Mrs. Jetsun Pema was born in Lhasa, on 7 July 1940. She went to India in 1950 and studied first at St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong and later at Loreto Convent in Darjeeling from where she completed her Senior Cambridge in 1960. In 1961, she went to Switzerland and then to England for further studies. She returned to India in April 1964.

At the behest of her elder brother, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, she became the President of the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV), holding that position until her retirement in August 2006. She held this position for more than 42 years.

Because of her efforts, today TCV projects include five Children’s Villages with attached schools, seven Residential Schools, Seven Day Schools, ten Day Care Centers, four Vocational Training Centers, four Youth Hostels, and four Homes for the Elderly, and an outreach program for over 2,000 children in exile. All in all, the TCV overlooks the well-being of more than 15,000 children and youths. In 1970, at the first General Body Meeting of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Jetsun Pema was elected its Vice President, and in 1984, in first General Body Meeting of the Tibetan Women’s Association, she was elected as Adviser. In 1980, she was sent by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit Tibet as the leader of the third Fact Finding Delegation and for three months traveled extensively all over the country. Jetsun Pema is also the Governing Body member of the Tibet House, New Delhi.

In May 1990, His Holiness the Dalai Lama convened a special Congress of the Tibetan People-In-Exile in Dharamshala to elect the Health Kalöns (Ministers) of the Central Tibetan Administration (May 17, 1990 – June 28, 1991). Jetsun Pema was one of the three Ministers elected and became the first Tibetan Woman Minister. In 1991, she was again elected by the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies (Tibetan Parliament) as one of the Ministers and was allocated the portfolio of Minister-In-Charge of the Department of Education. In July 1993, she resigned from the Kashag (Cabinet) and continued her service as the President of the Tibetan Children’s Villages till 2006. In 1995, the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies awarded her the title, “Mother of Tibet,” in recognition of her dedication and service for Tibetan children. Jetsun Pema has traveled widely to speak about Tibetans in general and her work at the Tibetan Children’s Villages.