The Causes
In a world of billions of people and trillions of lifeforms, everyone needs a little help. Below are a list of some of the organizations that are helping make a difference in the plights of people and animals across the globe. Every month BuddhaBadges will donate 90% of the proceeds made to one of these organizations. At a buck a badge, it may not be much, but every little bit helps.
Tibetan Nuns Project - Raised & Donated: $80 in December 2009
“The Tibetan Nuns Project was founded over two decades ago to provide education and humanitarian aid to refugee nuns from Tibet and Himalayan regions of India. The Project provides facilities and programs to educate, empower, and improve the status of ordained Tibetan women. The Tibetan Nuns Project was established under the auspices of the Tibetan Women's Association and the Department of Religion and Culture of H.H. the Dalai Lama.”
Learn more about The Tibetan Nuns Project
Doctors Without Borders - Haiti - Raised & Donated: $40 in February 2010
“Two months after the January 12 earthquake, medical needs remain immense in Haiti and living conditions are extremely precarious. Although the phase of urgent life-saving medical care has passed there continues to be a critical emergency context in which thousands of people need post-operative care, rehabilitative care and physiotherapy, as well as psychological counseling. The extremely difficult living conditions increase the stress experienced by people living in camps or in tents throughout Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas.”
Learn more about Doctors Without Borders - Haiti
Mongolian Disaster Appeal - Raised & Donated: $50 in March 2010
“...the Mongols and their animals endure what they call a dzud. I very roughly translate this as “a winter that’s atrocious even by Mongolian standards.” Dzud is actually a double-whammy. It refers to an unusually dry summer that stunts the growth of pasture grass, keeping animals thinner and limiting what can be gathered for hay. Then a brutal winter hammers down, exceptionally cold (often down to -55F/-48C) with blizzards that bury pasture grass under an impenetrable blanket of snow. Meager stores of fodder are soon exhausted, and the freezing sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, camels, and horses upon which the Mongolian herders depend start to die. Quickly. And in almost unimaginable numbers.”
Learn more about Mongolian Disaster Appeal
International Campaign For Tibet's Yushu Earthquake Relief Efforts
- Raised & Donated: $75 between March and April 2010
“The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) works to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet. Founded in 1988, ICT is a non-profit organization with offices in Washington, Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels and field offices in Dharamsala and Kathmandu. This is from the ICT abotu the latest on teh earthquake in Yushu:
‘All friends of Tibet are deeply saddened by the devastation and loss of life in Yushu, eastern Tibet. The International Campaign for Tibet is working with governments and partners in non-governmental organizations to do what we can to direct aid to Tibetans urgently in need because of the earthquake on April 14. Contributions using this donation page are tax-deductible and will support ICT's earthquake relief efforts and fund our not-for-profit organizational partners working with Tibetans in Yushu.’ ”
Learn more about The International Campaign for Tibet
Help Bat Nha- Raised & Donated: $60 in May 2010
“Helpbatnha.org is a site is to help us all stay in touch with what is happening in the Bat Nha Monastery to the 400 young monks and nuns who are being isolated and harassed by the local Vietnamese forces and people. They have been and are still being terrorized and cut off from water, electricity and phone connections since June 2009. These young men and women have renounced their worldly life for the service to humanity and to the people of Vietnam. Now their basic religious rights as well as their human rights are evidently being threatened and our community is making a collective effort to stay informed, connected and to express our concerns and grievances to the Vietnamese government and to demand the government to take action to ensure the rights and safety of 400 lawful Vietnamese citizens.”
Learn more about what's going on at Bat Nha Monastery
The Meditation Initiative
Thanks to the Meditation Initiative for gifting their upcoming June donation from BuddhaBadges to the Tzu Chi Foundation! Much Dana! Much Respect!
“The Meditation Initiative provides free meditation classes, training and community service outreach for San Diego children, adults and seniors to help prevent stress and anxiety, improve focus and attention, and share tools for anger management while improving overall mental and emotional health and well-being.”
Learn more about The Meditation Initiative
The Tzu Chi Foundation - Raised & Donated: $150 in June 2010
“Tzu Chi Foundation was established in 1966 by Venerable Dharma Master Cheng Yen on the poor east coast of Taiwan. For over 43 years, the foundation has been contributing to better social and community services, medical care, education and humanism in Taiwan and around the world. From the first 30 members, housewives who saved two cents from their grocery money each day to help the poor, the foundation has volunteers in 47 countries , with 345 offices worldwide.”
Learn more about The Tzu Chi Foundation
The Children's Shelter Foundation - Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Raised & Donated: $100 in July 2010
“Children's Shelter Foundation is an internationally sponsored Social Project in northern Thailand, founded in the year 2007 by Joy Worrawittayakhun from Thailand and Ulrike Meister from Germany. In the middle of the forest hills, about 30 minutes away from Chiang Mai, Joy and Ulrike acquired some land to establish "Lakeland", the farm where handicapped children, deaf children but also underprivileged children, streetchildren and orphans have found a warm and caring environment and a secure place that became their home.”
