Dear Friends,
Greetings from the Prajnopaya Foundation! As we approach the latter part of 2009, it is a good time to pause and reflect. With the economic slowdown, it has not been an easy year for many organizations, especially non-profits that rely on donor contributions. As the urgency of work intensifies, financial support has slowed. Fortunately, in recent months there has been general improvement in economic terms, and more importantly in spirit. We are hoping that we can turn that into rejuvenated support among our contributors.
After enduring a year when many of us have suffered financially or otherwise, there is a potential to reflect and generate a new perspective on the importance of assisting those in need. Hopefully, we can transform an experience of loss into a deeper understanding of generosity.
If we first consider times when hardship is more distant, our acts of generosity may arise out of a feeling of obligation, or in some sense, a desire to keep the hardship of others from getting too close. With this motivation, the recipients of our generosity may actually be irrelevant, as long as we have performed our duty. While the generous can still have a positive impact, it may be limited and doesn’t lead to any understanding.
Consider now a time when we have recently undergone difficulties ourselves and have benefited from someone else’s kindness. The whole act of generosity takes on a new meaning. We see it as neither shameful for the recipient nor perfunctory for the giver, but an act borne of mutual understanding. It is the recognition of a shared experience of suffering that enables us to transform personal loss into a strong motivation for compassion.
In this spirit, I encourage you to read through our new brochure and explore our projects further on our website. We continue to focus our work in two primary areas: Upaya Care (free clinics in rural villages) and the Tuberculosis Treatment and Prevention (TBTP) program. We have two Upaya Care clinics operating, but need more financial support to sustain them for the upcoming year. Our TBTP program is expanding with eight new permanent TB treatment centers in the past two months and plans to expand further with additional contributions.
As always, we thank you for all your kind support.
Scott Kennedy
Director, Prajnopaya Foundation
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