Through the vision of Venerable Yogi Norbu Rinpoche, the Phende Care Centre was established in 2014 as a non-profit charitable organization, to care for and support needy children by providing basic education, nutrition, health care, sanitation, protection and emergency relief.
Many vulnerable children in Nepal resort to begging, sleeping on the streets, taking drugs and scavenging garbage for food. Street children and child labourers in Nepal are highly vulnerable to exploitation and can suffer life-long and profound social, economical, environmental and psychological problems. Added to this is the lingering effects of the 2015 earthquake that devastated the capital and surrounding areas.
Rinpoche was born into a Tibetan family that traces its lineage bank to one of the ministers of the legendary King Gesar of Ling. He was born in 1973 in South India. When he was just seven years old, he joined a monastery for his studies, as is often the case in the Tibetan community, especially among the poor who cannot afford private education. He studied the Tibetan language and memorized the daily essential prayers as well as studying Buddhist texts and commentaries by both Indian and Tibetan masters.
He continued his practice, receiving teachings from a wide range of Buddhist teachers, particularly Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoches. In 2006, he began his retreat in Pharping in Nepal, which lasted the full three years and three months. After completing the retreat, he made frequent visits to Malaysia and Singapore to teach his students. Meanwhile, he is giving teachings and guiding other western students into retreat.
He decided to set up the Phende Care Centre – a children’s home for the poor, disabled and orphaned – in 2014, initially from his own funds. The purpose is to support their education, provide love and care, and develop bonds of lifelong friendship.
Phende Care Centre 