Who is Shining Hope Foundation?

The Shining Hope Foundation is a UK charity registered at the Charity Commission since July 2010. It was founded by a French family: Serge, Astrid, Marie and Xavier Saint-Arnoult. It is a grant-making foundation which raises funds online and supports organisations for a period of three years. Its mission is to help local communities live in balance with nature and animals.

What is our mission?

Our mission is support projects which help local communities live in balance with nature and animals. We are convinced that all three must be in balance for the planet to have a sustainable future. We also act to raise public awareness through newsletters. We believe that in our daily lives, many things we do can seriously impact fragile ecosystems worldwide. Also, we are apolitical and not affiliated with any religious organizations.

What is Karuna-Shechen?

We are supporting this organisation until 2015. Karuna-Shechen is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provide education, health care, and social services to the under-served populations of the greater Himalayan region. They pay special attention to the education and empowerment of women and girls. Karuna-Shechen’s name expresses its mission and while pays homage to its roots: Karuna is compassion in Sanskrit, and Shechen is the name of a major monastery in Tibet. It was founded by Matthieu Ricard in 2000.

Who is Matthieu Ricard?

Matthieu Ricard founded this organization with the inspiring ideal of “compassion in action.” He is a best-selling author, a Buddhist monk, a humanitarian, and a world-acclaimed photographer who has been living in the Himalayan region for four decades.

What are the projects?

Supporting local communities by health care and education Allopathic clinic and dispensary Family planning, mother & child health outreach Medical camps for the Dalits Health and outreach programs Mobile clinics serving up to 12 villages Tuberculosis center

Environmental awarness by training illiterate grandmothers to solar energy

Training illiterate grandmothers to solar energy at the Barefoot College in Tilonia by Bunker Roy

Installation of solar power in 350 homes in 3 indian villagesNon-formal education classes for women

Compassion for animalsMatthieu Ricard has been vegetarian for many years.Through his books he hopes to raise awareness about animal rights and encourage us to be more compassionate to them by avoiding eating them for example.

Why did you choose Karuna-Shechen?

We chose Karuna-Shechen because we have known Matthieu Ricard for quite some time and used to support his humanitarian projects on a personal level before setting up this foundation. Their organisation has always been very transparent, and we have been lucky enough to follow its evolution for several years.

In addition, overhead costs are paid by a generous donor, hence all donations go directly to the projects themselves. Karuna-Shechen also falls in line with Shining Hope Foundation’s mission which is to help local communities live in balance with nature and animals.

* May altruism love reign in your hearts – Matthieu Ricard