Thrangu Rinpoche’s Vision for Empowering Himalayan People Through Education and Healthcare Thirty-six years ago, SMD opened to serve the needs of the forgotten children of the Himalayas. A Tibetan lama founding a school for lay children was unheard of, but Thrangu Rinpoche’s compassion was vast and his vision far-reaching. He established SMD to help Himalayan folk preserve the language, culture, …
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LOSAR TASHI DELEK! 2023
Happy New Year – The water rabbit year 2150 By the blessings of the truth of the Three Jewels and Three Roots, As this New Year of the Female Water Hare dawns, May all misfortune of illness, famine, and war be pacified, And may the glorious qualities of an age of perfection grow. -Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Namo Buddha, Nepal Losar …
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A Story of Karma supports SMD
A Story of Karma, a new book written by long time SMD School supporter Michael Schauch, sheds light on life for children in the Himalaya, and the important role of SMD School. In 2012, Michael Schauch and his wife, Chantal, undertook an expedition deep in the Himalaya of northern Nepal, into a remote valley that had been closed off to …
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New Song: Pray for the World
Ross Green of Music Seeds International has done it again! This is his third song-writing/recording project with SMD School students in Kathmandu, resulting in “Pray for the World,” just released in time for Losar (Tibetan New Year)! As usual, the students chose the topic and wrote the lyrics. Check out Thrangu Band perform their new song with Ross: Ross also …
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SMD School Summer Update
This summer SMD School students had a lot of fun and excitement with many extracurricular activities being offered. They certainly think it’s fun to take breaks from studying. Our support staff, Buddha Tamang with his black belt Karate skills, has successfully developed an SMD Karate program that the kids are loving…and now they impressed us all with their new Karate …
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Film for Change
SMD alumna, Dolma Tsering Lama, recently finished the IB (International Baccalaureate) program at UWC (United World Colleges) ISAK in Japan. She won a full scholarship at Wheaton College MA in the USA to study film as of fall 2018. As so many people are still illiterate in the mountains of Nepal, she thinks short films are a way to bring …
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NASA Astronaut visits SMD
Our new school year is off to a great start and we’ve been busy—we’ve had many visitors, club and sports activities, a fire puja, an election, Environment Day, Hostel Night, and more. One of the key highlights was the visit and presentation by American engineer and former NASA astronaut, Sandra Hall Magnus. The kids were riveted by her talk. She …
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30 years of free education
On November 20th, SMD School held a grand celebration to commemorate 30 years of free education for Himalayan Children in the presence of the founder, the Very Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, the Khenpos and Lamas of Thrangu Monastery, and many SMD alumni. Some of them shared their life journey and expressed with gratitude the important role that the free education provided …
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Student Art Exhibition
SMD alum and artist, Sonam Gurung, led an art program this summer, making art classes available to SMD School students after class, holding art exhibitions and producing new generations of artists at SMD. The ‘After School Artists’ just held their first Art Exhibition on August 5 & 6 in the SMD Shrine Hall. View some of the amazing highlights below …
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Sonam Colours his Dreams
Sonam Gurung, SMD alum and artist, just returned from Red Cross Nordic United World College in Norway, where he was studying on scholarship to complete grades 11 and 12. While there, he presented a project proposal to make art classes available to SMD School students after class, hold art exhibitions and produce new generations of artists at SMD. His project …