I Saved A Life

10/10/2026

Why is our name in the past tense?

I Saved A Life doesn’t mean "I will save." It means I have already saved.

Today, there’s a lot of talk about future impact.
Our name serves as a reminder that impact starts long before the numbers: it begins with a choice.

Our founder, Gomo Tulku Rinpoche, chose a name that doesn’t describe a promise for the future. It speaks to an act already done, an action that takes shape the moment you decide to take it.

When you choose to support another human being, you’ve already taken a concrete step: you’ve already entered a relationship of care and responsibility.

That’s why our name serves two purposes:

It’s a tribute to our donors. Every contribution matters from the moment you make it, no matter how small.

It’s a promise from us. We turn that choice into real, documented action: empowerment, education, health, and self-reliance, in India and around the world, hand in hand with local communities.

The donor’s choice is made.

Our job is to carry it forward to those who need it, transparently sharing every step of the journey with you.

Discover our projects: https://isalfoundation.org

17/11/2025

We don’t help. We build together.

We don’t help people.
We listen, walk alongside them, and create solutions together that last.

The word “help” only makes sense if it leads to autonomy, not dependence.

This year, through Empowerise, we’ve listened to people and communities.

We connected them, creating a network that grows from within, not from outsiders bringing ready-made solutions.

We’ve entered homes, villages, and everyday spaces to understand what is truly needed.
And we made sure that people themselves could share their experiences, tell their stories, and find solutions together.

We visited other Kuruba communities to gather their best practices, and we connected the Tibetan community of Bylakuppe with the Kuruba community, so that exchange could create opportunities for work, growth, and trust.

It all starts here: from exchange, from relationships, from mutual listening.

This is the deeper meaning of cooperation.

Supporting I Saved A Life means believing in a participatory development model, where every gesture—whether a donation, a workshop, or a meeting—becomes part of a collective process.

Changing the world isn’t about giving.
It’s about learning to do it together.

Support I Saved A Life

15/09/2025

For almost a year now, ISAL has been standing alongside the Kuruba community in southern India.

Sometimes we wonder how to explain Empowerise in just a few words to those who don’t know us…
…Empowerise is exactly this: a shared journey, an exchange, working side by side, listening to people—their needs and their dreams.

And all of this takes time.

We, so used to fast-paced lives and the “everything, right now” mindset, are learning the richness of a community’s own rhythm. A different pace, one that allows us to truly listen without rushing.

Every week we meet with the Kuruba community and focus on what really matters: reopening the school, supporting women’s enterprises, addressing alcoholism, helping those who struggle even to obtain basic documents essential for their lives and for access to healthcare.

And in these months, with the monsoons, everything becomes even more challenging—but we don’t give up.

We are fortunate to have an incredible network supporting us, with dedicated volunteers who, even in these logistically difficult weeks, have kept running workshops and delivering food aid. The roads turn into treacherous mudslides, and covering just a few kilometers can take hours.

And yet, we are there.

This is Empowerise: being present over time, day after day, to build a path towards independence—a path where projects actually come to life, instead of remaining just good ideas to talk about.

In the coming weeks we’ll share many updates; soon we’ll be back in India to continue walking this path together.

Stay connected with us here and on social media—we can’t wait to share everything with you!

28/08/2025

Thank you to those who choose to be there

August 19 was World Humanitarian Day, and we want to celebrate all those who choose to dedicate their time to others—despite busy schedules, daily work, and family responsibilities.

Special people, not superheroes, who with small or big gestures weave invisible threads connecting communities, stories, and hopes—building bonds that transcend borders and hardships.

Right now, thousands of humanitarian workers and volunteers are devoting their lives to the most vulnerable across the world: South Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Haiti, Mozambique, Mali, Venezuela, Italy (yes, even here), India.

Their names may never make the headlines, yet every day they are carrying out silent, small revolutions.

Looking at these realities, we all find ourselves asking: what does it mean to be human?

Perhaps it means choosing to be there, to share what we can, and not to turn away in the face of suffering—whatever form it takes.

Thanks to those who truly do this: workers and volunteers, extraordinary people in ordinary life. They remind us that humanity is not just an abstract concept, but a concrete choice.

As ISAL, we want to thank our volunteers who, with dedication, support the Empowerise project and walk alongside struggling communities in southern India, opening the way to new opportunities and aspirations.

Every hour given, every smile shared, every small act of solidarity is a step toward a more connected and more humane world.

