May 18, 2021
Himalayan Children’s Fund News Dear Friends Last month we informed you that SMD Boarding school was closing again and taking classes back online. During the short time the school was open in April, Class 8 students were able to take a pre-test for the government board exams and a graduation ceremony was nally and happily held for the 2019/2020 school year graduates Now, due to the growing number of COVID cases and dangerous variants, Nepal has issued another lockdown order. Board exams for all 8, 10 and 12 grades are inde nitely postponed, marooning those who were looking forward to graduation this year. We will keep you informed as plans unfold for these students For students in all other grades, schools are free to make their own plan of grading and promoting and must begin the 2021/2022 school year by June 15th. SMD will provide online testing as a formality, and as we shared last month, all students will be promoted and can determine for themselves whether or not to repeat a grade We are glad to continue to report that Thrangu Rinpoche, and all staff, nuns, monks and students in Nepal, India and Tibet remain healthy and vibrantly engaged Thank you for your kind support. Please enjoy and share the newsletter ~ Debra Ann
TARA ABBEY Between retreat sessions at Sher Gompa, the three year retreat center for Tara Abbey nuns in Manang received an upgrade! Thanks to the generosity of the Pema Chödrön Foundation, the retreat now has solar generated power. The panels and batteries have been installed just in time for the next retreat which begins on the sacred day of Saga Dawa, May 26 We offer our sincere gratitude to the Pema Chödrön Foundation for funding the solar installation in addition to their annual sponsorship of the retreat.
HELP NEEDED FOR A GRADUATE OF SM Dawa Tsering Sherpa, a former SMD student, is now 34 years old and has been employed as a chef in the US for the last 10 years. When he returns to Nepal for family visits, he generously sponsors food and fruit for SMD students. In January, Dawa was shoveling snow from the roof of the restaurant where he works in Aspen, Colorado and fell 10 feet onto a concrete slab. Due to his physical injuries, including Traumatic Brain Injury, Dawa is still unable to work. With only half of his needs being covered by his employer, Dawa’s friends have created a GoFundMe campaign to help with his living and medical expenses. Though we cannot help Dawa through HCF, donations can be made through this GoFundMe link and the link can be shared on social media. Help Dawa
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Himalayan Children’s Fund P. O. Box 15644, Beverly Hills, CA 90209 USA 310.395.6616 himalayanchildrensfund.org