Shambala Foundation
Empowering rural youth and vulnerable orphans in Western China through family-based care, education grants, and youth mentorship.
Our Partnership & Story
Shambala Foundation represents the H.E. Grant Foundation’s largest international financial partnership. Operating in remote, high-altitude regions of Western China (including Yunnan and Qinghai provinces), the foundation provides holistic learning, vocational mentorship, and vital foster care support for underserved children and young adults.
The foundation’s initiatives are designed to remain deeply rooted in local communities and responsive to family needs. By focusing on sustainable, grassroots strategies, the organization ensures that its programs align with long-term goals and international donor support while directly empowering rural youth.
Originally founded as Children of Shambala in 2006 by Norwegian adventurer Jan Terje Voilaas following his global solo bicycle expedition, the organization was formally registered as Shambala Foundation in Hong Kong in 2013. Over two decades, it has planned, funded, and executed more than 115 development projects focused on women, children, and sustainable education.
“Education is the best means of alleviating poverty. When children are given the tools to stay in school within their native communities, they transform not only their own lives but the future of their entire region.”
Key Programs & Initiatives
Explore the three core pillars of Shambala Foundation’s work in Western China.
Orphanage Without Walls (OWW)
Inspired by Dr. Marcel Roux (Madaifu), former vice-president of Doctors Without Borders, the Orphanage Without Walls model ensures that double and single orphans remain in their native villages with local foster families rather than being placed in impersonal institutions.
- ✓Direct monthly living stipends for foster families to offset food and housing costs.
- ✓Provision of essential school materials, uniforms, backpacks, and books.
- ✓Local Tibetan social workers performing home visits and parent counseling.
- ✓Long-term goal: Supporting each child through higher education until securing their first paid job.
Program Gallery & Field Photos
Authentic field photography captured across Shambala Foundation’s projects in Western China.
Orphanage Without Walls — Community social workers and youth in Western China
First Job Experience Program — University tutors mentoring primary school students during winter break
Design Your Life Initiative — Bai Minority young women participating in career action planning in Dali, Yunnan
Student Empowerment — Educational support for Tsomo and her family in Seku County, Qinghai
Verified Partner & Project Archives
Explore third-party documentation, historical articles, and partner profiles.
PaperSeed Foundation — First Job Experience Program
Detailed archive of the partnership supporting university student tutors working with rural primary children.
PaperSeed Foundation — Design Your Life
Documentation of the 128-hour intensive training program for 10 Bai Minority young women in Dali, Yunnan.
Volunteer Forever — Shambala Fellowship Profile
Overview of international fellow placements, student empowerment, and field operations in Yunnan.
Orphanage Without Walls — Official Blog & History
Historical articles, founder statements, and field stories documenting the evolution of OWW from 2006 to present.