Artist
ROKPA Children from Nepal
From homelessness to independence
ROKPA, meaning ‘to help’ and ‘to serve’ in Tibetan, is a charity founded in 1980 by Tibetan meditation master and medical doctor, Dr. Akong Tulku Rinpoche, and Swiss actress Ms. Lea Wyler, along with her father, Dr. Veit Wyler. Fully embracing its mission in ‘helping where help is needed’, ROKPA has established active programs in Nepal, Tibet and Zimbabwe, in addition to branches in 18 other countries worldwide, where it actively seeks to help vulnerable people living in impoverished and destitute environments. By providing and financing essential medical care, setting up soup kitchens and a women’s artisan workshop, and offering education and shelter to children living on the street or who have been orphaned by disease, ROKPA and the dedicated efforts of Dr. Rinpoche and Ms. Wyler have profoundly affected the lives of many, many people.
Joining this year’s Brave Festival are children from Nepal, who come to us from ROKPA Children’s Home in Kathmandu. Established in 1996, the Children’s Home provides shelter, food, education and support for neglected and orphaned children and, in certain circumstances, their families. Nepal is among the twelve poorest countries in the world; with a population of 23 million, the literacy rate is 28%, and over half the population is plagued with tuberculosis, in addition to tens of thousands of cases of HIV/AIDS and leprosy. Many children have been orphaned by disease, or by impoverished families in completely helpless situations, unable to support their children. More often than not, these children end up on the street begging or, if they can find work, doing occasional jobs.
In 1990, ROKPA began its first project in Nepal by setting up a soup kitchen that operated during the cold winters in Kathmandu. Visited by hundreds of people daily, this soup kitchen was a lifeline for many destitute families, who could also receive vital medical treatment by ROKPA doctors. Soon thereafter, ROKPA co-founder and Vice President Lea Wyler (affectionately known to the children as Mummy Lea) began finding homes for some of the children in residential schools, ensuring consistent shelter, food, education and medical care. In 1996, ROKPA was able to open its own Children’s Home, providing essential care for up to 50 orphaned or vulnerable children; this has recently been expanded in order to house up to 80 children and 10 women. At the Children’s Home, the children receive a good education, are given opportunities for further study and employment, and provide a support system for each other as they grow up; the older ones act as Caring Big Brothers and Sisters for the little ones, and help them with their lessons and with life. In this way, ROKPA has so far helped hundreds of impoverished and destitute children, and continues to do so, by providing invaluable support and opportunities for them and for their families.
Programme:
Title: A journey to Tibet with ROKPA. Meeting with Leą Wyler and Anna Zubrzycki
Place: Festival Club Mleczarnia
date/hour: 05.07.2009 / 15:00
Price: wstęp wolny
Title: BRAVE KIDS. Rokpa Children from Nepal. From Homelessness to Independence, Song of the Goat Theatre
Place: Song Of The Goat Theatre
date/hour: 05.07.2009 / 17:00
Price: wstęp wolny
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From homelessness to independenceROKPA, meaning ‘to help’ and ‘to serve’ in Tibetan, is a charity founded in 1980 by Tibetan meditation master and medical doctor, Dr. Akong Tulku Rinpoche, and Swiss actress Ms. Lea Wyler, along with her father, Dr. Veit Wyler. Fully embracing its mission in ‘helping where help is needed’, ROKPA has established active programs in Nepal, Tibet and Zimbabwe, in addition to branches in 18 other countries worldwide, where it actively seeks to help vulnerable people living in impoverished and destitute environments. By providing and financing essential medical care, setting up soup kitchens and a women’s artisan workshop, and offering education and shelter to children living on the street or who have been orphaned by disease, ROKPA and the dedicated efforts of Dr. Rinpoche and Ms. Wyler have profoundly affected the lives of many, many people.
Joining this year’s Brave Festival are children from Nepal, who come to us from ROKPA Children’s Home in Kathmandu. Established in 1996, the Children’s Home provides shelter, food, education and support for neglected and orphaned children and, in certain circumstances, their families. Nepal is among the twelve poorest countries in the world; with a population of 23 million, the literacy rate is 28%, and over half the population is plagued with tuberculosis, in addition to tens of thousands of cases of HIV/AIDS and leprosy. Many children have been orphaned by disease, or by impoverished families in completely helpless situations, unable to support their children. More often than not, these children end up on the street begging or, if they can find work, doing occasional jobs.
In 1990, ROKPA began its first project in Nepal by setting up a soup kitchen that operated during the cold winters in Kathmandu. Visited by hundreds of people daily, this soup kitchen was a lifeline for many destitute families, who could also receive vital medical treatment by ROKPA doctors. Soon thereafter, ROKPA co-founder and Vice President Lea Wyler (affectionately known to the children as Mummy Lea) began finding homes for some of the children in residential schools, ensuring consistent shelter, food, education and medical care. In 1996, ROKPA was able to open its own Children’s Home, providing essential care for up to 50 orphaned or vulnerable children; this has recently been expanded in order to house up to 80 children and 10 women. At the Children’s Home, the children receive a good education, are given opportunities for further study and employment, and provide a support system for each other as they grow up; the older ones act as Caring Big Brothers and Sisters for the little ones, and help them with their lessons and with life. In this way, ROKPA has so far helped hundreds of impoverished and destitute children, and continues to do so, by providing invaluable support and opportunities for them and for their families.
Programme:
Title: A journey to Tibet with ROKPA. Meeting with Leą Wyler and Anna Zubrzycki
Place: Festival Club Mleczarnia
date/hour: 05.07.2009 / 15:00
Price: wstęp wolny
Title: BRAVE KIDS. Rokpa Children from Nepal. From Homelessness to Independence, Song of the Goat Theatre
Place: Song Of The Goat Theatre
date/hour: 05.07.2009 / 17:00
Price: wstęp wolny
