Healing Hearts Project – Poverty Relief Initiative

WE ARE A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON RAISING AWARENESS AND FUNDS IN ORDER TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY AND SUPPORT UNDERPRIVLEDGED CHILDREN.


 
Hello Everyone! 

The Healing Hearts Project stems from the practice of Karma Yoga or selfless service. Yoga is a practice of service to humanity, and the pressing environmental and social crises we see around us are a call to action! Kindness, compassion and service are all inherent parts of the yoga culture; together we can inspire the power to transform lives and communities through our practice of yoga to give back to the world.

Our Mission is to mobilize the global yoga community to empower and support charitable projects that will help provide food, shelter and other basic supplies to help the children of the country that gave birth to yoga.

How It All Began...



The Healing Hearts Project began in 2015. As the reigning Miss India Canada 2014, I went to take the streets of Dharmsala, India to begin my childcare service initiative called the ‘Healing Hearts Project’. As part of a five week long awareness-raising initiative, I was teaching yoga and life skills to vulnerable children, orphans and adolescent sex-trafficking victims through offering free yoga classes in schools and childcare centers in communities. One of my stops was volunteering in Bir at the local monastery. 

Although this role was extremely rewarding, I realized these orphans who were monks deserve the most effective way of overcoming poverty. But for them to focus on their monastic education, their basic needs of food, shelther and healthcare need to be met and that is all through sponsorship.

I came back from my trip and realized I needed to do something to raise awareness and funds utilizing the global yoga community to give back to the country that gave birth to yoga. I cant do it alone, I needed to do and create something sustainable. Many of these children are from Nepal and the Himilayan regions of India. Many do not get to see their parents and many have lost them due to the earthquake.

Using my own funds I started my own non-profit to help provide resources to these Tibetan children in exile because they deserve a chance at education and a chance at living a life they deserve.




Teaming up with beautiful souls during my trip who have been guiding me along my way, they have given me the breakdown of what these monks actually need. You may think your small donation will make a difference, but in reality - your small donation is providing a monk much more than money for food and medicine, it is nourishment for the heart and hope for the future.

FACTS:
 
FOOD
 
Your gift will allow a monk to receive a 30-day supply of essential food and nutrition for breakfast.

THE COST FOR 1 Monk
Rs. 150/month (Indian Rupees)
CDN $3.00/month
 
MEDICAL
 
Your gift will allow a monk to receive essential medical support to cover costs for any medical assistance they need for good health and well-being.

THE COST FOR 1 Monk
Rs. 250/month (Indian Rupees)
CDN $4.00/month
 
EDUCATION
 
Your gift will cover the cost of books, clothing, room and boarding fees for a monk to attain modern and monastic education for their development.

THE COST FOR 1 Monk
Rs.500/month (Indian Rupees)
CDN $10.00/month 


Every donation will go towards helping this project. We will directly impact their lives.

OUR CURRENT PROJECTS IN PLACE & WE NEED YOUR HELP!

THE DIRRU MONASTERY PROJECT
BIR, HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA.

GET INVOLVED
 
Support the Dirru Monastery through sponsorship and community development programs to help meet the most pressing needs of the Tibetan refugee children and orphans living there. Your sponsorship will provide a monk with food, water, warm clothing and improved housing facilities to cover the necessary expenses for well-being and good health for a life solely dedicated to their spiritual education and training.

WE CAN DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR LIVES 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THAT NEED FUNDING:

1. SAFE PLACES TO PLAY AND LEARN PROJECT

Growing up in dangerous, dirty neighborhoods often lacking basic services or safe places for kids to be kids, children are at risk of succumbing to disease and health problems, malnutrition, lack of education and much more.

The best way to impact a poor child’s life is to improve their entire community. And enable life-changing projects to take root, impacting hundreds – even thousands – of lives in a positive and lasting way. Building playgrounds and sports fields give children constructive places to just be kids.

Recreational and creative learning programs for the monks: Since the monks have to spend long hours in prayers and spiritual practice, it is very important to develop recreational and creative learning activities for them so that they can be more refreshed to carry on their monastic responsibilities. The proposed project would include organizing of sport events like football and basketball along with badminton within the monastery campus.

However, the monastery doesn’t have sport’s materials and infrastructure to carry on these activities. The proposed project would work towards development and maintenance of a playground, procurement of football, basketball, and badminton rackets along with Tshirts for the monks to wear during these activities. In addition, the monastery would build a collection of educational and documentary films on Tibet, which will be shown to monks during the weekends. The project would also purchase Buddhism and Dalai Lama books for the monks to read during free time. Forever, the project would encourage monks to engage in creative writing and drawings by providing them relevant materials like pen, paper, watercolors etc.

