A short article about the ICDP programme has been written for publication by the Nuns Welfare Foundation (NWF).
The article was written by German psychologist Rita Crecelius, who is in process of receiving training in ICDP. Her hope is to have her article published in the NWF’s Newsletter and to create interest in ICDP within the NWF. NWF is an interesting organization doing important work, so we hope that Rita’s efforts will bring fruits.
NWF was set up by Ani Choying Drolma. Born in Nepal to Tibetan refugee parents, Drolma’s rise from teenage nun to international music star is the stuff of fairy tales. Her prolific philanthropic work and subsequent role as Nepal’s first UNICEF national ambassador has earned her comparisons to India’s Mother Teresa.
But with 12 pop albums to her name Drolma is arguably a more unusual, ground breaking figure.
Rather than just relying on prayer, Drolma is using her voice to help needy Nepalese in one of the world’s poorest countries. All of the proceeds from Dolma’s record sales and performances go directly into the Nuns’ Welfare Foundation which she founded in 1998.
Two years later, she opened the free Arya Tara boarding school in Kathmandu, which is home to nuns from poor backgrounds in Nepal and India, and run entirely by female nuns. Unlike at the monastery where Drolma grew up, in addition to religious teachings, the girls receive lessons in English, Nepali, mathematics, science, and computing — subjects to prepare them for careers. Many have gone on to higher education.
Ani Choying Drolma is also Nepal’s first UNICEF international ambassador. Her work focusses on protecting young people in the Asian nation.
“I’m the first nun in Nepal sending children in nuns robes into normal colleges,” Drolma tells CNN. “They’ve never had that type of encouragement before.”
In 2010, the NWF opened the Aarogya Foundation, which provides medical services to those with kidney problems and has successfully lobbied the government to provide free dialysis to poor people in Nepal.
In 2014, Drolma was made Nepal’s first UNICEF national ambassador. In a country where more than 33.9% of children in rural areas and nearly 9.1% in urban settlements are doing some kind of economic work, she was assigned to protect young Nepalese from violence.