For Eternal Creation, womens’ employment and training is very important. To assist working mothers we have established a free children’s’ crèche, as well as providing maternity leave and maternity bonus for men and women. On fine days the children play in the garden and the sand pit, and often have picnics on the lawn.

Dolma, 35, runs the crèche. She comes from a family of Tibetan nomads from Kham, in Eastern Tibet. In 2001, she trekked for two months over the Himalayas to reach Dharamsala. The crossing, which normally takes about 20 days, was made in mid-winter as the guide thought they would be safer from Chinese patrols. However, due to extremely bad weather they were repeatedly lost in blizzards and snow storms, and eventually stumbled into a border area guarded by soldiers. They were fired upon by the guards, whose job is to prevent Tibetans crossing the border by any means, and their only escape was to jump into a freezing river. Subsequently many of group of thirteen, including Dolma’s sister and a three year old boy, got severe frost bite. Her sister lost one toe, and Dolma still has severe pain in her legs and back due to exposure to extreme cold.

Dolma has since married and has two daughters, one of whom attends the crèche. She’s happy in Dharamsala, and has no plans to return to Tibet, partly because she’s afraid of the formidable Himalayan crossing.