New Delhi, India – The United States Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall announced a new award of $3.2 million to increase access to quality preventive, primary, and secondary health care, with a focus on maternal and child health and tuberculosis, for Tibetan refugees living in India and Nepal.  The announcement was made on Saturday, November 15, during her visit to Dharamsala to discuss Tibetan refugee issues.

The Tibetan Health System Capacity Strengthening Project is financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by The Tibet Fund.  The Tibet Fund will work with the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) Department of Health to use innovative private sector partnerships to develop technology solutions to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of health care provision for refugee communities. 

In the past, The Tibet Fund and CTA have collaborated successfully to improve basic and higher education opportunities for Tibetan refugees.  This partnership expands the scope of the program to focus on health services.