In old Tibet it was a common custom for a family to send one son to be trained as a monk. In exile, the Tibetan monasteries take on a further role as a kind of orphanage or place where refugees too poor to support their children can send them to be clothed, fed, and educated.

Namdroling Monastery began literally with a handful of monks but over the years, it has grown in size, in buildings, in outreach, and in numbers. The Abbot of Namdroling monastery H.E. Gyangkhang Rinpoche is now responsible for the spiritual and material needs of a floating population that at times exceeds 5000 people including some 500 or more nuns. Of those, some 1400 are under 20 and approximately 700 are under 15. Of course, as an organization expands, different problems arise, and a monastery is no different. Along with the growing numbers comes overcrowding leading to mental and physical stress, health problems, and psychological issues. Such problems are usually exacerbated among the most vulnerable of any population—the very young and very old.

Namdroling Monastery began literally with a handful of monks but over the years, it has grown in size, in buildings, in outreach, and in numbers. The Abbot of Namdroling monastery H.E. Gyangkhang Rinpoche is now responsible for the spiritual and material needs of a floating population that at times exceeds 5000 people including some 500 or more nuns. Of those, some 1400 are under 20 and approximately 700 are under 15. Of course, as an organization expands, different problems arise, and a monastery is no different. Along with the growing numbers comes overcrowding leading to mental and physical stress, health problems, and psychological issues. Such problems are usually exacerbated among the most vulnerable of any population—the very young and very old.

For the boys and girls of Namdroling, the monastery is a place where they can get an education, receive adequate food and basic medical care, and grow up in the Buddhist culture of their homeland. These children come from Tibetan-speaking regions throughout the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. In many cases they are orphans or children of parents too poor to support them. Perhaps because HH Penor Rinpoché was and continues to be so beloved throughout the Tibetan world, Namdroling always had a large number of children—and they keep coming. There is an urgent requirement for assistance to support the health and education of these young ones.

Health concerns are our number one priority at the moment as the children tend to suffer from skin diseases, gastric illnesses, infectious diseases, chicken pox, and eye and dental problems. As a registered Canadian charity, we provide, amongst other things, a secure channel for your funds to be delivered directly to the aid of these children and with the lowest overhead possible, since we operate entirely on volunteer service.

Support for the school dispensary, buying of medicine and yearly check-up:

The main focus is to ensure the basic health care of the children, including the maintenance of the monastery and nunnery dispensaries, buying of medicine and vitamins. We also aim to cover the medical costs of students in classes 1 through 3 as well as the cost of repairing certain equipment such as the school’s water filter.

Typhoid-Vaccination and iron tablets:

During a wave of typhoid infection in the monastery, we supported the vaccination of 1,300 school aged nuns and monks as well as the de-worming of the children and the administering of iron tablets and vitamins to guard against iron deficiency.

Hygiene and Nutrition:

We support the daily necessities of life, health, and education for the children of Namdroling, such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mattresses and blankets; the distribution of vitamins and eggs as well as supplementing the food of children recovering from serious illnesses. In the past, we have contributed to the purchase of bed frames as well as construction of the school shower-house so that the children can now shower several times a week.

Thank you!

Palyul Namdroling Foundation thanks you for your support of the children of Namdroling monastery and the Ottawa Palyul Centre. Donations can be made automatically through the Electronic Funds Transfer program (please contact Sean, our treasurer at: palyultreasurer@gmail.com for this option), via Paypal  or by cheque made out to “Palyul Foundation” and mailed or dropped off at: 58 Lindhurst Crescent, Ottawa, ON K2G 0T7, Canada.

MAY ALL BEINGS BENEFIT!