Our Partners

The Chhairo Gompa Restoration Project offers a great opportunity to help Nepali people preserve an important part of their cultural heritage and daily life. Our committed Nepali partners are central to the success and sustainability of this project. .

Lama Sashi Doj, a world-renowned thanka painter and Buddhist monk, belongs to the family of artists responsible for many of the sculptures and wall paintings at Chhairo and other area gompas dating back five generations. Sashi-la, the monastery's head lama, is now in charge of the restoration and conservation of the fine artwork of Chhairro Gompa; he is also working to establish a traditional Buddhist art center at the monastery in order to provide training to both the monastic and secular communities. A Chhairo local, Sashi-la was instrumental in the rebirth of the gompa and provides the modern-day link to the ancient wisdoms of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Chhairo's Mothers' Group is a dynamic committee of 18 women responsible for the betterment of the community. Common in many Nepal villages, Mothers' Groups do everything from solve disputes to develop and run collective businesses to benefit the larger population. Chhairo's Mothers' Group oversees many of the ongoing support services at the gompa -- including preparing delicious lunches for our volunteers. They are important partners as we expand our restoration efforts in the Chhairo area.

John Sanday Associates, an internationally known restoration architect firm, provides the planning, engineering and implementation of the technical aspects of the project. JSA brings to the project years of experience in the restoration, preservation and conservation of Buddhist temples and relics. JSA is considered one of the world authorities in this field. With experience in Cambodia, Bhutan and Nepal, the experts at JSA bring the know-how and expertise to the Chhairo Restoration Project.

Our local team of craftsmen and laborers are hard-working, good-humored and very patient when it comes to on-the-job training for new volunteers. The staff, many of whom have worked at Chhairo from the project’s beginning, includes JSA employees and area craftsmen skilled in carpentry, stone masonry and temple painting restoration as well as manual laborers.