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Published: August 5th 2007
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Hey to all!
Thank you all for your supportive and loving messages-bringing a taste of my many homes together. I will try and find the time when I'm in town to respond to them individually.
Sorry about "disappearing of the radar" (again). This time reasons were the outbreak of measles in my school. One by one 'my boys' were hit by fever, pain and coughing...moving through the symptoms, and suffering as only children can. Five (mostly little four and five year olds) have ended in hospital with round the clock care from their senior friends and one of the lama's. I have developed a daily routine of holding the fort at the school and visiting in the evenings. The boys are now recovered and the rest were finally inoculated (school was forgotten when the outbreak first happened as it is a monastic school!). As the outside temperatures dropped in the last two weeks of May, after boys got better and all the teachers were back, it was my turn to get ill...I have decided not to go for hospital treatment for what appeared to be a common flu...It took a while but I am finally clear of stuff... Maya (who
is on her way to Ladakh..yipeee!) will know the fun of Tibetan medicine balls (farewell teeth and taste buds) and I can tell you that the most recent ones' I' was given could be used in a professional table-tennis tournament.
Anyway, through this time I have observed the dedicated love and care within the school family but have also clearly seen the plans and the need for much improvement in their living and learning conditions. Some of the additional culprits to the boys illness and frequent coughs can to some extent be remedied.
In brief:
a) Boys sleep in crammed and rather old quarters. The inoculation team recommended the distance between the bunk beds to be over 3 feet. It is about 2 feet. The floor is covered in old floor rags and boys do try and keep them clean but after long time, I suppose, there is more that stays on them than can be cleaned (especially when there are seriously ill boys). The walls are crumbling in places.
b) Their school courtyard is a dust bowl, so cricket practice during the breaks becomes a lung and throat nightmare.
c) Outside Nastan (school dorm, kitchen, and shrine room)
are rows of beautiful stupas (or chortens) and a sort of a valley or a hollow which has, during my visit, somehow started turning into a dump! Boys walk from school for lunch everyday via this route and if when we don't see them they hop down to find something to play with (I will tell you more on their ingeniousness in terms of toy improvisation other time). We have had serious words with them since and they have kept away. As it is starting to seriously heat up, the smell is starting to develop.
Boys take it all in their stride, Geshes want to change it (an education institute was set up by Bakula Rinpoche) but feel helpless and frustrated through the lack of funds, and I feel there must be a way of making it happen.
It does not have to stay this way as the costs should be relatively low here, with the probable help from the local community. The asphalting of the school courtyard and putting a few climbing frames, putting a fence and a sign to discourage dumping and refreshing boys rooms should not be too costly.
- Dear, lucky friends and colleagues,
this is where you come in - you can participate in making this happen. I (we) need your help!
Think how much education meant to you as a kid (or now), than imagine making it difficult.
This is a very real opportunity to make a real difference and to know where your support is going. I will now be staying here until September and would make sure that any donations you can conjure go to the above mentioned work (and wider improvement plans-if there is any money left).
You can help in many ways:
- I will e-mail you personally my Nationwide account number in next few days (they are still setting up their charity account...this is India) and can promise that all the money you can donate will go to Spituk Gonpa and the school. You can call your bank to make a transfer or visit Nationwide branch and stick your lunch money (or if you can - a Gordon Ramsey restaurant dinner money 😊 ) together with your good luck vibes...
- Cut, paste and forward this request to your friends, family, network colleagues (we are not in competition for funds with any of the UK organisations for this type of project), any corporations or donors (cricket associations), grant-giving bodies ( I will try and get match funding for some sort of community environmental education action programme - so if you know of any...), schools willing to get involved and fundraise etc... Help me get people involved!
- If you have any books which would be suitable for young students learning English, aged 3-15 (including English grammar, DK books or any teaching aids) please mail it to Bakula Insitute (I will send the details with the account number).
- I need info on natural degradation of different materials and their potential effects on environment and ground water (Jonny, can you help there?)
- Any other bright ideas and suggestions are welcome!
The worst option is to do nothing.
Boys go on a holiday on a 16th July until 1st August to see their families and it would be ideal if we can do some of the work then, but don't let that stop you donating past that date.
Niki, Mark and Tatjana thank you...your contribution is on its way to starting what I hope will be an avalanche...
P.S. And as a bonus incentive to some...I am pledging to put my hair on the table. Come on WWT gang, sponsor a major hair-cut! I'll mail the proof. Chris, please forward to WWT volunteers, they could be such a major force for good here. My ECHO gang - anyone else in the WWT or wider world...get them involved.
The results should be truly rewarding to all...
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michelle and nancy
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we could sponser you not to
Brilliant we knew you would get stuck in helping. We will start looking out for ed books and useful teaching aids. Idea! We could sponser you not to shave your beautiful hair off, if you don't reach a target amount it falls to the ground.