HCF Newsletter 5/15/20

May 15, 2020

Himalayan Children’s Fund News Dear Friends, Thrangu Rinpoche and the monks in Sarnath continue to do well during the lockdown in India as do the nuns and monks in Nepal and Tibet. Everyone is still healthy and maintaining strong health precautions. The Phende Clinic monks are still serving the community, Tara Abbey continues to provide food for local families and SMD is taking care of furloughed staff by providing rice along with their regular salaries.

In fact, there is a great deal of charity happening in Nepal from many sources.

Government agencies, monasteries, community organizations and individuals are providing food and other necessities for those in need, including the street dogs. We will continue to keep you updated and report any changes.

Please enjoy and share the news. ~ Debra Ann

We would like to express our gratitude to the many donors and sponsors who, in the midst of their own difficulties, are continuing to support with prayers and donations. Your generosity of spirit and kindness of heart have not gone unnoticed. We thank you deeply and wish for your safety and well-being.

REMEMBERING BHOLA Bhola Ram Ghorasaine, who was a member of the SMD family since before the school opened in 1987, passed away on May 7th. He had undergone surgery for tumors last summer along with radiation and chemotherapy but returned to the hospital May 5th accompanied by his wife and son.

In charge of keeping the school facilities in working order, Bhola could fix almost anything and always with a smile from his heart. He was loved by all and will be greatly missed.

VVI

SMD

As shelter in place continues in India, the monks at VVI have been observing Vesak, studying, reciting prayers and gardening.

Soon it will be mango picking time!

(Here, Khenpo Tashi and Khenpo Gendun join in prayers outdoors.)

The monks living at SMD continue to study and offer prayers, and the remaining staff is excellent at keeping everyone safe. The school has continued to pay staff and teachers through the lockdown and recently provided 25kg of rice to each family.

Himalayan Children’s Fund P. O. Box 15644, Beverly Hills, CA 90209 USA 310.395.6616 himalayanchildrensfund.org

2018 SMD GRADS FINISHING THEIR YEAR OF SERVICE AT SMD

HCF Page 2

More stories from graduates who have been giving a year of service before continuing their education. They all have expressed gratitude to Thrangu Rinpoche, SMD staff, and sponsors for making their life extraordinary.

Sonam Sangmo was born in Manali in 2001 and joined SMD in 2009 with the help of her Uncle who had also attended SMD. While in school Sonam played flute in the school band, was a school captain and hostel captain, participated in Love & Peace Club and played on the girls soccer team. She found the SEE exam to be tough, especially the Math section, and though she felt she struggled with it, she did get good marks. In making the the decision to volunteer she says she considered herself to be an active girl and that would be able to continue if she entered the Senior program. She also thought of it as a way to learn to be independent and communicate well with others. Sonam has been living with her Aunt during this gap year and serving as an assistant in the Director’s office. Some of her duties include giving visitor tours, collecting bio-data on new admissions, updating cultural activities, managing student letters to sponsors and addressing envelopes. Sonam has enjoyed her work and would like to continue her studies. She would like very much to study sports but since that option is not available in Nepal she will likely study computer science and still participate in and teach sports whenever she can.

Gyaltsen Lama was born in Lho village, Gorkha District in 2001. After an Aunt put him on the SMD waiting list, his father carried him to Kathmandu and he was admitted in 2005. Gyaltsen was a member of Love & Peace and dearly loved learning from the school gardener, so now he has a passion for gardening. He was member of Eco Club, HMG (Himalayan Makers Guild) Code Club and was elected head of student council in grade 9. He loves drawing and painting and was a member and monitor of After School Artists. He has a unique view of the SEE exam ~ tough but also easy. The process is tough but the examination easy. He considered what his options would be after graduation and decided the only option was to volunteer and his family also thought it was important. He is happy to get a chance to study in the future and give to others at the same time. He has been teaching the HMG and working in the office and reception. His hope is to inspire the students and build their interest in electronics.

Being good in mathematics and physics, and after giving service and coming to know himself better, Gyaltsen is seeing his interest in further education shifting to fighting climate change.

Yangchen Dolma was born in 2002 in Mugu.

Her mother brought her to SMD in 2008 and while in school she was a member of the Peace Pal, Love & Peace, and Eco Clubs and participated in essay and spelling competitions. While the SEE exam did have some unexpected questions, Yangchen Dolma says it was not too tough. She gave a lot of thought to becoming a senior and consulted with former seniors who advised that spending the gap year volunteering was very helpful in getting to know yourself and experience what you have not yet experienced in school life. Yangchen Dolma has served as the school librarian this year, monitoring and reading stories for the younger children. She likes books and loves being surrounded by books. She says that since SMD has been her home for so long it is hard to leave so she does not want to go too fast right now and just do her work. Recognizing her experience with difficult situations and emotions she is interested in studying psychology. She wants to know other’s stories to be of help and to create something collectively when she returns to her hometown.

Yangchen speaks thoughtfully of how the senior program has helped her grow by doing things she has never done before. She also says that she had not really participated much and in grade 9 realized she ‘must do’. She is grateful to have come out of her shell and become a leader.

Pema Dekyi was born in 2003 in the Samdo village of Nubri. Tulku Damchö’s sister is her aunt and she was admitted to SMD in 2010. Pema has been active in Meditation Class and Leadership Class, and served as prayer and hostel prefect. She was a leader of Eco Club and HMG Coding Club and helped to manage events such as Teacher’s Day and the annual farewell party for Class 10. Pema Dekyi says she studied, practiced, and read a lot to prepare for the SEE exam and though she did not feel satisfied with herself at the time, she actually received a grade A. The decision to spend the gap year volunteering at SMD was her own, but also encouraged by her uncle. She wanted to show her appreciation for all her years at school. Working as an assistant in the Director’s office she deals with letters to sponsors from the students, collecting data and many other duties and says it is teaching her how to communicate.