Below are photos of the current playground at the Monastery. Last year through generous sponsorship we were able to flatten the levels of the ground for the children to play safely on. Please consider supporting this work. 





To fund this project we need to raise $4000.00 CDN dollars. Please help us reach our goal and transform whats possible for these monks to have a safe place to play and learn. 

COMPLETED!!! AS OF OCTOBER 21ST/2015!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS AND DONORS FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE!! 

2. Agriculture & Food Safety Project 

Food security is the availability of and access to essential healthy, nutritious foods that meets dietary needs and benefits for development. Food security in turn has a direct impact on children’s health, access to education and life outcomes.

To help ensure the DIrru Monastery has access to self-sustaining food sources, our project proposes to help raise funds to begin implementing these resources to meet the pressing needs of the Tibetan refugee children and orphans the monastery cares for.

Below are photos of the monasterys kitchen and children waiting in the dining hall. Through generous sponsorship the monastery was able to build one greenhouse to grow their own vegetables. Below are a list of proposed activities for sustainable development goals for these children. 





PROMOTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANLINESS AND SANITATION IN THE MONASTERY CAMPUS
 
Healthy and clean environment of the monastery is essential for peace and well-being of the monks.


List of proposed projects and activities to be developed:

- Planting of trees to address desertification
- Construction of underground garbage pits
- Procurement of waste bins
- Segregation of degradable and non-degradable wastes
- Organizing environmental cleanliness events once a week.

IMPROVEMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION
 
The monastery provides pure vegetarian food to all the monks. However, due to shortage of funds, the menu is quite poor and we are unable to adequate balanced diets consisting of fruits and variety of vegetables.


List of projects and activities to be developed:

- Emergency food aid during times of drought and crisis
- School Nutrition Meals, particularly the breakfast menu to have added: cheese, fruits, milks, eggs and porridge in addition to Tibetan bread
- Crop diversification, introduction of high-quality seeds

Please help us reach our goal and transform what is possible. We need to raise $6000.00 CDN to fund this project to provide adequate food and safety resources for the Dirru Monastery. Any little bit helps! 

3. LET THEM LIVE


The monsoon season rains are set to start from end-June till September in Dharamsala, India. A number of Buddhist monasteries have been rebuilt in India and poor children are often accommodated here because they can study in a traditional manner. During monsoon season, the entire community gets drenched in heavy rainfalls. Due to the extreme weather conditions during this time, damaged parts of the monastery including the windows and walls are made worse and may collapse.

The Dirru Monastery holds 90 Tibetan refugee orphan and children that are affected by widespread flooding and need your help to preserve and sustain their only home.

Please take a moment to view the photos below of the damage done to the beautiful monastery. Photos of the monks patching the leaking roof together. Window repairs due to the harsh rains and molding/cracking within dormatory rooms which is unhygenic for our monks. 







GOALS
 
1. TO REPAIR AND DEVELOP THE DAMAGED PART OF WINDOW AREA:

Since the building of our monastery got constructed long ago, it is partially ruined with cracks emerging between the walls. It is even worse during rainy season posing threat to the lives of monks residing there as well as the devotees coming to attend religious function. It has now become crucial to renovate and reconstruct parts of the building that is falling apart. This dilapidated building needs instant repair to assure safety of everyone living there.

2. REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF DORMITORIES:

Most of the dormitories where monks stay have been constructed many years ago without proper planning and hence they are in poor condition. There are problems of cracks in walls along with drainage of water inside the rooms from the roofs.


Please help us reach our goal and transform what is possible. We need $8000.00 CDN to help fund this project, we will directly impact their lives.





The difference sponsorship makes to individuals’ lives is immeasurable. In becoming a sponsor you give these Tibetan children a chance to learn, create their own future and really live their dreams.

Our current project with the Dirru Monastery cares for the most needy children among the Tibetan refugees who are either orphaned or have a relative but are unable to keep the child due to difficult circumstances. The Dirru Monastery has a total number of 90 monks from Nepal and Himalayan Regions. These young monks are penniless, entirely dependent upon your generosity.

Please visit www.healingheartsproject.com for more information or email [email redacted]. 

HEALING IS IN YOUR HANDS. 

Goal:  $14000

Lets Transform What is Possible Today. 
Your donation and gives us the confidence to address the issues that we must take care of immediately. Our goal is to steward your gift with the greatest of care; and you can be sure to stay updated through our daily posts and updates on where your money is going and how we are transforming the lives of these children with your generosity. 

Twitter: @we_healhearts
Instagram: @healingheartsproject
Facebook: facebook.com/healingheartsproject
Email: [email redacted]

Namaste <3