Today we celebrate those who choose to be there, those who make a difference with their time, and those who show that no one is ever alone.

23/06/2025

Have you ever heard of plogging?It’s that simple act of picking up litter while walking.It’s often practiced in our cities as an ecological activity, but in some parts of the world, it’s not that simple.In recent weeks, deep in the Nagarhole forest, we held a different kind of workshop together with the Kuruba community.A participatory meeting on waste recovery.This time, we didn’t gather in a room: we walked along the village paths practicing plogging, to reflect together on the impact that non-biodegradable materials (and not only those) have when they are dumped into the soil or burned in the open.In a context where waste collection systems are often absent, it wasn’t easy to recognize how much everyday actions can make a difference.And yet, all the villagers—even the children—got involved; they listened, asked questions, participated.It was a collective experience that brought different generations together to care for their land.In the end, we sat on the ground, in a circle, and shared a simple meal to celebrate this moment of awareness and community.Yes, because this too is sustainability.There’s often talk of criteria to follow to be sustainable—but in places forgotten by the world, where there is no waste collection, where resources and infrastructure are lacking, where do you start?With the Empowerise project, you start here:with listening, shared education, and small daily gestures that can grow into collective practices.The next step?Involving the local administration to ensure continuity on this path and to bring at least one waste collection point to the edge of the village, so this action doesn’t remain isolated, but can grow over time.One step, one hand, one piece of plastic at a time.And the earth, little by little, breathes again.

23/06/2025

Have you ever heard of plogging?

It’s that simple act of picking up litter while walking.
It’s often practiced in our cities as an ecological activity, but in some parts of the world, it’s not that simple.

In recent weeks, deep in the Nagarhole forest, we held a different kind of workshop together with the Kuruba community.
A participatory meeting on waste recovery.
This time, we didn’t gather in a room: we walked along the village paths practicing plogging, to reflect together on the impact that non-biodegradable materials (and not only those) have when they are dumped into the soil or burned in the open.

In a context where waste collection systems are often absent, it wasn’t easy to recognize how much everyday actions can make a difference.
And yet, all the villagers—even the children—got involved; they listened, asked questions, participated.
It was a collective experience that brought different generations together to care for their land.

In the end, we sat on the ground, in a circle, and shared a simple meal to celebrate this moment of awareness and community.

Yes, because this too is sustainability.

There’s often talk of criteria to follow to be sustainable—but in places forgotten by the world, where there is no waste collection, where resources and infrastructure are lacking, where do you start?

With the Empowerise project, you start here:
with listening, shared education, and small daily gestures that can grow into collective practices.

The next step?

Involving the local administration to ensure continuity on this path and to bring at least one waste collection point to the edge of the village, so this action doesn’t remain isolated, but can grow over time.

One step, one hand, one piece of plastic at a time.
And the earth, little by little, breathes again.

12/05/2025

Have you ever wondered how collaboration can transform a community?With the ISAL team, we arrived in Mysore to meet ODP,an NGO active in the Indian region around Mysore.It was an opportunity to exchange experiences and share best practices.Our goal?To improve the lives of the Kuruba community and ensure the continuity of the Empowerise project.We aim to bring training, health, and nutrition for a more sustainable future.By collaborating, we can make a difference.Learn more about our new projects, follow us!

16/03/2025

Come rain or shine, ISAL is out there supporting the Kuruba community by distributing fresh vegetables each week, and dried foods each month. We’ve also organized four health and education workshops, with more empowering themed ones to come.

This Level 1 intervention of the Empowerise project accompanies the Kuruba, a small tribe who’ve been forcibly evicted from their forest habitat to the edge of what is now the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. The tribe comprises 25 families, renowned for their honey-gathering skills, and who are now the poorest community in the area.

We aim to continue supporting these families towards autonomy, and are only able to do this through the kindness of our Family of Compassionate Givers. It doesn’t take much for you to bring some goodness into the world today, now – ISAL will do the rest!

If you haven’t already, please consider donating, however small, here:
https://isalfoundation.org/donate/

Thank you!

07/03/2025

28/02/2025

What is the “The Importance of Education”?
Well, the success of our 3rd workshop for the Kuruba community, after two health awareness workshops, can be measured in the joyful, shared moments, and the smiles on their faces, right?

Many thanks to the members of the Organization for the Development of People, an NGO from Mysore, for their collaboration.

https://odpmysore.org/