Buddha Smiles: Lotus Outreach Marks 12 Years of Partnership to Educate Vulnerable Children in Tamil Nadu

NEWS

Home » News » Engaged Buddhism » Buddha Smiles: Lotus Outreach Marks 12 Years of Partnership to Educate Vulnerable Children in Tamil Nadu

Buddha Smiles: Lotus Outreach Marks 12 Years of Partnership to Educate Vulnerable Children in Tamil Nadu

By Craig C Lewis
August 28, 2024

Lotus Outreach, a nonprofit organization founded by the revered Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and author Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, has announced 12 years of successful partnership with the Guru Krupa Foundation and the Garden of Peace School in Tamil Nadu on the Buddha Smiles project to provide holistic after-school education to underprivileged and at-risk children.

Lotus Outreach focuses on improving the lives of women and children in developing countries, in particular Cambodia and India. Founded by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in 1993 and working on issues including education, healthcare, and human trafficking, Lotus Outreach International’s programs aim to empower children, young girls, and women to break the cycle of poverty and improve their communities.

“The Buddha Smiles project provides holistic after-school education to underprivileged children in the heartlands of Tamil Nadu, amid the rural landscapes of Vellore, Arni, and Tiruvannamalai districts,” Lotus Outreach explained in a recent announcement.

“Buddha Smiles is a project conceived of and operated by our brilliant partner, the Garden of Peace School, founded by Dr. Manivannan. It was when the founder of the Guru Krupa Foundation, Mukund Padmanabhan, connected with the Buddha Smiles project in 2012 that he became an unwavering supporter of Buddha Smiles and Lotus Outreach. . . .” (Lotus Outreach International)

The Guru Krupa Foundation is a private foundation, incorporated in New York, that funds a range of charitable causes, from basic needs such as food, shelter, health, and basic education, to higher education, arts and culture, spirituality, and the environment.

“The mission of Garden of Peace is to bridge the educational gap for underprivileged children, and toward this aim the school has established 15 evening study centers, which they coordinate across the region,” Lotus Outreach noted. “The centers are sanctuaries and educational hubs for the children of stone quarry workers, landless laborers, small farmers, daily wage laborers, and weavers’ families. In these communities, quality education is a distant dream due to various socio-economic factors. The lack of parental guidance, financial instability, and societal pressures significantly impede the academic progress of these children.” (Lotus Outreach International)

Lotus Outreach empowers students and families in poverty around the world, in regions across India and Cambodia, and through partnerships in Brazil, Guatemala, Vietnam, and the US, ensuring access to education, clean water, counseling, and health and nutritional support into the future. Some of Lotus Outreach’s other outreach programs include providing scholarships for girls to attend school, building schools and community centers, and providing vocational training and micro-finance opportunities for women.

“[For these] young learners, education will likely be their only ticket out of the cycle of poverty in their families. They face formidable challenges on this journey,” Lotus Outreach remarked. “Illiteracy prevails in their households, and the absence of parental support further exacerbates their struggles. Moreover, gender disparities persist, with girls often being denied educational opportunities and relegated to domestic duties, while boys are pushed into labor to supplement family income. Consequently, the dropout rate among these children, particularly after primary school, is alarmingly high. The vicious cycle of poverty seems unbreakable, perpetuating generational disadvantage.” (Lotus Outreach International)

In cooperation with its partners, the Buddha Smiles Project works to: ensure that children in rural and marginalized communities have access to free, quality education; empower first-generation learners to navigate educational challenges and break the cycle of poverty; promotes gender equality and encourage girls to pursue their academic aspirations; reduce dropout rates; forge strong partnerships with local communities, parents, and stakeholders to garner support for educational initiatives; foster ongoing relationships with government schools in a shared commitment to improving education.

“By steadfastly pursuing these objectives, the Buddha Smiles project endeavors to transform the lives of underprivileged children, instill hope for a brighter future, and contribute to the socioeconomic development of the communities it serves,” said Lotus Outreach. “Buddha Smiles educational centers serve as educational havens for a total of 570 children throughout the year [as of August 2024] in regular centers as well as 82 children in coordinating centers which provide individualized attention and support for children in need.”(Lotus Outreach International)

What began as a small project aiding Tibetan refugees in 1993 has expanded to be an international organization with affiliates in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia dedicated to helping some of the most forgotten, neglected, and suffering groups on this earth. Lotus Outreach believes that real change starts in the hearts and minds of individuals. Through transforming individuals, Lotus Outreach programs transform communities in ways that will reverberate for generations. (Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche)

Click here to learn more about the Buddha Smiles project

Born in Bhutan in 1961, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is the son of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and was a close student of the Nyingma master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–91). He is recognized as the third incarnation of the 19th century Tibetan terton Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), founder of the Khyentse lineage, and the immediate incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959).

In addition to Lotus Outreach, Rinpoche’s projects include Khyentse Foundation, established in 2001 to promote the Buddha’s teaching and support all traditions of Buddhist study and practice; 84000, a non-profit global initiative to translate the words of the Buddha and make them available to all; Siddhartha’s Intent, an international collective of Buddhist groups supporting Rinpoche’s Buddhadharma activities by organizing teachings and retreats, distributing and archiving recorded teachings, and transcribing, editing, and translating manuscripts and practice texts; and Lhomon Society, which promotes sustainable development in Bhutan through education.

Craig C Lewis

Craig Lewis grew up in a transplanted Scottish family in southern England before setting off against all advice to seek light and wisdom in far-off places, rather than staying put and looking within. After repeated encounters with the Buddhadharma as a journalist in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and across Asia, he eventually found refuge as senior editor at BDG, where he reports and writes on the diversity of contemporary manifestations of the Dharma. Craig is also a keen mountain trekker and photographer, finding particular inspiration in the peoples, cultures, and Buddhist expressions of the Himalaya. In his column for BDG, “Chasing Light,” Craig seeks to document encounters, experiences, and epiphanies resulting from his own tentative and faltering path toward liberation. Contact: [email protected]

All Authors >>