HELPING HANDS NEWSLETTER
We Are All Interconnected
This is the text of Kim Behan’s talk prepared on the occasion of her receiving the Dr. Ambedkar Prabuddha Bharata Peace Award.
BGR’s Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry 2021
On October 2 and October 30, members of the worldwide Buddhist Global Relief community joined BGR founder Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and the BGR staff for two “Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry” online gatherings.
Meeting the New Year: An Online Weekend BGR Retreat
To help us meet the new year, the monastic team of BGR will hold an online three-day retreat over the weekend of January 7–9. The theme of the retreat is “Clarity, Compassion, and Courage,” three qualities that will enable us to marshal our inner resources as we welcome the new year.
Tackling Global Hunger at its Roots
Tackling global hunger requires that we identify its fundamental causes and remove these at the root. This in turn calls not only for the adoption of transformative policies, but for a fundamental change in our own perspectives and values.
Nourishing and Educating Girls in Lima, Peru
For more than 30 years, the Asociación Grupo de Trabajo Redes (AGTR) has helped children in Peru empower themselves and escape child labor. A grant from BGR supports AGTR as it works to develop educational opportunities for girls in one of the poorest districts of Lima.
Take Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry
Each year for the last decade, supporters of Buddhist Global Relief have come together for our Walks to Feed the Hungry. As we walked together in the Dharma, we raised funds to support BGR’s work to relieve the suffering of chronic hunger and poverty worldwide. In 2020, in response to the COVID pandemic, Buddhist Global Relief launched our inaugural Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry series of online events.
BGR Provides Emergency Grants in Sri Lanka, Haiti, and Myanmar
In August and September, Buddhist Global Relief made several emergency donations to support critical aid for people affected by the Covid pandemic in Sri Lanka, the earthquake in Haiti, and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.
BGR Awards Grants to 51 Projects Worldwide
In late April, BGR's Board approved 51 projects with potential partners around the world. These grants for BGR's fiscal year 2021–22 amounted to $969,000. The Board provided $60,000 in additional emergency assistance to regions afflicted with the Covid pandemic, most in India, pushing BGR’s grant total to over $1,000,000.
Emergency COVID Assistance to India and Sri Lanka
BGR recently donated funds for two ventilators to the Mahabodhi Maitri Mandala hospital in Bengaluru, India. Additionally, BGR provided $16,000 in other kinds of financial assistance to organizations in India and Sri Lanka delivering aid to people afflicted by the virus.
BGR’s First Online Retreat
On Memorial Day weekend Buddhist Global Relief held its first ever online retreat, conducted to support BGR’s poverty relief and education work around the world. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi guided the retreat along with new BGR Board members Ayyā Dhammadīpā of Āloka Vihāra in Placerville, California, and Rev. Jin-Chuan Shi of Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. The retreat was well attended, with 160–180 people from around the world joining live on Zoom and others catching up with the recordings of the sessions on the BGR YouTube Channel.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
During the coronavirus crisis, Buddhist Global Relief is continuing to fund projects providing food, education, and other necessary support to the world’s most vulnerable people. Many of the communities we serve worldwide are experiencing immense need as this epidemic spreads among vulnerable and medically underserved populations. If you have the ability to help, please consider donating to BGR. You can contribute by PayPal or credit card here or by check mailed to: Buddhist Global Relief, 2020 Route 301, Carmel, NY 10512, USA.
