ASIA - A Little Tibet in Nepal

Dolpo is one of the largest and most remote districts in Nepal, with a territory that reaches altitudes of over 7,600 meters right on the border with Tibet.

Here the population, mainly Tibetan, continues to live according to the rhythms of tradition: they are semi-nomadic farmers, who grow barley and raise yaks, sheep, goats and horses, moving according to the seasons in search of pastures. The harshness of the territory, very wild and difficult to reach, has favored the preservation of the Tibetan language and culture, so much so that Dolpo can be considered a real little Tibet, in which one of the oldest and most vast heritages of knowledge and spirituality has remained uncontaminated.

ASIA has been present in this district since 2012, when Geshe Tenzin Nyima of the Drodulling Yungdrung Monastery, after founding a boarding school – Ganchen Meri School – for the children from the villages of Kaigaun, Thapa Gaon and Hurikot, among the poorest in this region, sought help to renovate the old building through Löpon Tenzin Namdak, master and abbot of the Triten Norbutse Bönpo Monastery in Kathmandu, which ASIA has supported since 1996.

In 2012, after having verified the needs of the school and the feasibility of the requests, we started a project there and built a building with nine classrooms, also providing the furnishings.

The school is a point of reference in a very remote area, reachable only on foot or on horseback from the small airport of Juphal, and welcomes both children and monks from the poorest families in the area, often orphans and living far from access to formal education. Geshe Tenzin Nyima wanted to ensure that Tibetan-speaking children had access to education, offering them the opportunity to learn their language, history and culture. A constituent element is the teaching of the Bön religion, which is widely practiced in Dolpo, even though the school is open to children of all religions.

However, it is very difficult for local families to meet the expenses necessary to keep their children in school, which certainly cannot count on their support to maintain the structure and purchase the necessary teaching materials. This is why in 2017 we started the Long Distance Sponsorship project, to continuously provide for the needs of the school and the children enrolled.

Being well known and appreciated by the Tibetan community, every year the school receives an increasing number of requests for enrollment, even from families who live in the most distant villages. Every year, about 70 children are enrolled, educated and cared for by about 6 people. Coming from nomadic or semi-nomadic families, the boarding school is the only opportunity these children have to attend school regularly and benefit from a very high quality education. In addition to Tibetan culture, history and language, the children also learn English, Nepali, and all the other subjects included in the official national curriculum. During the school year, teachers organize various activities such as practical workshops on local crafts and traditional knowledge, traditional dance and song performances, excursions, etc.

Sponsoring a child at the Ganchen Meri School has enormous value because it does not only mean supporting education and providing new opportunities, but also safeguarding the precious cultural identity of Tibet that is disappearing more and more each day.

Become a custodian of Tibet’s treasure and offer quality education and dignified living conditions to the children of this truly special school.