1. Who is managing Nyatri Foundation?

All members and supporters of Nyatri work on voluntary basis. They are scientists, journalists, doctors, teachers, businessmen - people from all walks of life - who care for the future of the poorest among the poor and some time ago decided to join forces in order to become more efficient helpers. They use their own equipment, devote their own time and money to support Nyatri. Nyatri does cover its operating costs with a percentage from donations provided by sponsors for the children. Only donations clearly marked as intended to support administrative operations of the foundation are used to pay for the accounting, transfers, printing leaflets and similar tasks. To see short information and photos of members and supporters of Nyatri, click here: http://nyatri.org/component/option,com_contact/catid,12/Itemid,58/ .

2. Where can I find any information about Dolanji Children's Home in English ?

Look for information in English in the English version of our site www.nyatri.org and on the Austrian site of a foundation similar to Nyatri, which also supports Dolanji children (the link is placed on the Polish site of Nyatri). All modules of Nyatri Foundation site will be gradually translated into English.

3. Who can become a Karmic Parent to a BCH child?

Any single person, family or group of friends can become a Karmic Parent. To apply, send us an e-mail to the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This address is protected against spammers, enable JavaScript in your browser to see it. Alternatively, you can fill in a form provided at http://nyatri.org/content/view/596/123/

An adult person without regular income (e.g. a student without regular job) can become a Karmic Parent together with a person who receives regular income (a family member who works or received a retirement or disability pension. )

If you wish to sponsor a child together with another person or a group, please appoint your representative (ATTENTION: your representative must be an adult) for contacts with Nyatri Foundation.
4. Can a school grade become a Karmic Parent to a child ?

BCH children require sponsorship for as long as they study; this can take more than ten years. Due to the fact that school grades are disbanded as soon as they graduate, they cannot become Karmic Parents. However, you can support older students at Dolanji under our Education Programme http://nyatri.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=486&Itemid=51
Your grade can also fund a grant for talented BCH students or participate in a variety of our programmes under which we collect money for buying books, teaching aids, shoes etc. If you are under age, please appoint an adult representative of your form (a teacher or a parent) for contacts with Nyatri Foundation on behalf of your form.

5. How can I make a payment?

You decide how often you make your payments and your preferred payment terms. Nyatri Foundation transfers the whole amount of money received by you to the account of BCH from India. Once the Secretary of BCH receives the transfer, he sends an official confirmation back to Nyatri. Copies of confirmations are retained by Nyatri, and originals are sent to Sponsors. In this way, you are in control of your payments. You can make them monthly, quarterly or yearly in advance, at your convenience.

6. What is the preferred currency for making the payments ?

On April 2009, the Foundation opened its USD account. Please make your payments for BCH children directly to that account. Karmic Parents should transfer monthly 25 USD if they have children who study in Dolanji, or 75 USD if their children study outside Dolanji. Nyatri Foundation shall transfer accrued amounts twice a year, as agreed with BCH .

Please use the USD account to transfer your donations for the Education Programme, Family Reunion and general needs of BCH.

Nyatri also has a PLN account. Please use this account to transfer your donations for the MediCare Program, Shoes for Dolanji, visit of BCH children to Poland, general support of the Foundation, operating costs of Nyatri Foundation etc.

7. When shall I get a confirmation of my payments for Nyatri and transfers made on my behalf to BCH?

Sponsors receive confirmations of their transfers at the bank or post office. Confirmations of transfers made by Nyatri to BCH on your behalf shall be mailed to you at the end of the calendar year.

8. Can I allocate % of my Personal Income Tax for Nyatri Foundation ?

For the time being, Nyatri does not have the status of a non-profit organization, so you cannot allocate 1% of you tax for it.

9. Do BCH children have Karmic Parents from other countries as well?

Yes, some of the children have their Karmic Parents also from other countries which have foundations similar to Nyatri, including Austria, Switzerland, France and the U.S. BCH has also a few sponsors from the Czech Republic, Israel and Germany. In total, about 50 BCH children have sponsors from countries other than Poland (as on 2007). Nyatri Foundation groups the highest number of Karmic Parents, which means that most BCH children have their Karmic Parents in Poland. We do not have any detailed information on Karmic Parents form other countries. However, as all the donations are pooled together to support the whole BCH, the more sponsors are active, the better. Every donation benefits the children and enhances their standard of living, lifting it above the social minimum.

The Nyatri Foundation is very well aware of the fact that children are nobody's property and no one should by any means claim to be the sole Karmic Parent. However, we differ in one respect from foundations from other countries, because we encourage our Karmic Parents to stay in touch with their children and to write personal letters to them. Children need such support of their karmic families, which helps them on the psychological level. Sponsors from other countries generally do not contact their children. Therefore, we recommend that Polish Karmic parents should send letters and parcels (if possible) or even personally visit their children in Dolanji (See Point 3 of FAQ).

Visit the Nyatri website which displays a list of children sponsored by Polish Karmic Parents, to see for yourself how numerous is the Polish family of BCH children. You can e-mail some Karmic Parents who agreed to disclose their names and e-mail addresses.

10. Can I get the photo of my Karmic Child, if it is not available on the website?

If the photo of your child is not available on the website www.nyatri.org, it means that we do not have any photographs of her/him in our archives. You will receive a photo as soon as a representative of Nyatri Foundation or a Karmic Parent visits Dolanji and photographs the child for you, but please send a reminder message to the Karmic Adoption Coordinator or post your request on the Karmic Parent Forum (http://www.nyatri.fora.pl/).

