, followed by a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Embassy from 7.30pm.

For those unable to attend, prayers can be offered wherever you are.

Today we remember Lobga Rangzen, his family and friends, and the wider Tibetan community. 🕯️🙏

18/08/2026

Sometimes a photograph captures far more than a moment in time.

For generations, Tibetans have gathered peacefully to make their voices heard — in Tibet and across communities in exile around the world.

The places may change, but behind every gathering are people determined that their language, culture, identity and heritage will not be erased.

For Tibet Relief Fund, that story is also found in everyday life: children learning Tibetan, young people connecting with their culture, older generations passing on their knowledge, and communities keeping traditions alive.

This photograph, from the Tibet Relief Fund archive, is part of that much longer story.

www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk

16/08/2026

Since 1959, Tibet Relief Fund has stood alongside Tibetan communities living in exile.

What that support looks like has changed over the years because the needs of communities change too.

It can mean repairing a water tank so older Tibetans have reliable access to clean water. Providing a defibrillator so life-saving equipment is available in an emergency. Supporting the salary of a teacher so Tibetan children can continue their education.

It can mean helping a young Tibetan gain the skills and experience they need to find employment, providing specialist support for people with disabilities, or creating libraries and learning spaces where children can read and learn in Tibetan.

And sometimes it means simply being there year after year. We have worked with the Nangchen Nyernga Old People’s Home in Kathmandu since 2010, helping with needs ranging from water and medical emergencies to the everyday care of older Tibetans.

Across India and Nepal, our work spans education, healthcare, elder care, disability support, livelihoods and opportunities for young people – while helping Tibetan language, culture and traditions continue in exile.

The projects may be very different, but the reason we support them is the same: they are responding to needs identified within Tibetan communities themselves.

This work is only possible because people choose to stand alongside those communities with us.

💛 Will you help us continue?

Your donation, whatever its size, can help us respond where support is needed and continue work that has now spanned more than six decades.

https://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/donate

Support Tibetan communities in exile through education, healthcare, cultural preservation and community care across India and Nepal.

14/08/2026

Sponsorship is about being there over time.

For £35 a month, you can sponsor a Tibetan child living in exile, helping support their education, care and wellbeing through one of our trusted partner institutions in India and Nepal.

For children growing up away from Tibet, education can also provide something particularly important: the opportunity to learn Tibetan language, history and culture, and to grow up with a connection to the heritage and identity of their community.

When you become a sponsor, you'll receive a short biography about the child you sponsor and an update at least once a year. You can exchange letters too, or choose to be a silent sponsor if you would prefer to support a child without correspondence.

Your regular support helps provide stability and opportunity for a young person today, while helping Tibetan language and culture continue into the next generation.

💛 Find out more about sponsoring a Tibetan child: https://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/sponsorship-programme

12/08/2026

Today marks the beginning of Shoton, a centuries-old Tibetan festival with its roots in monastic and community life.

Often known as the ‘Yogurt Festival’ or ‘Yogurt Banquet’, Shoton began with the tradition of offering yoghurt to monks at the end of their summer retreat.

Over the centuries, the festival became an important celebration of Tibetan culture. At Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, one of its best-known traditions is the unfurling of a vast thangka on the hillside, while Tibetan opera – Ache Lhamo – has long been an important part of Shoton celebrations.

These traditions have also continued within Tibetan communities in exile. Tibetan opera is still performed and passed on to younger generations, helping to keep an important part of Tibet’s cultural heritage alive.

As Shoton begins, we send our warm wishes to Tibetans celebrating in Tibet and in communities around the world.

Happy Shoton Festival!

12/08/2026

Some things are chosen because they mean a little more.

You might find something that simply catches your eye, or a gift that makes you think immediately of someone you care about.

At Enlightened Gifts, many of the things you'll find have another story too.

Around half of the products we source come directly from Tibetan enterprises, with many handcrafted by Tibetan artisans living in exile. Behind them are skills, traditions and craftsmanship passed from one generation to the next — and livelihoods supported through their continuation.

So when you choose something for yourself, or for someone special, what you take home carries something of that story with it.

And your purchase reaches further still. Every purchase from Enlightened Gifts also supports the work of Tibet Relief Fund, standing alongside Tibetan communities living in exile.

Something beautiful to keep. Something thoughtful to give. And something that gives back too.

🛍️ Explore Enlightened Gifts

www.enlightenedgifts.org

11/08/2026

Every celebration tells a story.

Birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, new beginnings — the moments in our lives that we remember and share with the people around us.

Sometimes, a celebration can reach a little further.

Instead of gifts, you might choose to invite friends and family to make a donation to a cause that matters to you — sharing something from a happy moment in your own life with others.

By celebrating in support of Tibet Relief Fund, you can help Tibetan communities living in exile through education, healthcare, support for older people, livelihoods and the preservation of Tibetan culture.

You can easily set up your own fundraising page on our website, personalise it for your celebration and share it with friends and family. And if you need any help along the way, we're here to support you.

A celebration begins with one person, but the kindness behind it can travel much further.

💙 Find out more and create your fundraising page.

www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/fundraise-for-us/celebrate-a-milestone