Tashi Zangmo

After graduating from CIE, Dr. Tashi Zangmo undertook the challenge of creating an NGO called the Bhutan Nuns Foundation under the patronage of the Queen Mother of Bhutan. The Foundation is dedicated to improving the education and living conditions for the Buddhist Nuns in the country.  Creating a new organization turned out to be a formidable challenge, but she persevered.

 

In September 2011, Tashi was a speaker at a reception to generate support for the Bhutan Nuns Foundation which also featured the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

 

In 2016 she shared news of an award (right)

I have been meaning to write to you and convey the good news that the Bhutan Nuns Foundation (BNF) was recently awarded the National Award of Merit Gold by the King of Bhutan on the 17th December 2016, for the 109th National Day Celebration.

 

She visited CIE in September of 2017 and shared her work experience since completing her doctoral degree from CIE. She talked of the challenges and success of her work and  what she had been able to bring to the field from what she learned from the University particularly from CIE  She said, “The Bhutan Nuns Foundation is doing work similar to what the CIE is doing, except in a smaller way.” She talked about starting small but with a bigger vision, “Community development is not about building sky scrapers but about reaching out to the community in a small way and making a difference. The ripple effect will manifest in different ways throughout the world anyways”.

 

In conversation at CIE, she said she had come to realize that even small steps could begin a process of social change. The modest success of the BNF has led her to better understand and encourage the youth of Bhutan to realize that there is no need to wait for someone else to tell you what to do and the government to provide jobs. You can create jobs for others as well as for yourself.

 

It is very important to help change the attitudes of future generations which can be a powerful force for change in society in a positive manner. According to her, the foundation’s goal is to invest in nuns to be agents of social change in Bhutan. Tashi says she is fully dedicated to this mission and would love to hear from CIE members who might be interested in helping since CIE is used to running projects in many parts of the world.

 

More recently, in June of 2021 the BNF announced the formal opening of its Training Resource Center on the outskirts of the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.  The opening coincided with the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Yangdoen Wangchuck and National Nuns’ Day in Bhutan. Pictured below the Queen Mother (center) and Tashi (on right of Queen) and nuns from the BNF.

 

 

Tashi, the Executive Director of BNF, presented the Training Framework Manual to the Queen Mother – pictured right (Tashi on left). The manual, titled Nuns Empowerment Through Capacity and Skills Development, is composed of 38 modules. They will receive training in counseling, self-sufficiency, leadership and management, to help them to provide spiritual guidance to women and others interested in embarking on a spiritual journey.  The first cohort consists of 12 nuns who will go out to train others after finishing the course. [7-21]

 

Email: tzangmo@bhutannuns.org

 

Degree: 
Ed.D.
Entrance Year: 
Graduation Year: 
5-year span: 
Status: 
CIE Graduate