11. How can I learn which size of clothes and shoes is currently right for my child?

At present, the best and fastest way is to write your child a letter asking to send the measurements directly to you. BCH does not have enough caregivers; all of them are overworked and just cannot spare their time to attend to such details. Another option is to wait until some Polish Karmic Parent visits BCH (usually in winter) and ask her or him to photograph and measure your child - directly or through the Karmic Adoption Coordinator. Alternatively, you can leave your post on the forum.

12. How can I stay in touch with my Karmic Child?

We have always encouraged Karmic Parents to write letters to their Karmic Children and to send them photographs - preferably of the whole families. If you have children of your own, you can also include letters or drawings from them. BCH children learn English and write their letters in that language. If your Karmic Child is small and cannot write well, his or her older friends will translate letters from the Polish parent and will help him/her to write the replies.
You can also visit your Karmic Child. If you are planning a trip to India, you are welcome to come to Dolanji. The refugee camp has a guest-house (B&B cost is 175 rupees/day). For more information read points 11 and 12 below, or consul the Karmic Parent Forum http://www.nyatri.fora.pl/

Please note that in January 2008 new restrictions were introduced:

BCH is located on the area of Tibetan Refugee Camp. Under Indian law, foreigners wishing to enter the camp are required to hold a special permit from the authorities in Delhi. Regrettably, the procedure of obtaining such permit can take up to 3 months. Practically, it is available only for persons who came to India with a longer visit. It is possible to come to Dolanji without the permit, but you must be aware that authorities of the monastery which supervise the whole refugee camp may not allow you to go to the valley where BCH is located. However, children may go to the guest house to visit their karmic parents. If you enter BCH without permit may be asked to leave Dolanji immediately. The restrictions were introduced in January 2008 by a new police inspector who is strictly following to the law.

Nyatri Foundation does not accept responsibility for difficulties in contacting the children or for lost letters and packages sent by sponsors. We do not help in arranging visits to India and to the Tibetan Refugee Camp.

We try to obtain information about children involved by Karmic Adoption program and to relay it to the sponsors. BCH authorities promised to deliver up-to date news about children once in a quarter of the year.

13. When is the best time to visit Bon Children's Home and how to get there ?

The best time to visit BCH is from the end of September to the beginning of May, because the weather is not too hot then. Dolanji is located in south-eastern Himachal Pradesh, in Shivalik Mountains which are the foothills of the Himalayas (about 1000m high ). The weather is very hot in summer, with monsoons occurring at times. Ideally, you should visit Dolanji in spring or autumn. December and January are very cold, particularly at night and in shaded areas. Days with the sun on are reasonably warm then. Nevertheless, winter there is much more agreeable than summer. Most visitors come in mid-February and stay until end March to take part in Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebrations, and in numerous holidays and cultural events that are staged afterwards. The only guest house in the village is usually booked at that time, but it is possible to book your accommodation in advance. The children are on holiday from Christmas to February 10 or so, and then they have a week or two off around Losar. At that time, Karmic Parents can spend plenty of time with their children, and voluntaries can conduct pre-arranged courses and clubs for the children.

- Travelling to Dolanji is relatively easy. You can get there in 8 - 10 hours.

- Take a train from New Railway Station in Delhi to Kalka, north of Delhi. Then take a narrow-gauge train ( from the same platform) which goes to Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh. The railway was built by the British who used to spend the hottest part of summer in this mountain spa. However, you should get off in Solan, which is mid-way to Shimla. Then go to Dolanji which is about 17 km away by taxi ( about 250 IRS) or auto rickshaw (150-200 IRS).

- You can also take a motor coach from Delhi directly to Solan. The terminal is in northern Delhi, near Tibetan district Majnu Ka Tila. All coaches to Shimla go through Solan. Standard coaches leave every 15-30 minutes. The trip takes approximately 7-8 but is very uncomfortable, although cheap (about 150 IRS). We recommend Lux-Bus Volvo which departs once a day and gets to Solan in 9 hours (standard similar to Polish intercity coaches with air conditioning, reclining armchairs, mineral water and video). The ticket costs 650 IRS and it must be booked in advance. Ask the driver to let you off in Solan at the taxi stop, not at the terminal.

- In Dolanji, ask the driver to take you to the guest house, almost at the end of the road (do not hop off at the local shop, just behind the entrance gate to the village).

- The coach from Dolanji to Solan leaves twice a day, at about 10 am. and 1 pm., the bus stop is near the shop. The ticket costs 10-12 IRS. Good luck!

14. How to book accommodation at the Guest House in Dolanji?

Write an e-mail to the Guest Master Geshe Asonam or Dundrup at the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This address is protected against spammers, enable JavaScript in your browser to see it. If you get no reply (Internet in Dolanji can be haphazard), ring them at : 0091-9816327333.

Please remember about booking your accommodation especially during Losar. Losar is not a fixed holiday and it is celebrated in February or March. Dolanji guest house is usually fully booked then.

15. Can I invite my Karmic Children for holidays to Poland?

Due to international regulations preventing child trafficking, it is impossible to invite to Poland any BCH children under age. You can invite adult persons (e.g. students) but you must cover the cost of return flight and all costs of the visit of your guest. Please take into consideration the cultural differences - Tibetans not always feel comfortable in Poland.
Persons interested in inviting older BCH charges to Poland are kindly requested to contact Nyatri Foundation. We will provide you with more details concerning formal arrangements of such visits.