Nuns get training in leadership, management skills in Bhutan

Thimphu [Bhutan], February 1 : The Bhutan Nuns Foundation recently organised a 10-day capacity-building training programme to educate and empower the country's nuns, so that they could become agents of change and contribute to society, The Bhutan Live reported.
The report further quoted the foundation saying that the nuns rarely get training opportunities due to which their knowledge remains under-utilised.
The Programme Officer of the Bhutan Nuns Foundation Namgyel Lhamo was quoted in the Bhutan Live report saying that "We believe that nuns are the agents of social change and would be able to reach the un-reached. Nuns and monks are very connected with the communities, example in the rural part of the nunneries, they are so connected with the communities and whatever training we give, we always give them a message to take back to the communities not only for nunneries, not only for yourself but for the communities as well,"
The training was intended to provide the nuns with skills in leadership and management. Tashi Zangmo the Executive Director of the Bhutan Nuns Foundation "We thought this kind of institution was very necessary for the nuns to empower and make them feel confident. It also gives them the leadership qualities that they already possess. But we equip them with skills on how to deliver, to give them the delivery skills. So, those are some of the things we are working on; helping them to identify and recognise their own potential".
"In Bhutan, the nunneries have always been led by the monk teachers like Khenpos. And they never felt the need to manage and lead their own nunneries. At least if we can give them this skill, give the basic leadership and management kind of training, then they can feel confident that they can manage and help at least the teacher or the Khenpos," Zangmo added.
After this the nuns that have attended the training programme looked forward to further impart the training that they got to the other nunneries and communities of Bhutan.
One participant of the programme Tshering Zam said that "I have availed a lot of training from the Bhutan Nuns Foundation. I completed leadership training recently from Gelephu and it has been very helpful to me. With this training, I can impart my learnings to everyone including children, communities, and old people. I am still training hard at the moment to become a good trainer,".
"I learned that once you become a leader it is no more about being individualistic. We have to think about the community. And I also learned that being a true leader means being someone who helps and guides the trainees." another participant of the nun capacity building programme by the Bhutan Nuns Foundation said.