Dear Friends,
Vesak, the full moon day in the month of May, is the day that celebrates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing into nirvana. Vesak is a day of joy, of lights, color, and celebration, giving us the chance to fully honor the Enlightened One.
But Vesak also beckons us to follow the Buddha’s example. The texts tell us that the Buddha arises in the world “out of compassion for the world,” for the welfare and happiness of countless beings. One of the best ways we can follow the Buddha’s example is by putting compassion into action, and one of the most compassionate deeds we can do is to give the gift of food to people facing the ordeal of poverty and hunger.
The Buddha says that to give food is to give others life, health, beauty, and happiness. For the past sixteen years, Buddhist Global Relief has been doing just that, helping communities around the world prevail in the struggle against hunger and malnutrition.
We began in 2008 with just three small projects in three countries; in April, we approved 59 projects in 21 countries. Our projects don’t merely give direct food aid, but tackle the root causes of hunger. They provide a ladder to people trapped in the pit of poverty, helping them embrace lives of dignity and purpose. Our many educational projects give poor children—especially girls—the chance to go to school. With BGR’s help, many children from the most desperate families have completed high school and even gone on to college.
Our projects span the planet from Mongolia and Vietnam to Malawi and Cameroon, from Brazil and Peru to Detroit and Washington, D.C. BGR is now a major player in the theater of global giving, with a 92 percent score and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, whose website says: “If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.”
Here are just a few examples of what our projects have accomplished:
Lucy is a student from the Phalombe district in Malawi and is the third of seven children. She excelled in secondary school and, with the steady support of her father, aspired to become a nurse. In March 2023, however, Lucy’s father—the family’s breadwinner—passed away as a result of flooding from Cyclone Freddy. This devastating event not only took her father’s life but also destroyed her family’s belongings and maize fields. Lucy felt lost and hopeless, wondering how she would afford her school materials and what her future held.
The CAMFED Association learned of Lucy’s situation and reached out, providing items such as a school uniform, sanitary pads, and exercise books and pens, made available through support from Buddhist Global Relief to the CAMA Fund. CAMFED alumnae consoled Lucy and encouraged her not to give up. She was able to complete her Junior Certificate of Education exams and passed with high scores. Lucy is pursuing her dreams of becoming a nurse. “With the support from CAMA, I have nothing to worry about when it comes to my school needs. They are my family now, and I know I still have a future,” Lucy said.
Gurpreet was born into a very poor family in Sangrur, India. Her father, the only income earner in the family, supported his seven children with very little means, and her parents married her to a small farmer at the age of 18. She had one son, who is now 9 years old.
Desiring to improve her situation, Gurpreet joined the women’s vocational-training center run by BGR partner Building Bridges International (BBI) in Jawarwala, where she participated in garment design workshops. Her enthusiasm and skill led BBI to hire her as a paid instructor, and she currently supervises 25 trainees at the center. She told BBI that she takes pride in her vocation and that she now feels proud of herself for the first time. “I have seen that I can lead a good life when I respect myself,” she said.
Tsetan, a tenth-grade student at the Mahabodhi Residential School, in Ladakh, India, is from a financially poor family in Bodhkharbu Village. In this isolated Himalayan village, literacy rates are low and poverty high, and there is little access to education for the local children. Because of the distance between his school and his home village, Tsetan lives in a new dormitory on the Mahabodhi campus. Built with BGR support, the dormitory houses 80 boys who otherwise would not be able to attend school because of the remoteness of their villages.
Asked to share a few words about his experiences at the Mahabodhi school, Tsetan’s first word was “grateful”: He said that he has been truly blessed and is grateful for all the support he receives through the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre.
If you would like to share in our work, please consider making a generous donation to BGR during the month of Vesak. Such a gift will be a source of abundant merit that will lift up your heart long into the future. It will also be your way of honoring the Buddha and sharing in his generosity, kindness, and compassion.
To learn more about the work of Buddhist Global Relief, please explore our website. To make a donation to support our work, please visit our Donate page.
I thank you deeply for your generosity.
With blessings,
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
