Nyingtob Ling: A Refuge Built Out of Love and the Positive Potential of People

Eighteen years after a chance encounter at a School in Dharamsala, India, Liza von Rosenstiel’s mission to make a difference for Tibetan refugees comes full circle.

Liza von Rosenstiel would be the first to tell you she has a terrible sense of direction. So, when the Flagstaff, Arizona resident decided to explore Dharamsala, India in October 2005, it didn’t take long before she found herself far off the beaten path. Fortunately for Liza, like some of life’s most rewarding adventures, this detour turned out to be a happy accident. It set off an 18-year (and counting) quest to advocate for an extraordinary organization located halfway around the world, the Nyingtob Ling School for Tibetans with Disabilities, while connecting her, and the school, with Kahtoola.

The Art of Giving Back

An artist, Liza spent two decades in Washington State as an artist-in-residence, taking her “art out into the state ofWashington” to schools and prisons, where she worked with children and adults, including students with disabilities.

In 2005, Liza decided to take her art—and her fondness for giving back—further afield.

“I was about to turn 50, and I wanted to go to India to work at a sculpture garden in Chandigarh,” recalls Liza. “So I did. It was called Nek Chand, and I spent a month there repairing sculptures.”

During her time in India, Liza explored the country on a number of unique side trips. One fateful day, she found herself wandering the streets of Dharamsala, directionless.

“I can be in a phone booth and lose my way,” jokes Liza. “So I was wandering around thinking I was going somewhere I wasn’t when I walked by this school. It was just a little low building with a small sign above the entrance. I peeked inside and there were all these kids and adults making art. That was the day I came upon the Nyingtob Ling School for Tibetans with Disabilities.

A Holy Refuge

In 1950, Tibet came under the control of the People’s Republic of China, leading to the eventual exile of the territory’s spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, to India in 1959. He remains there to this day. Since 1950, over a million Tibetans have, like the Dalai Lama, made the arduous journey through the Himalayas to India to seek refuge from persecution.

Unfortunately, India’s support system for refugees doesn’t provide the health, training, education and employment opportunities necessary for those with disabilities. And being far from the traditional Tibetan community structure, families and individuals are often left to fend for themselves. As a result, and at the request of parents and others in the exile community, a school was set up in 1999 to address this gap, while preserving traditional Tibetan culture. It was blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and given the name Nyingtob Ling, which in English translates to “Realm of Courage.”

The Positive Potential of People

Not one to shy away when she sees people making art, Liza dove into getting to know the people of Nyingtob Ling, determined to make the most of what time she had left in Dharamsala that day.

“I remember this beautiful woman in Tibetan dress coming to me, and in very halting English, welcoming me, offering me tea and a seat,” she recalls. “It was a place I felt super comfortable in because they were making art: Buddhas, cards and crocheted pieces displayed on the walls, and all with the same amount of love. I bought a bunch of artwork—one funny one was a drawing of a monk dancing with a dog—then I returned to the sculpture garden, and eventually home to the US.”

The woman Liza met in the Tibetan dress was named Nawang Lhamo. Liza learned she had escaped Tibet in the 1960s at the age of nine, later working for the Tibet government-in-exile as the Secretary of Women’s and Children’s Issues. Through that role, Nawang was known to the Dalai Lama, who chose her to run Nyingtob Ling, where she remains its driving force.

Although Liza spent only a few hours at the school, the experience and the people stuck with her after she left. Back at home on Whidbey Island, Washington, Liza regularly sent money back to Nyingtob Ling with members of the local Tibetan Buddhist community who traveled to Dharamsala for meditation retreats or other spiritual journeys. At the time, Liza wished she could do more to help Nyingtob Ling but didn’t know how.

An 18-Year Journey Comes Full Circle

In 2007, two years after she returned from Nyingtob Ling, Liza’s husband, Phil, took a job with the Grand Canyon Trust and the two moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. As luck would have it, Liza and Phil moved in just down the street from Jen Saunders who was a member of the Kahtoola philanthropy board at the time.

“We were chatting one day and Jen told me about Kahtoola’s interest in helping support indigenous mountain communities,” remembers Liza. “And I said, ‘Oh, I know a mountain community!’. Maybe this is how I can help Nyingtob Ling. Out of the blue, I wrote Nawang Lhamo, told her that I might be able to write a grant for Nyingtob Ling and asked what they needed. I thought she would say winter clothing or bedding or something like that. Instead, she came back really quickly with, ‘That’s fantastic, I’ve been praying for you. We need a van.’”

Unsure about the feasibility of such a large project, Liza spoke with her husband about it. He had done a lot of development work and was certain it could be done. So, Liza sent out letters to her family and friends to raise money for the van. Her efforts, and the generosity of others, raised nearly $20,000. When Liza approached Kahtoola about the van, we could see the passion she had for the Nyingtob Ling and the people it helped and were more than happy to donate the rest of the money needed.

This partnership was the start of what has become our more than decade-long relationship with Liza and Nyingtob Ling. Over the years, Liza has returned to Kahtoola to advocate for the school by applying for Kahtoola Philanthropy Program (KPP) grants. As a result, we’ve had the honor of supporting Nyintob Ling’s important work through funding for a new water system, reconstruction of student and staff quarters, and additional general funding post-COVID.

For nearly two decades, Liza has chosen to help personally support Nyingtob Ling rather than use that money to travel to the school. Because Liza’s dedication and selflessness are an inspiration to all of us here at Kahtoola, we thought she deserved the opportunity to experience firsthand what her tireless efforts over the last 18 years have produced. So, in the summer of 2023, when Liza made the trip to Kahtoola to make a presentation on behalf of Nyingtob Ling, we offered her a flight to Dharamsala (using airline points, of course, because we know Liza would never accept money that could go to Nyingtob Ling). She accepted.

Part of the Family

In October 2023, Liza touched down in Dharamsala. Nawang Lhamo was there to greet her, and when the two saw each other in person for the first time in 18 years, both burst into tears.

“I didn’t want to assume she would want me to visit, so before I committed to going, I wrote to let Nawang Lhamo know we had gotten the grant and ask if I could come,” says Liza. “She replied with, ‘My prayers have been answered. When are you coming?!’”

When she arrived at the school, Liza was welcomed into the Nyingtob Ling family. She also had the chance to see first-hand how the school had grown: from a one-room building at its inception to, now, a dormitory, classrooms, staff quarters, temple, office and kitchen.

“I spent most of the 10 days I was in India at the school,” says Liza. “I wasn’t staying there, but I would walk over and work with the students in the garden and classrooms. I also got to see the good the grants and donations had done and learn about projects that still needed doing. I helped them cook for the 40 people who live at Nyingtob Ling on their one-burner stove—well, really I just stirred. And I learned the Tibetan prayers which are the basis of their days. There’s really a lot of pride in keeping that Tibetan culture alive.”

Although Liza may have felt most connected to Nyingtob Ling through the art the students make, she considers it much more than a place that simply teaches life skills and provides training.

“Everyone at the school is working hard to hold on to their Tibetan mountain culture, despite their refugee status. Through their art, religion, music, food and dress, they’re keeping that culture alive with compassion and the belief that everyone is worthy, has potential and should be treated with the utmost respect and love. That’s what Nyingtob Ling does every day.

To learn more about the Nyingtob Ling School for Tibetans with Disabilities or how to donate, visit their website at www.nyingtobling.org.

For more than two decades the Kahtoola Philanthropy Program has invested in organizations that are making a real difference in people’s lives by working to preserve indigenous cultures, build outdoor community and promote environmental responsibility. Learn more about KPP here.