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Published: September 15th 2007
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Breaking Down Barriers
Lama Yonten is making it possible for these boys to have a future. Please visit the extensive photo gallery that goes with this entry. See it here. Shortly after four of the pilgrims left for their homelands (see last entry), Chuck, Carin and I returned to Ngawa and to the home of Lama Yonten and Osel Drolma. There, we spent ten days so that Chuck and Carin could assist with work at Lama Yonten's monastery, Kashi Gompa. Their primary role was to teach Engilsh to the young monks that Lama Yonten has taken in. The gompa does not have funds or facilties to care for the boys, so Lama Yonten himself provides his own money for their necessities. All of the boys come from difficult backgrounds. Several suffer from some form of disfigurement; one has learning challenges; all are from extremely poor families; two are orphans; several are semi-orphans. Below are short biographies of the eight boys. Lama Yonten has at least seven more boys in mind that he would like to care for, but for the moment, there are not funds available.
1) Norwu Tenzin does not have a father. His mother has very poor vision and illnesses related to her eyes. The family is extremely poor, with very few cattle.
They do not have enough money to provide food, clothing, or school tuition. Norwu Tenzin seems to suffer from some sort of undiagnosed developmental disability.
2) Kunzang Dondrup is an orphan; his father is dead and his mother went insane. She was being cared for by relatives, where she is at this time is not known. Kunzang Dondrup was also under the care of relatives who are extremely poor, without enough money for food, clothing, or school tuition.
3) Norwu Zangwo has two parents, but his father is mentally ill and cannot work. His mother lost her thumb in an accident, which makes cattle milking extremely difficult and milk is their only source of income. There are twelve people living in their household, surviving on very little income. Norwu Zangwo's sister is part of the Sengcham Drukmo Home for Girls project in Golok.
4) Rigpai Dorje does not have a father. His family is extremely poor, with no cattle, and his mother has no source of income. His little sister, Osel Lhamo, was part of the Sengcham Drukmo Home for Girls project, but died this last winter from Tubercular Meningitis.
5) Tsewang Kyab is an orphan,
both of his parents are dead. He fell into a fire when he was very young, and the left side of his face and body are quite scarred. Until he came to the gompa, he lived with an older brother who is a monk. His younger sister is part of the Sengcham Drukmo Home for Girls project.
6) Sangye Nyima has both parents, but his father is unable to find work. They have no cattle or other means of income.
7) Kurgon Kyab comes from a family with many children. His mother committed suicide and his father is mentally ill and abandoned all of the children. Kurgon Kyab suffers from some facial disfigurement.
8) Lobzang Khedrup has no father and was abandoned by his mother when she remarried. Until coming under Lama Yonten's care, he lived with an elderly grandmother who is extremely poor and owns only two or three yaks.
Each day, Chuck and Carin taugh two sessions of English, followed with lots of outdoor playtime. The boys took to their new teachers immediately! They were attentive and eager to learn, as well as thrilled to have toys and stellar playmates, things they did not
have before. They recited the alphabet, chanted words and phrases in English, and learned to play frisbee, paddle ball and kickball. Lama Yonten's two children, Dorpo and Sherab Lhamo, assisted the teachers each day and every afternoon, the group circumambulated the gompa to turn prayer wheels together. Although the teachers spoke no Tibetan, there was no barrier to creating a fun, loving environment for the boys. With bountiful playfulness and affection, there was little need for a common language. In all of my experiences here in Tibet, this was one of the most moving.
Our evenings were filled with laughter, the two American guests and I in Lama Yonten and Osel Drolma's home. Chuck became affectionately known as "Uncle Chuck," and he provided endless sources of entertainment for all of us. Carin taught everyone yoga and dance - even choreographing a short routine for Dorpo and Sherab Lhamo. I had the fantastic opportunity to translate back and forth between Tibetan and English. It was a ball and hard for all to part from one another, but Chuck and Carin soon had to head back up to Xining.
On the way, we picked up the girls at the Sengcham Drukmo home in Golok, and took them all to Dawu for Golok's annual festival. Dockpo managed to find sponsorship to have traditional Lhasa style dresses made for each of the girls and we headed out with the young beauties in a caravan of hired cars. Not 20 minutes into the trip, more than half of the girls were carsick so we had to make the first of probably five or six stops along the way so they could throw-up. Resilient, however, they were! By the time we reached the festival, all were excited and cheerful, though maybe a bit dehydrated.
We stayed for two nights in a traditional tent - all thirty girls, Carin, Chuck, Dockpo and I. In the evenings we recited prayers and had singing and dancing parties. In the daytime, we headed to the main stage to watch traditional dance and vocal performances. Most of the girls had never been to such an event before but thanks to a few generous people in the Flaming Jewel sangha, we were able to make this trip happen. For me, it was all a mix of happiness and sadness. Being with the girls again was heartbreaking; I love them and miss being with them and working on the project on a regular basis. I don't think of myself as having much of a maternal instinct but when it comes to those girls, I feel the closest to a mom that I can imagine. Saying goodbye to them ripped my heart out, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to spend time with them again.
I am very happy to report that the project is doing beautifully. The girls receive excellent reports from their school principal and Dockpo has managed to find funding for a new dormitory building, a library, bathrooms and showers, and a kitchen. In addition, each of the girls now has health insurance.
I've posted a rather extensive photo gallery of both Lama Yonten's boys and the Girls' School project. Please visit it
here. If you are interested in helping out with either of these projects, please visit the
Vision Builders website.
A final word - Lama Yonten has recently put the seven boys into the local public school. Unfortunately, the monastery did not have the means to provide a thorough education, but thanks to a generous patron from the Flaming Jewel sangha, there is now enough money for public school tuition.
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