Lotus Outreach began in 1993 in Bir, Northern India. Chairman and founder, Khyentse Norbu, formed White Lotus Children’s Program providing educational sponsorships for Tibetan refugee families. He then established additional programs in other parts of India including the first mobile health and educational van in Delhi to help impoverished street children.

In 2002, White Lotus was incorporated in the United States. In 2003, the name was changed to Lotus Outreach. The organization then expanded the reach of our programs as well as the scope of the work. Our mission was and still remains to effectively improve the lives of impoverished and exploited children and their communities in a comprehensive and compassionate manner. We aim to achieve this mission by identifying and supporting community-based sister organizations that reach out to and care for vulnerable and exploited children in their respective countries.

The organization was incorporated in California with the objective of creating an American center of infrastructure and program support. International supporters of Lotus Outreach concurrently established their own support networks and became our global affiliates. Many of our affiliates from around the world have elected to become formally recognized non-profit organizations according to their own country’s laws and regulations. Securing non-profit status ensures credibility and facilitates tax exempt fundraising.

Khyentse Norbu is a renowned teacher known in the Buddhist world as Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. He presently oversees six branches of Siddhartha’s Intent, contemporary teaching and practice centers distributed over several continents, as well as the non-profit organizations under the umbrella of Khyentse Foundation. He is still active with Lotus Outreach and currently serves as the organization’s Chairman.