The Jamtse Sponsorship Project was founded by Biff and Amy Mithoefer to help support, educate, and nourish Tibetan refugee children and their families living in Tibetan settlements outside of Tibet. In 2018 the scope of work was expanded to supporting work with children in Myanmar through the Htilo Minlo Temple in Began Myanmar. In 2022 we we were able to dedicate our work to another region in need of support. When the war in Ukraine started, we’ve been able to support a private initiative by one of our fellow students to support those in need in the war zones of Ukraine. During this crisis in Ukraine, we will continue our support of the Tibetan children which will always be our core mission.
Our work with Ukrainian children and families
The very difficult situation in Ukraine has left many families and children homeless and in danger. One of our students and dear friend Carmen Capusan (Mina) was in a training with us when the war started. She brought a private initiative to life and belongs to a small group of international friends, who live in Germany but share many connections to Ukraine and Eastern-Europe. Meanwhile the support is given by sending food, clothing and medicine into Ukraine as well as supporting a shelter in the small town of Mukatschewe, 774 km west of Kiev, that provides food, clothing and other critical needs for more than 5000 people and also accommodates families and children in need.
If anyone feels called to help with this, we would welcome pledges of any amount which would go towards this shelter. Donations can be made through PayPal to Mina directly.
If anyone feels called to help with this, we would welcome pledges of any amount which would go towards this shelter. Donations can be made through PayPal to Mina directly.
Our work with Tibetan refugee children and their families
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The Tibetan culture embraces a message of peace through the understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings. This message is carried in the culture and the hearts of the Tibetan people.
The Jamtse Sponsorship Project was founded to help support, educate and nourish Tibetan refugee children and their families living in Tibetan settlements outside of Tibet. It is our belief that the teaching of peace and love that H.H The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people bring to the world is sorely needed, and we know that the preservation of their culture and teachings will come through the support and education of the Tibetan children.
The Jamtse Sponsorship Project was founded to help support, educate and nourish Tibetan refugee children and their families living in Tibetan settlements outside of Tibet. It is our belief that the teaching of peace and love that H.H The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people bring to the world is sorely needed, and we know that the preservation of their culture and teachings will come through the support and education of the Tibetan children.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
Attributed to - The Elders, Hopi Nation
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
Attributed to - The Elders, Hopi Nation
How the Jamtse Sponsorship Project came to life
The Jamtse Sponsorship Project (JSP) came into being at an audience my wife Amy and I had with HH the Dalai Lama in 2006. We had been sponsoring Tibetan students and we wanted guidance in how we could best help. His Holiness told us that he felt that the childrens education was critical to the survival of the Tibetan people.He guided us to areas where he felt educational help was most needed and reminded us how far from home these young children in the Tibetan settlements were from the security of their homes and culture. When we asked His Holiness to give us a name for our project, he gave us the name Jamtse. In Tibetan, the word Jamtse means Kindness and is made up of the Tibetan words for care and love.'For Tibetans, kindness is an action; one must not only love but must take care of those we love, that is kindness. The name Jamtse remind us that kindness is the essence of all our practices.
Through his Holinesses guidance we established the Jamtse Sponsorship Project with two core objectives, to support children in areas where support is lacking and to pledge to each student we sponsor that we will be there for them through their whole education, so they can always know that there is someone who is there beside them.
Through his Holinesses guidance we established the Jamtse Sponsorship Project with two core objectives, to support children in areas where support is lacking and to pledge to each student we sponsor that we will be there for them through their whole education, so they can always know that there is someone who is there beside them.
The Jamtse Sponsorship Project works primarily with the Tibet Fund and the Tibetan Department of Education. Sponsorship through the JSP is long term and personal. We believe that it is very important that children know that there is someone behind them, someone to support them. To this end, JSP pledges support for each child through their educational years. We are also very careful to be in touch with each child as often as possible to be sure that they are getting
the support they need and that they feel fully supported by us.
Our work with children in Myanmar
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Because of the success and stability of the Jamtse Project, we were able to expand the scope of our work. In 2018, we began supporting work with children in Myanmar through the Htilo Minlo Temple in Began Myanmar. This small group of volunteers provides supplies to rural schools. Many of these schools don’t have even the most basic school supplies such as pencils and paper. We believe, as the Dalai Lama told us, that the greatest help we can give these impoverished children is an education. Sadly, because of the volital political situation in Myanmar we have had to temporarily suspend any work there. We are hopeful that this situation will change soon and it will once again be possible for us to help there. |
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“Here is the impermanent and yet continuously flowing world. Let us stand together for future generations.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
The Dedication of Sonam Tsering
Sonam was one of the first students that Jamtse had the honour to support. He was 12 years old and had just walked from his home in Tibet across the Himalayan mountains into India. His parents had sent him to India so that he could get an education and live in freedom. The trip took 30 days and the young boy, in company with other Tibetans, was forced to travel in Winter, moving only at night to avoid the Chinese soldiers who would shoot or capture the travellers if they were seen. Sonam has told me that it was freezing cold, but they could easily cross the ice-covered rivers.
Sonam Tsering studied under the guidance of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and has recently completed an MA in Public Policy from O.P. Jindal Global University. He is now serving as General Secretary for the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC).
The TYC was founded in 1970 and is committed to the Tibetan freedom struggle under the great guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and Temporal Ruler of Tibet. It is also committed to promoting and preserving the ideals of Tibetan Buddhism and the unique culture of Tibet.
Along with Sonam’s dedication to the Tibetan cause, he is a poet and writer. He writes under the name on Sonsnow, the son of the land of snow. His poetry is a reminder of the sadness and longing that is in the heart of all those who have been displaced, all those who have lost their home. Along with the sorrow of separation from his homeland, Sonam shows his dedication to The Dalai Lama and his teachings.
I am not only proud of Sonam, but deeply inspired by his beautiful words and dedication to service to the Tibetan people and to all sentient beings. It is truly a blessing that we at Jamtse can walk hand in hand with Sonam, determined to dedicate ourselves to speaking the truth and to promoting and living the ideals of peace and freedom.
Sonam's Poetry
I Hear Voices
I hear voices from a far distance
Through the holes of high standing Himalayas
Through the cracks of charming Chinese walls
Through the murky river rushing down to us,
I hear voices from a far distance
From the small cells of squirrel size
From the dark rooms of rat holes
From the long lines of concentration camps,
I hear voices from a far distance
A woman wailing, for her dear husband
A child calling for her father figure
A monk murmuring for his murdered Lama
I hear voices from a far distance
When men in uniform are at distant
When the communist curtains are wide open
When guards at the gate are gone
I hear voices from a far distance
For the land they lost long ago
For the siblings they separated so long
For the freedom they lost long ago
By Sonsnow
I hear voices from a far distance
Through the holes of high standing Himalayas
Through the cracks of charming Chinese walls
Through the murky river rushing down to us,
I hear voices from a far distance
From the small cells of squirrel size
From the dark rooms of rat holes
From the long lines of concentration camps,
I hear voices from a far distance
A woman wailing, for her dear husband
A child calling for her father figure
A monk murmuring for his murdered Lama
I hear voices from a far distance
When men in uniform are at distant
When the communist curtains are wide open
When guards at the gate are gone
I hear voices from a far distance
For the land they lost long ago
For the siblings they separated so long
For the freedom they lost long ago
By Sonsnow
If you would like to learn more about the Jamtse Sponsorship Project please contact biffmithoefer@icloud.com
