Harvard Alumni for Global Women's Empowerment

On May 22nd, join Harvard GlobalWE for a conversation with the Kung Fu Nuns. The Kung Fu Nuns from the thousand-year-old Drupka lineage of Buddhism are starting a new movement in the Himalayas by adopting Kung Fu as a way to build strength while championing gender equality. Breaking a centuries-long social order that favors men in leadership, these nuns are showing kindness in its fiercest form – empowering themselves and others to truly serve the world. This event will host a group of Kung Fu Nuns who will share their experiences and talk about the work that they do.

More about the Kung Fu Nuns

As champions of equality and environmentalism, these young women are known for their epic acts of service. Their recent 5,200-mile “Bicycle Yatra for Peace” took over three months, as they stopped in hundreds of villages for environmental education and to speak out against human trafficking. After the catastrophic Himalayan earthquakes of 2015, they refused evacuation in order to deliver critical aid to neglected regions. They also run free health clinics, respond to calls for emergency animal rescue, and have removed thousands of pounds of plastic litter from Himalayan and Indian land. These nuns teach Kung Fu as a way to promote self-defense to young girls in their communities, where violence against women is rarely reported. They are now adept in weaponry and hand-to-hand combat, and their exhibitions are so well-loved, they draw hundreds of thousands of spectators to their performances. “Kung Fu Nuns” is now a household name in many Himalayan regions, and even with over 800 Drukpa nuns in the ranks, there is a long waiting list of women and girls who want to join them.
 

In Nepal, the nuns sourced and delivered thousands of face masks to underserved villages during the critical early phases of COVID-19. After the lockdowns went into effect, the nuns identified a critical need for food and supplies for villages cut off from staple items. They mobilized a distribution network for items like rice and essential toiletries, and delivered these to over 2,000 families that would have faced starvation and extreme poverty as a result of joblessness and the closing of businesses.
 

To learn more about the Kung Fu Nuns, please visit their website: http://www.kungfununs.org/