Each
year, hundreds of Tibetans, women and men, cross the Himalayan
peaks to escape the oppression of the authorities. Many of them
are believers worn out by years of repression of their beliefs,
their practices and their culture.
The situation in Nepal, the country of arrival, for these “frontier”
people - as the refugees are called - is particularly precarious:
they have no identity papers, no legal status, no access to wealth
care.
The foundation of a “nunnery” has therefore proved
crucial to enable religious women both to continue their practice
of Buddhism according to the vow they took before their exile,
and attend Tibetan as well as English classes.
Golden Bridge, for the sake of cultural preservation, is particularly
concerned about the difficulties undergone by these religious
women who embody the safeguard of centuries of tradition, custom
and culture.
We have taken up the “nunnery” project from a group
of volunteers who could not regularly provide constant assistance.
Since then, we have been striving to maintain their help by seeking
sponsors to cover the costs of this community (rent, food, medical
expenses, clothing, courses, etc). These costs have been steadily
increasing due to the political instability and the economic difficulties
that Nepal has been undergoing for the last 7 years. One of the
sad results of this situation has been that several nuns, faced
with severe daily hardships, have decided to leave their sisters,
thus putting an end to their spiritual commitment.
Today, more than ever, our nuns need you. Helping our nuns would
not only mean to assist them in their daily lives of refugees
whose precarious conditions have become unbearable, but, at the
same time, it would allow a very old culture to survive and expand.
During the year 2008, Golden Bridge hopes to transfer the “nunnery”
from Kathmandu to Tso Pema, a village four hours’ car drive
from Dharamsala in the northern part of India, a region where
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of all Tibetan
Buddhists, lives.
In Tso Pema, our monastery could accommodate a greater number
of nuns because life there is more serene and less expensive than
in Kathmandu.
Any donation from your part will be important to allow this transfer.
Hence, we wish to thank you in anticipation for your generosity.
| Focus
2008 8
nuns
2 teachers
budget Euro 8’000
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
Financial
engagement
Mensual
need : Euro 600
Clothes 2008: Euro 500
To
help
Mensual cuote
For a nun Euro 75
Donation from Euro 10
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IBAN
CH 96 09 00000017 690119 8 |