Learn more about The Children's Shelter Foundation - Chiang Mai, Thailand
Buddhist Global Relief - Raised & Donated: $300 in August 2010
“The mission of Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) is to provide relief to the poor and needy throughout the world regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, or religion. Bearing in mind the Buddha‘s statements that “hunger is the worst kind of illness” and “the gift of food is the gift of life,” BGR especially focuses on providing food aid to those afflicted by hunger and lack of food security. Its long-range goal, however, is to combat all the manifestations of poverty that detract from the inherent dignity of human life.”
Learn more about Buddhist Global Relief
Piyara Kutta, Inc.
“Piyara Kutta, Inc. was founded on a belief best stated by Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" Our mission is to improve living conditions for both animal and human populations in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. We provide humane animal control programs and community education through clinics, local training programs, and compassion. We are committed to the success of local partner organization, The Himalayan Nature Society. ”
Learn more about Piyara Kutta, Inc.
The Foundation for the People of Burma
“Foundation for the People of Burma (FPB) is the largest, independently-supported, U.S.-based humanitarian organization focusing exclusively on Burma. We have been implementing projects and supporting community-based action since 1999. Our programs provide direct assistance to communities that have been severely affected by injustice. We engage in compassionate, creative and strategic interventions which facilitate positive, long-lasting change for those that face scarcity and lack personal freedom.”
Learn more about The Foundation for the People of Burma
The Maitri Griha Project
“In countries like Nepal, the situation for mentally handicapped children is especially difficult. Often they are living in remote villages with no one to help them or support their parents. Often the families are poor or broken and the parents struggle to make ends meet. In studying the situation of mentally handicapped children in Nepal and the services available them, our organization found miserable conditions. They are a neglected and abandoned group without any rights. Many local and foreign organizations are setting up projects for people with needs but hardly any of them advocate for children with mental disability. Thus our project was born: we decided to start a project by ourselves, helping at least a few of these children.”
Learn more about The Maitri Griha Project
The Nonviolent Peaceforce
“The mission of Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a large-scale trained, international civilian nonviolent peaceforce. Nonviolent Peaceforce is sent to conflict areas to prevent death and destruction and protect human rights, thus creating the space for local groups to enter into dialogue and to seek peaceful resolution to local conflicts. We envision a world in which large-scale unarmed civilian peacekeeping using proven nonviolent strategies is recognized as a viable alternative in preventing, addressing, and mitigating violent conflicts worldwide. Our primary strategy for achieving this vision is the creation of space to foster dialogue.”
Learn more about The Nonviolent Peaceforce
Lotus Outreach International
“Lotus Outreach is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the education, health and safety of vulnerable women and children in the developing world. Originally established to support refugee education, Lotus Outreach now also helps rehabilitate survivors of human trafficking and keep at-risk students in school. We support this mission through effective grassroots projects, particularly among the rural poor. ”
Learn more about Lotus Outreach International
The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding
“Karuna Center was founded in 1994 to address the growing global challenges of ethnic, religious and political conflict. Our first long-term project engaged us in post-conflict reconciliation between former neighbors after the devastation of the Bosnian war. As we approach our 15th anniversary in 2009, Karuna Center has worked in more than 20 countries around the world.”
Learn more about The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding
SourcePoint Global Outreach
“SourcePoint Global Outreach is a nonprofit orgranization founded in 2001whose outreach projects are dedicated to serving the welfare and upliftment of local and global communities by combining their efforts with other international organizations, implementing humanitarian projects to assist those in need around the globe.”
Learn more about SourcePoint Global Outreach
Humane Society of the United States
“The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest and most effective animal protection organization—backed by 11 million Americans, or one in every 28. Established in 1954, The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. We are America's mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond. Thier mission statement: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty.”
Learn more about the Humane Society of the United States
Farm Sanctuary
“Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to encourage a new awareness and understanding about "farm animals." At Farm Sanctuary, these animals are friends, not food.Through the years, they have rescued thousands of animals, and educated millions of people about their plight. Their rescue and education work continues, as they advocate for laws and policies to prevent suffering and promote compassion. They goals include reaching out to legislators and businesses, and working to bring about institutional reforms.”
Learn more about the Farm Sanctuary
Sprout Yoga
“Sprout Yoga's mission is to create and support a national network of yoga teachers and licensed counselors who understand how yoga can play a role in healing from eating disorders. As a part of this mission, we seek to train, advocate, inspire and coordinate yoga teachers across the country on community yoga and the vital need for non-fee-based yoga classes. We believe this kind of karma yoga benefits not only the community, but the teachers themselves.”
The Buddhist Education for Social Transformation Project
“The Buddhist Education for Social Transformation (BEST) project is a partnership between the International Women's Partnership for Peace and Justice in Thailand and Upaya Zen Center's Buddhist Chaplaincy Program in New Mexico. The curriculum of BEST will cover foundational teachings and practices of Buddhism, ethics (including precept study), principles of socially engaged Buddhism, systems theory, structural violence and systemic oppression, peacemaking methods, interfaith work, and an introduction to the neuroscientific study of meditation and the mind. Other course content might address reconciliation, Burma, Cambodia, HIV work, human rights, sustainable development, alternative education or home schooling. Students who successfully finish all requirements of the training will receive a certificate of completion.”
Learn more about The Buddhist Education for Social Transformation Project
