Our Very Own Magi

On this special day of gift giving, we would like to share, not the story of the three wise men, but that of a very kind and generous wise woman called Teresa, a sponsor of the Women's Literacy Project who has donated extensively to our cause.

As a teacher, Teresa knows that illiteracy is at the root of the great gender divide that exists in India. Hence, she is aware of how the lives of the women of Paddar will improve through literacy.

We know Teresa well and can easily speak of her intelligence, her wit and her commitment to helping the needy. Through her generosity, she has helped sustain this literacy project since its launch in 2010. She has always asked to remain anonymous, but we felt we needed to pay homage to our most generous and concerned benefactor on this day of giving and solidarity.

A new portrait, another note of thanks

Today we would like to introduce you to Isabel, another of our highly esteemed sponsors. Isabel is a hard-working woman from Galicia, Spain, who believes in helping the illiterate women of Gulabgarh--women she has never met, but whom she understands. She feels empathy for and identifies with the women of a village that is so far away from her own because she shares their personal struggle to succeed in life, to help raise a family and to participate in the responsibilities and the decisions of her household. Isabel is a woman we cherish and admire.

A true fighter, Isabel has come up in the world through her own determination and desire to learn and improve. She has acquired the knowhow and wisdom that come from study and experience and used them to improve her education and her life. Because Isabel is aware of the importance of lifelong learning, she continues to harness and broaden this knowledge. Indeed, at present she is preparing state exams to compete for a job in the health services. For us she is an example of courage, fortitude and optimism.

Thank you, Isabel, for believing in the WLP and for helping us to work toward empowering the women of Gulabgarh through the Women's Literacy Project.

Importance of Inner Values

The Dalai Lama addresses his audience on the importance of

the inner values of love, compassion and forgiveness.

Below are some extracts of his speech that relate to the ideas that are behind the WLP's mission: concern for others and the meaning of community.

"Money, power alone cannot bring together human beings. A sense of concern of others' well-being: that mental attitude alone brings us together."

"Each individual's future entirely depends on the rest of the humanity. No matter how powerful one single person is, but their future… is entirely dependent on the community."