We understand that you have many choices of charitable causes, and we are deeply grateful for your generosity to Tibetan Buddhist nuns.
By helping the nuns, you are not only helping with the necessities of life. You are bringing light and compassion to the world!
This is Tibetan Buddhist nun Ani Rigzin. She was so pleased to share her words with you about our biggest current project, Housing for Elder Nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery.
“I escaped Tibet after torture took everything from me, my family, my home, my culture,” said Ani Rigzin. “Even now, with failing eyesight and constant pain, I carry those scars.”
“Dolma Ling is my only family, the only home I have left. With your support, an elder nuns’ home here would mean I could spend my last years with dignity and peace, surrounded by my sisters,” she said. “This would be the greatest gift of my life.”
The nuns would love your help to build 20 double rooms to house 40 older nuns, in a purpose-built two-story building. The aim is to create a comfortable living space for older nuns while fostering their sense of community and caring for each other.
We need your help to complete the Housing for Elder Nuns project.
“As I grow older, my health weakens, my eyesight fails, my body aches, and even using the toilet has become a struggle,” Ani Rigzin said. “Many of my sisters are in their 70s and 80s, facing the same hardships. A proper elders’ home would transform our lives, giving us safety and dignity, in the years we have left.”
This special building will:
- Be wheelchair accessible on the ground floor
- Have low-rise stairs for those who have difficulty climbing stairs
- Have slightly larger rooms than the regular dormitory rooms
- Have a private bathroom for each room, with handrails and a
- Western-style toilet
- Have a small kitchenette in each room
- Be equipped with an alarm bell system for vulnerable nuns
Here are the four projects the nuns need help with now:
- Housing for Elder Nuns: Provide safe, comfortable rooms for elder nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery.
- Long-Term Stability Fund: Help put our core programs on a solid, sustainable footing, so that whatever the future brings, the nuns can preserve their Tibetan Buddhist practices and culture.
- Furnish the Retreat Center: Help buy beds, mattresses, tables, and other furniture, to complete the retreat center for nuns, at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute.
- Sponsor a Nun: Give just $1 a day to provide education, food, clothing, shelter, and health care to a Tibetan Buddhist nun. We support around 900 nuns, and we need more sponsors!
2025 is a year of milestones and anniversaries. Thanks to you, more and more nuns are earningthe highest degrees in their traditions. Ten years ago, not a single Tibetan woman held a Geshema degree, equivalent to a doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. This month another 47 nuns will become Geshemas, bringing the total to 120! Another achievement is that 60 Shugsep nuns now hold the Loponma degree, roughly equivalent to a master’s degree.
The nuns have dedicated their lives to keeping Tibet’s rich religion and culture alive for the benefit of all. Tragically, inside occupied Tibet, the Chinese government is forcing Tibetans to give up their language, religion, and culture, in an attempt to eliminate their unique Buddhist civilization.
Your donation today is an investment in humanity and compassion!
Thank you for bringing light and hope to the world by helping the nuns,
Lisa M. Farmer, M.Ed.
Executive Director
P.S. By empowering these dedicated women, you are helping create a new generation of teachers and leaders, so needed in these troubled, chaotic times. Thank you for giving!
Please consider a gift in your will to the Tibetan Nuns Project.
