Following the Tibetan uprising against foreign occupation in 1959 thousands of Tibetan refugees made their way to India. Most have now been resettled in various parts of India due to the efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Government of India.

Some years ago Menri Monastery, near Solan in Northern India, began to take a number of children on behalf of parents who were in difficult situations resulting from unemployment, divorce or death. When a child is brought to the monastery, with a request to help, it is impossible to refuse from a religious and humanitarian point of view. As the faith of the parents of these children is Tibet's native religion they naturally have a strong wish that they should remain in a place where they will be properly cared for and receive a traditional Tibetan education and not be separated from their culture.

Over the past few years the number of children in care for has increased from 14 to 60. They are aged 6 to 16 years with their parents coming from various parts of Tibet. Our monastic centre has been making great efforts to provide them with food, lodging, as well as a basic education. They also learn English, Hindi and Tibetan. Children go to the Central School for Tibetans in Dolanji during the day. When they finish school they are given a choice: those who have homes can return; those who wish to continue schoolwork can go to boarding school with financial help from the monastery; children can go on to the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies; those who wish can stay at the monastery and become a monk studying a full course of teachings including; logic, grammar, philosophy, astrology, Sanskrit, and poetics.

These children need support and with over 100 monks in the monastery it can be difficult. Your help is needed to keep a child at subsistence level (costs about about £60.00/$115.00 for a year), all contributions are gratefully received as they help to meet the expenses involved.

Perhaps you may wish to sponsor one or several children for 6 months, a year, or more, your support will be heartily appreciated and offer direct and very real benefit. If desired sponsors receive a photograph of the child they are helping.

Kindly makes cheques payable to "Bon Children Welfare Centre" and post to:

Bon Children Welfare Centre
Menri Monastery
P.O. Kotla Panjola
Via Oachghat
Solan
Himachal Pradesh 173223
India