Objectives
The Dutch Foundation for Ladakhi Nuns (DFLN) has the goal of supporting and enabling the work of the Ladakh Nuns Association by developing in the Netherlands initiatives, programs and presentations which aim at increasing awareness and knowledge about the situation of nuns in Ladakh. Furthermore, the DFLN has as its aim the generation of financial support to enable the various educational projects of the LNA. The DFLN is a non-profit organization. Funds raised by the Foundation go directly to the LNA's chosen projects. When possible, and only upon invitation by the LNA, the DFLN will seek to provide direct personal support to the LNA's educational projects. The DFLN supports the LNA on the basis of mutual respect. Therefore, all projects will be initiated and carried out by the nunneries themselves.
The foundation
The Ladakh Nuns Association» (LNA) in Leh, Ladakh, under the supervision of its president Dr. Tsering Palmo, was founded to encourage Buddhist nuns to become educated, to keep their culture intact and to empower themselves, since their situation differs tremendously from Buddhist nuns in other Asian countries. Many of these women are still being used as free servants to their families and to monasteries and, as a consequence, have no opportunity to lead a communal monastic life.
Vision
After continuous discussions with Dr. Tsering Palmo, it became very clear that financial support of her work depends too much on the approval of western benefactors. We conferred with her about how to make a foundation like the DFLN meaningful for the LNA and we came to the conclusion that this will be possible only when we put our efforts into acknowledging the independence and the autonomy of the LNA. The Dutch Foundation for Ladakhi Nuns respects fully the culture, the targets, and the procedures of the LNA.
dr. Tsering Palmo
Dr. Tsering Palmo is the president of the Ladakh Nuns Association. She was born in a village close to Leh, the capital of Ladakh. At first she wanted to study western medicine but, when she realized that this also meant killing animals for research, she decided to become a traditional Tibetan Amchi (or, doctor). After researching the situation of nuns in Ladakh, she committed herself to doing her best to improve the position of the Ladakhi nuns. In 1996 the Ladakh Nuns Association was officially founded.top