The year 2008 has been a very satisfying and fulfilling year for me. Our school has gained some new staff, including a new principal who has brought many incredibly good changes to Arya Tara. She devotes herself to the nuns and their care, making them all her priority. The construction of our new academic building, complete with a computer lab and well-furnished classrooms, as well as an office, is now complete. I fully realize the importance of computer literacy and that our nuns need to gain some knowledge of new means of communications. We are excited to have our own computer lab, equipped with 15 desktop computers and 15 children’s laptop computers.
I am also happy that my biography has been successfully published and well received by the public. It has been published by Oh! Edition of France, and has found itself on the best selling list at number 24 in its first week. I am excited that it will be published in 11 different languages, including English, in the near future. My most challenging project is the establishment of a kidney hospital here in Nepal. Getting land from the government of Nepal has challenged this project, but I am confident that it is only a matter of time before this project will be realized.
As many of you know, one of the saddest times for me was December 2006 when my beloved mother passed away from kidney failure. My loss was big, but I have now established a home for elderly women who have been abandoned by their families, and this home ‘Aama Ko Ghar’, has now filled that huge gap created by the loss of my mother. This segment of society now has a home, food and love, and they – all 26 of them- offer me the love of many mothers!
The great mixture of feelings of 2008 came to a culmination in late November with the enthronement of the reincarnation of my late, precious guru, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. My late guru gave me everything, especially my greatest lessons that continue to guide my life. I felt a mixture of great joy and great loss as I witnessed the enthronement of his reincarnation.
With the strength I have gained over the years of being with my guru, along with the support of other capable Nepali women, I recently established an organization named “ Strength”, with the intent to offer support to young Nepali women who have been sexually abused by their own families. We plan to offer them temporary shelter, counseling, and an education, with hopes that they can rebuild their lives and lead positive and beneficial lives.
My thanks go out to all of you, my teacher, friends, staff, supporters and sponsors- all my guardian angels! Along with my thanks come my best wishes for a most Happy New Year!