About Us

Lumbini Buddhist University

 

South Asia Foundation-Nepal

South Asia Foundation-Nepal (SAF-Nepal) is a registered, non-profit development organization committed to working with communities at the grassroots while also shaping policies that support sustainable development. Its goal is to make development more inclusive and to strengthen regional cooperation across South Asia.

Founded in 2012 in Kathmandu in the presence of Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Nepal’s first President, SAF-Nepal has since worked in over 20 districts across the country. Its projects have ranged from supporting artisans and dairy farmers with hands-on training, marketing opportunities, entrepreneurship development and financial guidance, to helping them form cooperatives and self-help groups. After the devastating 2015 earthquake, the Foundation also played an active role in relief and rehabilitation efforts.

SAF-Nepal works closely with the South Asia Foundation https://www.southasiafoundation.net/ (established in 1991 in Varanasi, India) to build people-to-people connections across the region through dialogues, workshops, and cultural exchanges.

The South Asia Foundation (SAF) is a non-political, not-for-profit organization working across the South Asian region to empower marginalized communities and create sustainable livelihoods-especially for women. With its registered office in Varanasi, India, and headquarters in New Delhi, SAF partners with policymakers to shape effective interventions and advocates strongly for deeper regional cooperation. Over the years, it has launched development initiatives across India and beyond, helping create employment opportunities and driving grassroots change through collaboration and shared learning.

Together, they promote grassroots development projects that encourage local participation and youth engagement-whether by strengthening artisan and farmer-led models of sustainable development or by creating vibrant spaces for regional collaboration and learning.

SAF and SAF-Nepal’s Mission

Women Empowerment

Promoting arts and crafts and cultural exchange programmes

Policy intervention to enhance the livelihood of the target beneficiaries

Employment generation in dairy and farming sectors through cooperatives

Conflict resolution and building international relations and strengthening regional cooperation

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As part of its larger mission, South Asia Foundation-Nepal established the South Asia Centre for Peace Research and Sustainable Development (SACPRSD) on October 02, 2024, in collaboration with Lumbini Buddhist University.

Rooted in the timeless wisdom of Gautam Buddha, the Centre explores how his message of peaceful coexistence, compassion, and human integrity can guide today’s world toward sustainable development. But it’s not only about ideas; it’s about action. SACPRSD offers opportunities for students and young researchers to engage in entrepreneurship development, to study models of economic cooperation and financial inclusion, and to connect with peers across borders to strengthen larger regional connectivity.

Objectives and Activities

SACPRSD: A Vibrant Hub for:

Innovative Academic Programmes

Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development, approved by Lumbini Buddhist University, with degrees being conferred by LBU.

Postgraduate Programme in Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development

PGD aspirants will have the opportunity to extend the one-year PGD into a full postgraduate programme, subject to fulfilling all stipulated criteria of Lumbini Buddhist University and SACPRSD. The curriculum connects the principles of peace and sustainability with emerging approaches to inclusive growth and regional cooperation.

Skill Development & Training

Offering workshops and training programs that build practical skills in diplomacy, peacebuilding, sustainable development, regional cooperation, and the application of Buddha’s teachings. Topics further include strategies for financial inclusion, fostering entrepreneurship development, and promoting economic cooperation within a framework of peaceful coexistence.

Research & Knowledge Dissemination

Facilitating original research on peace, sustainable development, and Buddha's teachings, and publishing books, digital resources, and periodicals, helps link scholarship to regional efforts in economic cooperation and larger connectivity.

Outreach & Public Engagement

SACPRSD offers online and on-site courses, hosts public lectures and seminars, and facilitates scholarly exchanges with national and international institutions. These activities encourage dialogue on regional issues and pathways to financial inclusion and shared prosperity.

Academic Excellence and Practical Discourse through Dedicated Mentorship

Students work closely with experienced mentors from diverse fields who help them apply academic learning to real-world challenges, from community-based peacebuilding to inclusive economic initiatives.

Internship Programmes

All students undertake an intensive internship with development organisations, research institutions, or industrial partners. These placements provide direct experience in entrepreneurship development, models of economic cooperation, and approaches that strengthen regional connectivity.

Strategic Collaborations

SACPRSD has built robust academic and institutional partnerships to enhance its research and outreach capabilities. These include collaborations with various institutions such as:

  • Banaras Hindu University
  • MIT-World Peace University
  • Nalanda University
  • Jamia Millia Islamia
  • Siddhartha University
  • International Buddhist Confederation
  • Indian Council of World Affairs

Additionally, SACPRSD has established a collaboration with Siddhartha University (SUK) to gain access to a vast digital library providing scholars, students, and researchers with extensive academic resources, journals, databases, and global research publications. This access significantly strengthens the Centre’s capacity to support high-quality research and academic programming.

These partnerships and collaborations facilitate joint research projects, academic exchanges, faculty exchanges, credit exchange programmes, publication of academic journals (the path), and scholarly events, like academic seminars, conferences, symposiums, positioning the Centre as a vibrant, interdisciplinary hub for regional and global intellectual collaborations.

Centre’s work and vision:

Community Engagement and Capacity Building

The Centre has adopted a school named Shree Ram Janaki Adharbhut Vidhyalaya at Ward no. 4, Manaura Village in Lumbini Sanskritik Nagarpalika for all-round development.

Special emphasis is placed on:

  • Teachers Training Programme
  • Youth engagement
  • School outreach and exposure visits of students and teachers
  • Local participation in development and
  • Dissemination of information on Buddha’s teachings and relevance of Lumbini

The Pradeep Giri Chair on Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development

In recognition of the visionary leadership and commitment to ethical politics and social justice, SACPRSD is establishing the Pradeep Giri Chair on Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development. This Chair honours the legacy of Late Pradeep Giri, a respected intellectual, parliamentarian, and advocate of inclusive development in South Asia.

The Chair will focus on:

  • Advancing research and policy studies in peacebuilding and sustainable development
  • Hosting annual lectures, fellowships, and visiting scholar programs
  • Encouraging academic discourse rooted in moral values, regional harmony, and human dignity
  • Promoting interdisciplinary research that integrates Buddhist teachings with contemporary challenges
  • Training in Democracy and inclusivity in social and political discourse

Through this Chair, SACPRSD aspires to deepen regional academic dialogue and inspire a new generation of peacebuilders and thought leaders aligned with the values championed by Pradeep Giri on the principles of Gautam Buddha.

Academic Engagements and Scholarly Discourse

SACPRSD is actively engaged in creating a vibrant academic environment through regular seminars, conferences, symposiums, and scholarly interactions.

These events focus on critical and contemporary themes such as:

  • Global Diplomacy and International Relations and Buddha’s Teachings
  • Peace Research, Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
  • Sustainable Development Practices
  • Entrepreneurship Development based on Buddha’s principles
  • Buddhist Ethics in Modern Governance and Society

All these themes are explored through Gautam Buddha’s teachings, emphasizing compassion, non-violence, ethical conduct, and human integrity.

By hosting these academic forums, the Centre brings together senior academicians, renowned scholars, former and serving diplomats, policymakers, and researchers from across South Asia and beyond, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and advancing Buddha-inspired solutions to modern challenges.