KIRF INDIA is a Registered Indian Charitable Trust with a Board of Trustees.

Since 2001, Diane has lived in Bodhgaya for at least three months of each year. When she returns to California, USA, she coordinates fund raising efforts and various types of support that sustain KIRF INDIA’S long-term programs.

Diane is a widow with five children and eight grandchildren. She was born and raised in Bermuda and graduated from the Bermuda High School for Girls. She was awarded her BSW from Colorado State University and her MSW from the University of Denver. She worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Substance Abuse and Child Therapist in Colorado Springs, CO.

Since 2001, Diane has worked to serve the poor in India--mainly in the areas of Health and Education--in the rural area of Bodhgaya, Bihar, India.

One of the rich rewards of this service to the weaker class of Indian society is to see children running who could not walk, smiling who could not smile. It is seeing children with a new zest for life looking at their teachers with rapt attention.

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mishra is the Health Program Coordinator at the Shakymuni Buddha Community Health Programme of the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture. This is a Charitable Trust that is a respected non-profit organization that provides medical assistance to the poor.

Dr. Sanjay is a native of Bodhgaya. He attended local schools and had an early interest in serving the poor. He was awarded his BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery) from the Musaffapur University, Bihar in 1995.

Dr. Sanjay serves as a board member of several local NGOs. He is married with one child and is dedicated to community health issues..

Dr Subhash Chandra was born in India. He obtained his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from California Institute os Technology. He has worked as a manager with major Industrial companies such as General Electric, Philips, IBM, Leica, and others.

In 1999 he left his working carrier and went to a remote Adivasi (tribal) village in a very poor area of Bihar State (now it is Jharkhand). His goal has been to make the villagers capable of helping helping themselves.

To achieve this goal he started a free school of some 200 Adivasi children where emphasis is on imparting a higher quality education than available in this area in math, science, English, and technical subjects. It is difficult to find teachers from outside willing to go to such a poor area. Therefore, local teachers of whatever education available have been given training to become better teachers. All the teachers and guardians of students frequently convene meetings to make decisions regarding operation of the school in the style of a participatory democracy. The process of bringing such a change in the culture feudal thinking has been slow and has required enormous effort. But it is taking roots and it is hoped that it will produce a long lasting spirit of unity and self-motivated progress.

Dr. Chandra frequently visits Bodh-Gaya where he is keenly interested in the success of KIRF India.