Venerable Lobsang Dechen, Co-Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project, is retiring after working on behalf of Tibetan Buddhist nuns for almost three decades.

A nun from the age of 13, Venerable Lobsang Dechen studied at the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in Dharamsala until Class 10, before completing her schooling at the Central School for Tibetans in Mussoorie.

Archival photo of Venerable Lobsang Dechen working at the Tibetan Nuns Project office in India.

She then attended St. Bede’s College, a women’s college in Shimla, and received her B.A. Degree followed by a B.Ed. Degree from Pubjab University in Chandigarh. With her teaching credentials, she returned to Lower TCV where she taught English and geography from 1984 to 1991.

In 1992, she left her teaching career to join the Tibetan Nuns Project to advance its efforts to make educational opportunities available for nuns throughout the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Since then, she has helped to establish a system in which nuns could be nurtured into educated, confident young women.

Venerable Lobsang Dechen (left), with Rinchen Khando Choegyal and Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Napper. This photo of the three directors of the Tibetan Nuns Project was taken in October 2017 at the celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tibetan Nuns Project.

Because Venerable Lobsang Dechen is a nun, her work towards the betterment of nuns has been very encouraging for the nuns. We will always be very grateful for her hard work, patience, dedication, and teamwork.

Venerable Lobsang Dechen, Co-Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project, speaking to the Geshemas at the Geshema graduation ceremony at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, Karnataka, India on December 22, 2016. The nun she is speaking to is Geshema Namdol Phuntsok from Kopan Nunnery, who attained the highest marks in the Geshema examinations. Photo courtesy of Olivier Adam

She has personally seen the nuns grow mentally and emotionally into stronger women, and move beyond the unthinkable situations they had faced in Tibet. After years of effort, it is wonderful thathe has seen the nuns graduate with the Geshema Degree (Geshe for monks), a great milestone in the history of Tibet.

Though we would have liked her to continue working with the Tibetan Nuns Project, we wish her all the best in life.

Collage of archival photos of Venerable Lobsang Dechen working to help the nuns.