COVID-19 Vaccination

Vaccination at Thrangu Shelkar Retreat Center

During the pandemic, vaccination was hard to reach for many people in Nepal, particularly those living in restricted or isolated settings. At Thrangu Shelkar Retreat Center in Sudal, Bhaktapur, more than one hundred practitioners, among them lamas, anis and lay practitioners, were in long-term retreat. Having taken vows at the start of their retreat, they had to stay within the retreat area, many of them for almost four years, so getting vaccinated outside was particularly difficult.

At the request of the Khenpo of Thrangu Monastery, we wrote formally to the District Health Office in Bhaktapur and discussed the situation with its Chief Officer and vaccine focal person. Together with the District Health Office and local health authorities, we arranged a mobile vaccination campaign at the retreat center: health workers came to the center and vaccinated the practitioners on site, including the booster doses, so they could be protected without leaving their retreat.

It was a simple but meaningful humanitarian effort: helping people get vaccinated, protect themselves from serious disease and reduce the risk of preventable loss of life. It was one part of our wider COVID-19 response, alongside food relief for thousands of families and oxygen and medical supplies for Chumnubri.

Vaccination protects communities. Healthcare should reach everyone.