VVF Canada

Vajra Vidya Foundation supports projects in Nepal under the supervision of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche.

The Foundation accepts donations from Canadians and provides official tax receipts. It ensures, through careful compliance and oversight, that the funds are sent to Nepal and spent according to the wishes of the donors to benefit the children, monks and nuns. The board has visited to see first-hand the work of the projects and the benefits provided by donations.

VVF has an email database and sends out notices and requests for funds for certain projects. This website has a blog which also keeps friends up-to-date on needs and accomplishments of the projects. Newsletters are produced a couple of times a year.

VVF is run completely by unpaid volunteers and the board is small. (We need someone with accounting skills to join us. Could that be you?)

Highlights of projects under VVF's care:

Shree Mangal Dvip (SMD) Boarding School, Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal
The school has almost 700 children, all supported by international sponsors and donors. Most children live in the walled compound but the numbers have grown and now buildings are rented across the road for the very young and the senior students. The young sleep 15 to a room with an older student supervisor. The senior students have a small, crowded apartment where they cook and clean for themselves learning independence before facing the outer world on their own.
There are about 100 staff and faculty (cooks, cleaners, tailors, health care workers) also under SMD's care.
Volunteers from around the world have come to share their knowledge and learn from the kids. Some have taught circus skills, art, music (MusicSeedsInternational), games, English, health, and leadership. Others have led dental and health camps for the kids and surrounding population.
The children begin their day early with Buddhist prayers and get dharma instruction on a regular basis. They live together as a family, solving issues in a balanced and compassionate manner, rarely fighting. They study English and Tibetan as well as Nepali and follow the Nepal curriculum to pass the School Leaving Certificate while also getting prepared to hopefully study on scholarship abroad. There are 33 overseas students at high schools and universities.

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SMD Branch School for Young Monks, Namo Buddha, Nepal
More than 70 boys are studying with 12 teachers at the monastery two hours from Kathmandu in a pristine environment. They learn the Nepali curriculum through Grade 9 while getting intense Buddhist instruction. These days there is a special emphasis on environmental stewardship and gardening.

Wangchuk Rapten, the SMD medical monk, at Namo Buddha.

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Thrangu Tara Abbey, Sitapaila, Kathmandu, Nepal

The abbey was started by Ani Chomo and a number of nuns from Manang in Western Nepal in 1987. There are now over 200 girls and women studying at SMD while also learning Buddhist prayers, rituals, and scriptures. More than 50 women are studying in Shedra which is like a university master's program in Buddhist scriptures. They will be teachers when they finish. Higher education for women is extremely rare in Nepal and in Buddhist monasteries so this is a true blessing.

Nuns who study at SMD Boarding School and in Shedra.

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Menla Medical Clinic (Mentsi Khang), Namo Buddha, Nepal
The clinic was built with the energy and support of Dr. John Barnhill from Newfoundland and Dr. Dawn Hutchinson from Colorado. It is open 3 days a week providing medical services to monks and the locals who often walk 4 hours for treatment. The monk practitioners are assisted by volunteer doctors and acupuncturists who come from abroad to provide medical care as well as training. The new clinic has very good accommodations for volunteers, clinic monks, and staff. There is also a nice waiting room, a pharmacy, an examination room for patients, and much better facilities than the old clinic. In the future there are plans to have a lab and offer dental care.

Eye Camp Spring, 2011New Clinic September, 2011

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Namo Buddha Monastery (Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery), Namo Buddha, Nepal
Over 450 monks are under Thrangu Rinpoche's wing many of whom stay at Namo Buddha part of the year. They also study in India at the Buddhist University in Sarnath. There are smaller monasteries in remote areas and Thrangu Tashi Choling in Boudha, Nepal, but now Namo Buddha is the centre of activity for retreats, study and important prayers.

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Himalayan Teachers Project, Lhi, Nubri, Nepal
Three kind supporters from London, Ontario, started an initiative to train students from SMD Boarding School to become teachers with the purpose of taking education to the remote areas of the Himalayan Mountains from where they come. Last year, two senior students went up to Lhi, Nubri, Gorkha, Nepal, to share their knowledge with the poor children in the villages. "Lhihi school has 5 classrooms. One room is for the government teacher to live in. There are around 55 students. Not all the students attend the classes daily because some kids have to help their parents work. There are 22 little monks from Hinang Monastery that attend classes daily, walking one and half hours down and a bit longer climbing back up. " This year, FIVE young women have been chosen to receive FIVE years of education (high school and college) and TWO years of paid employment at the mountain school. All funds were raised in Canada.

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info@vajravidyacanada.org