Since the seniors living at the school must prepare their own group dinner she is learning to cook! Pema Dekyi is hoping to win a scholarship to continue her studies and would like eventually to study Tibetan Medicine and Acupuncture. She said, “ I am very thankful to sponsors and supporters for making me the person I am becoming, to be a woman who can make change in her society.”

Sunita was born in 2001 in Khotang and joined SMD in 2004. Her father worked at SMD and her two elder brothers and sister also graduated from SMD. While in school she played flute in the school band, and joined Eco Club, HMG Code Club, Library Club and reading angels. She was a room monitor for 4 years and as house captain organized programs, debates, spelling and public speaking competitions. She also has been learning to play the Yangqin (dulcimer) and sang in the choir in the school production of SPLAT!. A sports lover, Sunita has played in various tournaments including inter-school football. Because of wanting to do well for everyone on the SEE exam, she felt grade 10 to be quite a burden and went for tutoring in some subjects. She discovered, however, that the exam was easy and she was the one putting all the pressure on herself! Sunita decided she wanted to volunteer because of observing how much she and other students were always receiving and she wanted to stay and help make a difference in other’s lives. As a senior, she has been serving in the faculty office and carrying out other staffing duties as well as teaching yoga to the younger children. Sunita would like to continue her schooling and study computer science while continuing to help at SMD. Full of energy and ideas, she has suggested to the principal that she would like to develop a life skills program, teach current news and communication skills and every 3 months have an SMD TEDX program!

Himalayan Children’s Fund P. O. Box 15644, Beverly Hills, CA 90209 USA 310.395.6616 himalayanchildrensfund.org

HCF Page 3

2019 SMD GRADS VOLUNTEERING AT TARA ABBEY Lhapka Dolma Sherpa was born in 2004 in the area of Sindhupalchowk and joined SMD in 2011 after many days of walking and 2 days on a bus with her father. She recalls that it was surprising to see big buildings when she arrived in Kathmandu, and found it a bit lonely at first to be without her parents even though she has an uncle who is a monk at Thrangu Monastery.

While attending SMD Lhakpa Dolma was a member of Eco Club and Health Club, participated in cultural dances, basketball and table tennis tournaments and was a School Captain. She sang in the Voice of SMD competition and won in the semifinals. Lhakpa Dolma also volunteered for 2 years with Global Dental Relief as a dental assistant, helping with oral hygiene and also with translation between English and Nepali. Additionally, Lhakpa Dolma served as an acupuncture assistant during the annual Mani Drupchen. She found taking the SEE exam to be exciting and appreciated the experience of meeting students from other schools. Her decision to volunteer was easy ~ she wanted to give something in return for what she has received from Rinpoche and the school, and her family was very encouraging. At Tara Abbey she has been teaching science, math, English and Nepali to the young nuns and helping older nuns improve their English. She says it is a little easier to teach older nuns because the young ones want to play! She likes how peaceful it is to live at the abbey and how nice and kind the nuns are. Lhapka Dolma feels that volunteering has been a good experience and is teaching her how to make decisions and be more independent. She is very grateful for everything and is applying to schools to continue her education, possibly in Computer Science.

Pasang Dolma Gurung was born in the Lho village of Nubri in 2002. Wanting education for her children that she never had, Pasang’s mother carried her through the mountains on her back for 7 days to enroll her at SMD in 2006. While attending SMD, Pasang Dolma played flute in the school band, participated in Nepali cultural dance, the Peace Pal Project, and spelling and table tennis competitions. She was a member of Library Club, Love & Peace, Roots & Shoots and the Human Rights Club as well as a member of the Nepal-Tibetan Lhamo Association, learning and performing Tibetan Opera. In 2017 Pasang earned a scholarship for the 2 week IZAK summer school in Japan. She recalls that it was fun to make friends with students from different cultures and to learn about the ‘many ideas others have of how the world can be’ and feels the experience empowered her ability to speak English and has made her more confident. After rigorous study she found the SEE exam not too difficult, saying the teachers were very kind. Feeling that SMD provided her with so much, volunteering was an easy choice. Being unfamiliar with the lives of nuns she chose Tara Abbey for the experience, assuming their lives and hers would be very different but discovered, ‘they are the same as us, thinking the same as us, and learning Buddhism from an early age they are kind and respectful’. Pasang feels that teaching and taking care of the small nuns, helping with their clothing and nails etc. makes her feel more responsible. She has enjoyed deep Dharma talks with Khenpo Chonyi and classes with Ani Karma Chonzom. She would like to study science in grades 11 & 12 and then take a nursing course to be able to help in her village where she feels that people work very hard and are unable to take care of their health.

TARA ABBEY After passing the quarantine period within the Abbey, the nuns have been able to resume some regular activities, though modified to maintain protection. Shedra nuns have begun the new year of study and senior nuns are doing a Medicine Buddha retreat, each in their respective rooms. The nuns who have been studying Tibetan Medicine have been able to resume their classes with Dr. Ngawang as he has generously made himself available through the internet.

Younger nuns are studying and learning to play ritual instruments and gardening of the grounds and vegetable garden continue ~ including harvesting peaches!

Himalayan Children’s Fund P. O. Box 15644, Beverly Hills, CA 90209 USA 310.395.6616 himalayanchildrensfund.org