Category Archives: News

May News: Women’s Rural Business

We are excited to introduce Women’s Rural Business, a new program developed in collaboration with the Garden of Peace school in Tamil Nadu, India. In communities where women have long been kept from income-earning jobs and decision making roles, the independence to earn for themselves has an immensely powerful effect on the wellbeing of that woman, her family, and her community. With this in mind, Women’s Rural Business was developed to increase capability, wealth and wellbeing in rural communities in India by creating jobs and developing local economies around women’s opportunities and empowerment.

Earth Day: Educating Girls

Girls’ education is #6 on Project Drawdown’s list of 100 solutions to reverse global warming. A combination of educating girls to be climate-conscious leaders, access to contraception and family planning makes educating girls a cost effective, deeply transformative and attainable solution. But in low and middle income countries and communities, girls often lack access to quality education. Gender inequality reinforces harmful narratives that keep girls from attending school and has consequences for communities, societies and ultimately, the planet.

Cutting Through Two Spaces Print Release, Women’s History Month & Humble Bundle & 1,000 Coffee Giving

We are delighted to make available Cutting Through Two Spaces, a calligraphy by our founder, Khyentse Norbu. The calligraphy is available as a Giclée print made using archival pigment inks on 100% cotton archival matte paper. The paper is 290gsm with a bright finish and smooth texture. All proceeds from the sale of these prints are dedicated to LO. At this uncertain time in our world, we aspire that our work together is a source of light and inspiration. We have many exciting initiatives upcoming made possible by the generosity of our partners, giving community, and all of our aspiration to bring genuine benefit and transformation to people’s lives.

1,000 Coffee: Day of the Girl

This year’s Day of the Girl event was celebrated as a part of 1,000 Coffee, a monthly giving initiative at LO, inspired by a quote from Founder, Khyentse Norbu. LO Ambassadors and community members have hosted events around the world to help raise awareness for LO and inspire collective giving through the sacrifice of the amount equivalent to a cappuccino each week or month. Monthly gifts create a foundation of support through our Scholarship Fund, which supports long term access to education for beneficiaries and in turn the wellbeing of their families, communities and societies.

Blossom Bus Update: Hemlata’s Story

We are so happy to partner with Kapadia Foundation in expanding Blossom Bus to College students. Staff on the ground in India recently had the opportunity to meet with some of the students who are a part of this program. Many of these girls are the first in their families and communities to get an education, graduate high school, let alone go on to pursue tertiary education and careers. They are driven young women who are inspiring change in their friends, sisters and communities. Hemlata is one of the students riding the Blossom Bus into her second year of college.

1,000 Coffee in Hong Kong! Candice, Chris, and the WellnessXperts Community

We are so excited that Candice Tsuei and Chris Lo are hosting the first Lotus Outreach bike ride to take place in Hong Kong on June 13th. With a small group of about 8 friends they will bike from Shatin to Tai Mei Tuk, a leisurely 20 km route on a quiet trail, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. They hope to have 50+ riders join! Bike rentals will be available at the start point of the ride. Along the way the bikers will be able to see the tall Tsz Shan Monastery Guan Yin statue in addition to the beautiful greeneries. The ride is organized by the WellnessXperts community and friends in partnership with LO Hong Kong.

THIRD RIDE: Yuchang Road, Taiwan

April Cheng is riding for Lotus Outreach for the second year in a row! Her ride on May 8th and 9th is the third consecutive annual bike ride event hosted by LO Taiwan and is a part of our 1,000 Coffee initiative at LO. This year’s ride is 96 km up Yuchang Road, a beautiful and challenging route in the mountains of southeast Taiwan. April will ride with teacher, Rachic Sra, and a team of 15 bikers from Junyi High in Taitung City, Taiwan. This is the first in a series of three bike rides that April and the Grade 11 Bike Group at Junyi plan to organize this year for LO beneficiaries in connection with 1,000 Coffee events. The next rides will be June 18-20th and July 1-10!

Art for LO and Kali of Calcutta by Ms. Emily Avery Yoshiko Crow

The first artist featured for our Art for LO series is a dear friend of Lotus Outreach, Ms. Emily Avery Yoshiko Crow. Emily offered her Kali of Calcutta painting to LO, recognizing the volatility present in our world is affecting the most vulnerable, especially girls. Kali is a powerful goddess traditionally worshipped throughout Nepal and India. Her message is connected with harnessing the potential of challenge, volatility, and destruction for the benefit of humanity. In many spiritual traditions she is a divine protector and object of prayer. We are honored to make available Ms. Crow’s painting as a special edition Kali of Calcutta T-shirt and Kali of Calcutta Art Print through the LO Store. We are deeply grateful for her generosity in dedicating the proceeds of these items to the girls who are LO beneficiaries.

The Pandemic and a Global Education Crisis

At the heart of the pandemic is an education crisis. Access to education is under threat, particularly for children from low income and marginalized communities. Children have never been more vulnerable to dropping out of school, especially girls. Nearly 1.6 billion children from 190 countries were out of school at the height of the pandemic. Lotus Outreach continues to operate our programs where possible, serving the most vulnerable families, communities, and students with crucial support so that families do not give up. Our team is working tirelessly to ensure the children and female scholarship recipients we serve stay connected and committed to their educational goals even as schools remain closed.

Against All Odds: Education Quality Addition (EQU+) & Buddha Smiles during Lockdown

The covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on education around the world, it is the largest interruption of schooling in history with 1.5 billion students out of school across 190 countries.