The Shenphen Charitable Trust

Mysore is a historical city, located in the southern part of the Karnataka state, India. Given that, numerous educational institutions are situated in this ancient city, and many Tibetan students are pursuing their studies in various fields. Tibetans mainly from the five local south Indian Tibetan settlements occasionally frequent Mysore to seek medical attention and treatment as numerous medical colleges and hospitals are located here.

In spite of the aforementioned situation, regular students, patients and their attendants have to undergo many challenges on account of not having a well-established Tibetan community, where they can seek assistance with accommodation, translation, guidance etc. during their medical appointments, and so forth. 

For instance, students had to pay a huge amount of money for rent and deposit, and sometimes they do not even get their deposit back upon completion of the lease or contract. Some students are losing their cultural identity and excellent habits under the influence of certain organisations. Moreover, due to lack of a conducive environment for further study of Tibetan language and culture, there is very little possibility for preserving one’s language and culture.

On top of that, many Tibetans who came to Mysore city for medical check-ups and treatment also face various challenges, such as not finding a suitable place to stay, or not receiving proper consultation due to the language barriers. Likewise, hospital food, which is adapted to Indians, is sometimes unsuitable for many Tibetan patients with different dietary needs. To tackle such challenges, at the end of 2020 a group of youths (4 monks and 3 laities) voluntarily founded The Shenphen Charitable Trust to serve our community in the field of health, education, and social welfare.