UK Registered Charity · No. 1178756

Building safe classrooms for the children of Ladakh

The Drukpa Trust is a UK registered charity that raises funds for the construction of school buildings at Druk Pema Karpo School in Shey, Ladakh, India — an award-winning, sustainable campus serving more than 880 children from across the Himalayas.

Our Mission

Funding the construction that makes learning possible

The Drukpa Trust is a UK registered charity (Charity Commission No. 1178756) established to advance education in the Himalayan region. Our purpose is narrow and clear: we raise funds for the construction of teaching, learning and welfare buildings at Druk Pema Karpo School in Ladakh, India.

That covers capital costs — new classrooms, seismic strengthening of existing buildings, infrastructure — together with the project overheads needed to deliver these works at 3,500 metres in one of the most remote and seismically active regions on earth.

We are a fundraising charity, not a school. The Trust does not run, manage or operate Druk Pema Karpo School. The school is run independently in India by the Druk Pema Karpo Educational Society.

The award-winning courtyard at Druk Pema Karpo School
The School We Support

Druk Pema Karpo School, Shey, Ladakh

A working school of internationally recognised architectural significance, designed by Arup Associates and built in phases since 2001 on land near the historic Shey Palace.

880+
Students from across Ladakh, ages 4–16
3,500m
Altitude in the high-Himalayan desert
CBSE
Affiliated to India's national curriculum board
4+
International architecture & sustainability awards
The granite and timber architecture of Druk Pema Karpo School
A Working School, Built in Phases

Why construction matters

Druk Pema Karpo School (formerly Druk White Lotus School) was founded under the spiritual patronage of His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa to give children in Ladakh access to a world-class education that also preserves their language, culture and Buddhist heritage.

The campus is a quietly remarkable piece of architecture — built from local granite and timber, oriented for passive solar gain, powered by photovoltaics and ventilated naturally to survive winters of -30°C without mechanical heating. Its seismic detailing was tested in earnest by the 2010 floods and has been progressively upgraded ever since.

But the school is still being built. Enrolment is growing, secondary year groups need new accommodation, and the older buildings need bringing up to current seismic standards. That is the work we exist to fund.

Five-Year Plan 2024–2029

What we raise funds for

The Drukpa Trust's UK fundraising is directed exclusively at construction-related costs at Druk Pema Karpo School. Our current focus is the school's published five-year development plan.

New senior secondary classrooms

Building the teaching spaces needed to extend the school from age 16 to age 18, so that students can complete their secondary education on the same campus.

Seismic upgrading of existing buildings

Strengthening older classrooms and ancillary buildings to meet current earthquake-resistance standards for the region, keeping children safe in the event of seismic activity.

Health centre construction

A purpose-built health facility on campus to serve students, staff and the surrounding villages — including capital works and the project overheads needed to deliver them.

What the Trust does not fund

To keep our purpose focused and our reporting clear, the Drukpa Trust does not raise funds for teacher salaries, books, furnishings, individual child sponsorship, or the day-to-day running costs of the school. Those needs are met by the school's own operating body in India.

Donations to the Drukpa Trust go to the construction of school buildings — the bricks, timber, glass, granite, earthquake-bracing and the project overheads required to deliver them.

Governance & Transparency

Registered, regulated and accountable

Registered charity
The Drukpa Trust — No. 1178756

A UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 13 June 2018. View entry on the Charity Commission register →

Charitable objects
Advancement of education in the Himalayan region

Pursued, in practice, by raising funds for the construction of buildings at Druk Pema Karpo School in Ladakh, India.

Country of operation
United Kingdom & India

Funds are raised in the United Kingdom and applied to construction projects at Druk Pema Karpo School in Shey, near Leh, Ladakh, India.

The school
Druk Pema Karpo School

Operated independently in India by the Druk Pema Karpo Educational Society. Visit the school's website →

Get in Touch

Contact the Trust

For enquiries from supporters, grant-making trusts, or institutional funders, please get in touch by email. A more detailed website with project documentation and a secure donation route is in development.

info@drukpatrust.org.uk