Kungfu Nuns won UNESCO’s Martial Arts Education Prize 2021 for their heroic acts of service and championing gender equality across the Himalayas. The nuns empower young girls to defend themselves, build confidence, and take on leadership roles in their communities.
 
The award has been launched by UNESCO ICM (International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement), to collect and promote good practices of martial arts education (MA Edu.)
 
Kung Fu Nuns hail from the Drukpa Lineage of Indian Buddhism and began learning Kung Fu to build strength and confidence. They use skills to serve others through unimaginable acts of bravery – from their recent 2,500 km "Bicycle Yatra for Peace" from Kathmandu, Nepal to Ladakh, India to speak out against human trafficking, to their refusal to evacuate after the 2015 Nepal earthquake to deliver critical aid to neglected regions. Adept in both weaponry and hand-to-hand combat, they have begun a self-defense training initiative for young girls in the Himalayas, where violence against women is rarely reported. With over 700 Drukpa nuns in the ranks, there is a long waiting list of women and girls who want to join them, the Kung Fu Nuns have transformed the way the Himalayans view not only nuns but women. Their efforts were honored with several prestigious international awards. The nuns are a recipient of the Atlantic Council’s prestigious Unsung Heroes Award 2020 and the Asia Society’s Game Changer Award 2019. They were also finalists for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize for their humanitarianism in the Himalayas.