Karuna Trust (UK) is a charity based in London. It was established in 1980 under the name ‘Aid for India’, and linked to the

Triratna Buddhist Community The Triratna Buddhist Community (formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO)) is an international fellowship of Buddhists and others who aspire to its path of mindfulness. It was founded by Sangharakshita (born Dennis Philip Edward ...

. It is administered by Western Buddhists, but the projects are open to anyone regardless of background. Fundraising comes partly from the UK general public and partly from British Buddhists associated with the Triratna movement; but there are also international spin-offs like Karuna Germany. Also at times project-based funding is applied for from institutional donors. Their projects aim at promoting dignity and self-confidence, and the breaking down of caste and religious barriers. Many of their projects are administered and run by members of the beneficiary community. For example, most of the projects for India’s

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

(ex-'untouchable') community are run by Bahujan Hitay/TBMSG, a network of Dalit-run organisations based in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. From their original starting point of Indian Dalits, their scope has widened. Karuna now works in fifteen Indian states, and is for example, also helping the marginalized and previously neglected

Adivasi The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...

'tribal' people. They have also worked in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet, supporting self-help projects that build dignity and challenge discrimination. Dame

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

is patron of the Karuna Trust.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Buddhist charities Development charities based in the United Kingdom Foreign charities operating in India Religious organizations established in 1980