Ribur Rinpoche

Thousands of refugee Tibetan monks and nuns living in settlements in southern India face severe health challenges. To reach the camps, these valiant men and women must undertake harrowing journeys across the world's highest mountains. Upon arrival, they are exhausted and often in ill health. Then, imagine adjusting to life in a radically different climate with a completely dissimilar diet and exposure to diseases for which they have no immunity.

Out of deep regard for the continuity of Tibetan Buddhism, Ven. Ribur Rinpoche saw that ill health in the monastic population was posing a serious threat to the transmission of knowledge and spiritual practice to the next generation. For refugee monks and nuns living in remote Tibetan settlements, access to advanced medical care was simply beyond their means.

In 1997, Rinpoche proposed to Richard Gere that a program be created to meet their needs-the Tibetan Health Initiative was launched in 1999. As a result, hundreds of lives have been profoundly affected and the knowledge transmission process in the monasteries strengthened.

Gere's foundation, Healing the Divide, is currently planning a major expansion of the Tibetan Health Initiative and has created the The Ribur Rinpoche Fund. A donation of $100 will provide health insurance for more than 20 individuals, while $250 will provide benefits to more than 50. All monies raised for the Ribur Rinpoche Fund go directly to pay for health insurance premiums, with none used for the Initiative's administration or overhead costs.