Bodong Nunnery Project: A school for girls in Lumla, India

A project dedicated to breaking the cycle of illiteracy, lack of education, poverty, poor hygiene and disease for girls suffering in the remote villages of the Himalayan region.

Geshe Pema Dorjee, a Buddhist Lama, who is currently running 13 humanitarian projects in the Himalayan region, initiated this project in cooperation with Siri Weirum from Norway and Stichting Tara Bodong in the Netherlands.

The project mainly aims to provide good education for girls in the remote villages surrounding Lumla, an area in the Northeast of India.

Photo: Geshe Perma Dorjee visiting Lumla

Lumla, Arunachal Pradesh area
Many people in this area live in very poor conditions. A common ailment amongst children is blindness or bad eyesight, and many suffer from tuberculosis due to bad hygiene and lack of medical care.

A lot of children face extreme hardship from early on in life. Most girls, due to the lack of education, remain isolated at home their entire lives, looking after younger siblings and the household.

Typically they marry and have multiple childbirths at a very young age. Poor facilities and lack of medical care often lead to an early death for these young mothers. Many girls are abused and some in bigger cities may end up in even worse conditions.

The Bodong Nunnery Project would like to give these girls opportunities and to help them from falling into the harsh reality of life by providing them with proper education.

Photo: Geshe Pema Dorjee

The school
The Lumla Nunnery will provide education and housing for 40 - 50 girls between 8 and 14 years old. It will offer a sound and secure environment for studying and living, with emphasis on love and compassion as central values of their Buddhist roots.

Along with the cultural and philosophical heritage of the Bodong tradition, the school curriculum will offer:
› Language studies (Tibetan, English and Hindi)
› Literature and reading comprehension
› Mathematics, social studies and science
› Health, hygiene and environmental awareness
› Buddhist philosophy according to the Bodong Tradition
› Computer literacy
› Buddhist philosophy (prayers, rituals and meditation)

Students will be taught to become self-reliant, contributing members of their community and the world at large. The children will get good education and a loving home.

Tara Bodong foundation
Stichting Tara Bodong (the Netherlands) is a charitable foundation that supports humanitarian projects in the north of India and Nepal. The projects are initiated locally and overseen by Geshe Pema Dorjee, the Tibetan Lama.

Their mission is to structurally improve the living conditions of the local people and help them break out of the vicious circle and hardship, which often characterises their lives.

Currently, they are executing fundraising activities in the Nertherlands for the Bodong Nunnery project. The current total estimate for the construction of the school is about 180.000 - 200.000 euros.

If you would like to support the Bodong Nunnery Project, below are the details of Tara Bodong Foundation and the project:
› Email: stichting[dot]tarabodong[at]gmail.com
› Bank details: 1151.38.447 Rabobank, Hilversum, Stichting Tara Bodong Netherlands
› Official website of Geshe Pema Dorjee
› Read more about the project here.