About Our Students

Our students come from the high mountains of Nepal, from villages that have no electricity, no toilets, no sanitation, no telecommunications, no hospitals, ?no roads and no schools. Our kids come from villages that are 6 to 14 days' trek from the nearest road, villages that lie above 10,000 feet (3000 m). Getting word to and from the villages sometimes takes months,depending on weather conditions.

We know the children before they come to us. They are younger siblings, nieces or nephews, of our students, or of Rinpoche's monks and nuns. In any case, their backgrounds are well-known. They are means-tested by virtue of their Himalayan origins.

We are very crowded at SMD. In fact, we've had to rent 4 flats outside the school compound to relieve the crowding. The Waiting List numbers more than 200. When we have a free bed, a Himalayan child can come to school and we send word up the the villages. The messages have to be delivered in person, most often by our nuns and monks. Sometimes it takes a few months to get word into the mountains. Occasionally the family sends a different child than the one chosen. We try to be flexible about this, and ask that sponsors do the same.

Once the children come down to SMD, they may see their families once a year, generally in the winter. In the other seasons, the parents are busy with their animals (yaks and goats) and the summer crops (barley, potatoes and maize). Many families come down to the Kathmandu valley to do pilgrimage, and to escape the heavy winter snows. Winter is when we have the long holiday of the year.

SMDers have their own voice. They publish The Thrangu Express, an inhouse newspaper. They've recorded their own song, "Bring Back Peace". You can download the song for free at http://www.musicseedsinternational.com/photos-and-downloads.php

The kids have their own website:www.voiceof himalayankids.org