By definition Buddhist Nuns are beggars. The only way they can earn money is to visit local homes and carry out family Pujas (prayers) for which they get paid a few rupees. In 2007 the Trust was approached by five destitute young Nuns whose Rinpoche (teacher) had died of Cancer. Unsupported, they had no official Nunnery to attend so were homeless.

LFT funded the building of a Home/Nunnery for ten destitute Nuns. Opened in 2008, numbers grew and it very quickly became a centre for local women to visit for support. The Nuns also teach Buddhism and Yoga to tourists. As numbers continued to increase, the Nuns approached the Trust again to ask for help.

With support from the boys, staff and parents of Winchester College, funds were raised for the construction of a much larger Nunnery. This was completed and opened in 2014 with accommodation, at full capacity, for 50 Nuns and 50 destitute girls from remote areas of Ladakh, including Zanscar and the Changtang Plain on the Indo Tibetan-Border. Here the girls enjoy a safe, loving home and receive a good education. The Nunnery was visited by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2018.

Due to climate change and receding natural glaciers, water in Ladakh has become very scarce, with none on the Nunnery site. The Nuns currently rely on inconsistent deliveries from the Army. Lotus Flower Trust would like to provide them with a permanent water supply to be available for animals, crops and for domestic use. This will enable them to become fully self-sufficient and set up a small farm to grow vegetables, fruit from apple and apricot trees and keep a few domestic animals.

The cost to fund the installation of a water system to pump water from the Indus River to the Nunnery (£13,000), trees, seeds, animals and their accommodation, labour, transport, and project management will be £25,000. £15,000 has so far been raised, with £10,000 needed to complete the work. Can you help?