Krishna
Thing
Amir Lama
The story of a great social activist working in the shadows
"I came to realize that to me, happiness lies in helping others to overcome their difficulties and lead them to their success.."
Amir Lama
By participating in SGI activities and with my past experience in a service oriented business, I came to realize that to me, happiness lies in helping others to overcome their difficulties and lead them to their success. At the same time, I am also aware of the mistakes I have made in the name of helping others and growing a business.
That same year, with the help of Taz (now the SGI leader of women division in the UK, co-founder chairperson of Aangan Foundation UK) and five other doctors and volunteers from UK, most of whom are the members of SGI UK, we conducted a four days free health camp in the rural area of Sindhupalchock district. We served around 800 patients with a health check up along with necessary health counseling and free medicine distribution. It was a wonderful and one of the happiest moments of my life to see the smiling faces of the villagers and to receive their blessings.
Our foundation was able to conduct various activities in two years. We provided scholarships to high school students in Lalitpur from the academic year of 2009 to 2011 and built gender friendly toilets in public schools of Kathmandu in 2010. We are now running an ECD (Early Child Development) school in Banskharka VDC of Sindhupalchock district to secure children’s Right to Education.
"My name is Amir Lama and I have been practicing Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism on a regular basis since the beginning of 2009. I am very grateful and thankful to the three wonderful women, Anna, Joyce and Taz Wilson from UK who introduced and encouraged me to to practice Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism during their visit to Nepal at the end of 2008.
Before meeting them I was working in the consultancy business, in partnership with my cousin. I worked as a human ressource manager and guidance counselor from 2003 to 2008. At the end of 2008, we dissolved the partnership and I withdrew myself from the company. It was a wonderful experience working with my staff, colleagues,teachers and students.
After a few months of break from work, I came up with a new idea to help others that implied organizing social activities. I was able to bring together dedicated and capable individuals willing to contribute and support me in the developement of a society, together as founding members of what would soon become in mid 2009 the Aangan Foundation , a social organization with the vision “Together we can create a better society” . I became the president of the Foundation.
Amir Lama giving a workshop on singing bols therapy to the students at the Swayambhu community school.
The Aangan Foundation has started agricultural projects in Lisankhu VDC of Sindhupalchock district to empower women to genarate income, conducted various trainings in agriculture and animal husbandry for women in Lamatar of Lalitpur in 2009, conducted awareness campaigns and workshops to the high school students in Lisankhu VDC of Sindhupalchowk district to utilize the right to information for the development of their community.
Several exhibitions were held in different parts of UK for charity and selling Nepali handicrafts to raise funds for our projects. Nepali people from UK, USA, Australia, students of the Korean University and my friends and family have donated to accomplish these projects. We have also produced a Nepali folk music album under the name Mandala Sequence and we are currently working in producing western and fusion musical CDs to raise funds to support our ongoing and upcoming projects ( see the link to Studio Mandala). We have also registered the Angan Foundation USA, with the help of my elder sister and friends in USA."