The name Karuna-Shechen expresses our mission while paying tribute to its origins. Karuna means compassion in Sanskrit and Shechen is the name of an important Buddhist monastery, whose teachings Matthieu Ricard followed. Find out more.

Founded by Matthieu Ricard in 2000, Karuna-Shechen acts and advocates for a more altruistic world with the conviction that altruism is a key to building tomorrow’s world and offers concrete solutions to the challenges of our century.

Karuna-Shechen helps to break the cycle of poverty, build resilience and develop the full potential of disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Karuna-Shechen also invites each and every one of us to develop our altruistic potential and work together towards a more peaceful world. Find out more.

Karuna-Shechen obtains its financial resources from the generosity of its benefactors: individual donors, companies and foundations. In addition, royalties and income from Matthieu Ricard’s activities account for around 3% of the association’s resources.

Karuna-Shechen’s actions are based on effective altruism through tailored activities, impact assessment and efficient use of resources. We are committed to transparency, integrity and the fight against corruption. Find out more.

The members of the Karuna-Shechen Board of Directors are not remunerated and receive no direct or indirect benefit for their contribution to Karuna-Shechen’s activities. Composed of 10 members, the Board of Directors ensures the proper execution of the annual plan and meets at least every three months. Find out more about our organization.

Karuna-Shechen is a secular, non-denominational and non-religious association that draws inspiration from universal Buddhist values of compassion, solidarity and benevolence to guide its humanitarian projects.

The Karuna-Shechen team is made up of employees and volunteers of all faiths. Karuna-Shechen supports almost 500,000 people a year, regardless of religion, gender or caste. The vast majority of the people Karuna-Shechen helps are Hindus and Muslims. Find out more about our areas of intervention.

To support Karuna-Shechen, you can make a one-off or regular donation, an essential gesture of generosity to finance our high-impact development projects. You can also pass on your assets in the form of a bequest, life insurance policy or donation, thereby contributing to the sustainability of our actions. Last but not least, becoming a sponsor allows you to support our initiatives in a significant way. Find out how to get involved with Karuna.

Depending on your payment currency, you can make a donation by credit card, bank transfer, check, PayPal or your phone’s payment system. You can pay in euros, Swiss francs, US dollars or Hong Kong dollars.

Our online payment platform is 100% secure and easy to use. All information is encrypted using SSL protocol, ensuring the reliability of your Internet transactions.

Go to our donation platform.

At Karuna-Shechen, our actions are based on effective altruism through the rational design of our activities, the rigorous measurement and evaluation of our impact, and the efficient use of our resources. We are committed to transparency, integrity and the fight against corruption.

In 2023, Karuna-Shechen’s total expenditure amounted to US$ 3.79M, 82% of which was devoted to our anti-poverty programs. Advocacy accounts for 2% of our budget. To support our missions, operating costs amount to 16% of expenditure, which is in line with the sector’s low average.

Read our financial report.

Your donations will directly support Karuna-Shechen’s mission: to act and advocate for a more altruistic world. We choose our areas of intervention based on identified priority needs. We then design programs tailored to help fight poverty, including an exit strategy to help communities become self-sufficient.

The association has nearly 25 years’ recognized experience of working to alleviate poverty and reveal the full potential of the most disadvantaged women, men and children in India, Nepal and Tibet. Find out more about our impact.

If you have already set up a regular donation, you can modify it at any time: adapt the amount, register a new payment method or suspend it. To do so, access your personal space at https://donation.karuna-shechen.org/en_EN/connect. Enter your e-mail address and you’ll receive a secure link.

Our team will be happy to help you with all the necessary formalities. You can contact donation@karuna-shechen.org.

By donating to Karuna-Shechen, you can benefit from tax reductions depending on the currency of payment in your place of residence.

In France, for tax residents, donations entitle you to an income tax reduction of 66% of the amount of the donation, up to a limit of 20% of taxable income. So a donation of €100 actually costs you just €34. In Switzerland, donations are tax-deductible up to 20% of net income for individuals and 20% of net profit for legal entities, according to article 37 of the LIPP.

Find out more about tax benefits in other countries.

For one-off donations, tax receipts are sent by e-mail every week. For monthly donations, a single tax receipt is sent in January of the following year.

For special requests, please contact donation@karuna-shechen.org.

A bequest can involve tangible or intangible property, whether movable or immovable. Assets that can be the subject of a bequest include cash, real estate (houses, apartments, land), non-real estate rights and shares (copyrights, company shares), as well as movable property by nature (vehicles, works of art, furniture).

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Your bequest will directly support Karuna’s mission: to act and advocate for a more altruistic world. We choose our areas of intervention based on identified priority needs. We then develop programs tailored to help eradicate extreme poverty, and which include an exit strategy to help communities become self-sufficient.

Find out more.

A universal bequest enables the testator to pass on all his or her assets to one or more persons, who share them equally, unless otherwise specified. On the other hand, a universal bequest concerns a specific portion of the estate, such as one half or one third, and a universal legatee is appointed to manage this share.

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A bequest is a transfer of property made by will and takes effect on the death of the testator, while a donation is an act of transfer of property made during the donor’s lifetime, either immediately or at an agreed date.

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The applicable regime depends on the testator’s nationality and tax domicile. For more information, please consult a notary or contact us directly.

Find out more.

Simply draw up a new will and write: “This is my will, which revokes all previous dispositions”. You can change your will as many times as you like.

Find out more.

While we greatly appreciate your willingness to help, we do not have the capacity to take on international volunteers and are keen to strengthen local skills and talents. Our intervention strategy promotes field teams made up of 100% local professionals. Find out more.

To become a volunteer, send your application to team@karuna-shechen.org. Please indicate your availability and tell us what motivates you to join us in spreading altruism.