Organization description:
The organization operates in India under the direction of Rinchen Khando Choegyal, former Minister of Education for the Tibetan Government in Exile. Mrs. Choegyal is also married to the youngest brother of the Dalai Lama. Assisting Mrs. Choegyal are Dr. Elizabeth Napper, reknowned Tibetologist and professor of Buddhist studies who now lives in India full time to oversee the project. Also Ven. Lobsang Dechen, a nun herself who dedicates her life to improving the lives of the nuns supported by TNP. Also in India, we have a fully Tibetan office staff who distribute the funds and assist in all administrative needs of the project. In the US we have a small office with one full-time employee, Debi Goldman who runs the sponsorship programs and all the fundraising efforts of TNP. Our US office is mostly run by volunteers.
Description of the problem:
The Chinese communist takeover of Tibet in 1959 forced more than 100,000 Tibetans to flee into exile. Over 6,000 monasteries were demolished and religious practice was deemed illegal. The monks and nuns followed their leader, the Dalai Lama, into India where they have rebuilt their monasteries and nunneries and keep Tibetan Buddhism alive. Not until they fled into exile was there ever a system developed for the nuns to get the same monastic education as the monks. Through sponsorship programs, general donations and developing self-sufficiency projects TNP supports these nuns in their pursuit of education and religious freedom.
Description of the project / solution:
TNP now supports nuns in six different nunneries, two of which we have built from the ground up. Dolma Ling is a model non-sectarian educational institution that houses over 200 nuns. Geden Choeling, of the Gelug Buddhist sect is the oldest nunnery in exile and has 180 nuns. Shugsep, of the Nyingma tradition will house 108 nuns. Tilokpur, of the Kagyu tradition has nearly 70 nuns and our two newest additions – Sakya and Spiti nunneries have nearly 100 nuns each. TNP provides salaries for the teachers, as well as monthly stipends and all food, medical and housing needs for the nuns.
