A school that honors the past to make the future flourish
In this dark moment in human history, rediscovering the human values of empathy, altruism, and compassion that we have absorbed from the Himalayan peoples during many years of fieldwork gives us a glimmer of hope.
That is why we have decided to focus on the new generations of Tibetans in exile, who embody these values in their daily lives, and to take care of their growth.
The Manasarovar school in Boudhanath, the Tibetan refugee district of Kathmandu, Nepal, is a model of care and kindness. Founded in 1999 by two women—one Tibetan and one Nepalese—driven by the desire to give Tibetan refugee children in Nepal the opportunity to receive an education based on their own cultural traditions, the preschool and elementary school has become a point of reference for the entire Boudhanath community.
The name, Manasarovar, is inspired by the sacred lake located near Mount Kailash in Tibet, a female symbol in Tibetan tradition.
Feminine is indeed the spirit that permeates the activities of this school, where the psychological and physical well-being of each individual child really matters. Here, the teaching staff carries out its mission of educating children with extreme care and attention, cultivating their potential and keeping their cultural roots alive.
The motto “culture is freedom” is the basis of the school curriculum. The subjects taught are Tibetan, English, Nepali, mathematics, natural sciences, and social and environmental sciences. Ample space is given to imagination and creativity, with play considered an important teaching method for children. Small shows, dances, and Tibetan songs are periodically organized with the aim of preserving and passing on ancient traditions, which are also kept alive through the use of ancient teaching techniques such as memorization, debates, and dialectical exercises.
Long-distance sponsorship
The children who are welcomed into the school are those from the poorest families in the Tibetan refugee community in Boudhanath, who live in particularly difficult conditions: Nepal has not ratified the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and therefore does not formally recognize Tibetan refugees, who have no legal refugee status or identity documents. This means that they are not protected in any way, do not enjoy any rights, and live in precarious conditions that are often subject to restrictions.
Added to this is the difficult economic and social situation in the country, one of the poorest in Asia, where about a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.
The school receives no public funding and survives on small donations from families and, above all, through long-distance sponsorship.
ASIA has been supporting this school since its inception in 1999, backing the extraordinary work carried out by all the school staff with its long-distance sponsorship project.
With a donation of €25 per month—or €300 per year—supporters contribute to covering all school expenses: from teaching materials to stationery, food, uniforms, heating, and everything else that is needed.
Above all, they enter into a genuine relationship with the young students they support from afar, a relationship built on letter exchanges, sending photographs and, when possible, even meetings. In fact, many supporters have visited the school during a trip to Nepal and met the child they support in person.
Long-distance sponsorship is therefore not merely financial support but an exchange and encounter between two different worlds and cultures, enriching both parties.
How to start long-distance sponsorship:
Follow this link to proceed online
By writing to adozioni@asia-ngo.org and donating by bank transfer to:
ASIA ETS – IBAN: IT29X0623003225000015108051
SOWING THE SEEDS OF THE FUTURE, support Tibetan children in Nepal.
