Become a Sustaining Donor

For compassionate souls, travel in the developing world often creates a feeling of helplessness. With such overwhelming need and a desire to help those in need, where do we start? This thought entered my mind years ago while staring out the window of a train during my first trip to India. "I do not have the power or the ability to fix a problem of this scale - so many children without access to education, health care, or a home. Where would I start?"

Taraloka became my place to start.

It took some time to fully understand that the opportunity to give was actually a gift to me. Taraloka gives me a way to make a difference in a specific, meaningful, and verifiable way.

When one of our girls recently graduated from college, her sponsor let us know that she wanted to continue sending her monthly pledge to support our work. This thoughtful sponsor made this decision for two reasons:

1. Traveling to Sikkim on a Taraloka trip helped her understand that sponsoring a girl is an easier need to conceptualize than paying for plumbing repairs or giving our cook a livable salary. With an enlightened perspective, she wanted to help Taraloka sustain the infrastructure required to operate the Sikkim Happiness Home.
2. After years of sponsorship, she did not miss the monthly pledge from her bank account. The pledge became a wonderfully altruistic habit instead of a bold donation that required significant economic sacrifice.

This bit of kindness motivated us to offer an important way to support Taraloka with a recurring monthly pledge. We hope you will join us!

• Sustaining Kindness Gift - $15 per month Two of these gifts provide art supplies for the girls or a tutor for one of our girls preparing for college entrance exams.
• Sustaining Education Gift - $100 per month A gift at this level covers the additional cost (beyond sponsorship) of a college education.
• Sustaining Foundation Gift - $160 per month A gift at this level covers the salary of our cook or the cost of bringing in a new girl before we secure a sponsor.

If you are interested in a monthly donation, please let us know, and we can help with a few different methods for setting up a recurring gift.

Sustaining gifts allow us to move forward with the confidence that the Taraloka community will help us provide for our inspiring young women.