The earthquake which destroyed and isolated so many villages in Pakistan on 8 October 2005 also violently struck some parts of the Indian side of the Kashmir valley, in and around Srinagar. Amounts collected by MdH have allowed our friend Ali (Srinagar) to buy warm blankets, which then were distributed by the Indian army to disaster-stricken villagers.

Tsering Lhamo was 11 years’ old when her desperate case was brought to our attention at the beginning of 2005: her family lives in Dha village, in the Drogpa community which is already receiving support from MdH. Tsering Lhamo, also known as Spalzes Angmo, has been suffering with leg bone malformation and self-induced fractures due mainly to rickets. Preliminary medical tests were carried out in Leh and a decision was taken to transfer her to Delhi for further tests; she was finally operated on in July and September 2005 in Delhi thanks to the generosity of so many donors.

In Delhi, when not in hospital, Spalzes lives with her grandfather in a Ladakhi community centre and a Ladakhi student, Stanzin, takes care of them, including teaching Spalzes. From time to time, doctors have to remove plasters from her legs to check the status of her operated bones. News communicated by Stanzin is very encouraging and we are confident that Spalzes, who shows so much courage and good spirit in her difficult life in Delhi, will soon be able to run up and down the lanes of her mountain village with her friends. But she still needs to go through several months of painful treatment and physical rehabilitation in Delhi and we are continuing our efforts to raise money and take her, on both legs, to her new life.

MdH has been helping this community of Tibetan monks, in Sera monastery, for some years already. Most of these monks are between 20 and 30 years old and have come to India to study. Unfortunately, they face many physiological difficulties in adapting to such a warm environment and, due to the lack of proper hygiene, many of them suffer from tuberculosis and various other diseases.

The committee ruling the Tsawa Khangtsen (one of the communities of monks in Sera monastery) is giving a monthly allowance to the monks to help them improve their dietary habits, buy the necessary medicines and finance their stays in hospital.

Nevertheless, considering the increasing number of patients amongst the monks arriving from Tibet, the Tsawa Khangtsen Committee has specifically requested our help in this matter.

MdH has decided to provide specific support to 6 monks from the Tsawa Khangtsen community and to appeal to our members’ generosity for this purpose. The collected funds will be brought to the monks on the occasion of our next visit in Sera monastery in September 2006.

Initial costs for building, furniture and supplies: about 57,000 euros (67,600 USD).
Approx. 10,000 euros have already been allocated by MdH, for the construction of the ground floor.
Additional funds to be collected to contribute to the education process (salaries, equipment, books and stationery) and the construction of the upper floor.

To develop the production of goat milk and its transformation into cheese and, in particular:
. provide Chitlang farm with the means to supervise the breeders in a new activity,
. allow the breeders of Chitlang valley to develop this activity,
. organization of the sale of milk and dairy produce,
. installation of a cheese making unit run by the cooperative after the experimental phase.

For the past fifteen years, the influx of tourists has provoked galloping urbanization in Manali, which attracts of number of people from exterior regions who come to work or beg.

An entire section of Manali is taken over by tarp camps from March until the end of October, where more than sixty “gypsy families” from Rajasthan sell medicinal herbs and saffron to tourists. The rest of the year these families live either in Rajasthan, in Punjab or in Delhi. Because of cultural differences between them and the inhabitants of the valley, they are misunderstood and often shunned and both communities live in fear of each other. Because they never went to school themselves and are still able to find their balance within their own community system, parents do not send children to school: boys will sell saffron in the street and girls will stay under the family tent to do household chores…

After surveying the Rajasthani camp and surrounding slums, Dominique, a member of MdH, decided in 2003 to open a temporary school in order to include children of nomad and workers’ families in the educational process, at least during their stay in the region and to impress on them the necessity of learning to read and write. The goal is to get them off the street or out of the camp and encourage their parents to enrol them in one of the government or private schools.

The first phase of the program christened “Prayas" (the endeavour) was launched at the beginning of May 2004 by HPHWO. Two primary school teachers were hired for the duration of the program (May through November) and two rooms were rented to accommodate the children, plus the purchase of some basic materials. The budget for the 2004 school year was a mere 2,000 euros, which included eight months of instruction for 70 students (for a start), all financed by individual gifts.

Within the first two days of the opening of the school, about 70 children were registered, which means that the need was enormous. Between 40 and 50 children came to the school every day, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm: two teachers hired by the NGO could inculcate in them the basics of discipline, hygiene, reading and writing (both in Hindi and in English), mathematics, and, above all, to discover and enjoy school.

In 2005, the school opened again at the beginning of May in a different building, still on rent. Children were less numerous at the beginning of summer, as some of the older boys or girls had been sent back to work in the street or under the tents. On 15 August, Dominique and HPHWO organised an “open day” in the school to attract more children, and the number of students stabilized to 40-45 until the end of the school season (end of October). Among those, 10 boys and girls can now read and write in Hindi, do some basic calculations, and have some very basic knowledge of English. Another group of 8 children showed an extreme motivation and success in their work and one of the teachers was dedicated to them especially. A third teacher was hired in August to take care of younger children and newcomers in their first steps in school.

The main barriers in this project are unfortunately lying within the community itself, as Rajasthani parents of the most advanced students are reluctant to send them to study at a boarding school (even with financing through sponsorship) or to a government school.

The children themselves are highly motivated and some of them have shown exceptional skills for studying. We are still hoping to convince their families to give those boys and girls the opportunity to go on in their studies in the best possible conditions.

This will be one of our targets when the nomad families come back to Manali at the beginning of May 2006.

1st May 2006 : For the third year, the small Prayas school opened again and 35 to 40 children attended classes on a regular basis (up to 50 students on peak days). The most advanced students (two boys and one girl) were given free computer education every afternoon and were so proud of it! In September, a young French engineer (Luc Ponchon) spent two full weeks in the school to develop a programme for scientific approach, based on the properties of air and hygiene, including games, small scientific experiments and method-building activities. This programme was very successful with the children and evidenced their ability to develop a scientific mind.

Most of the children and their families left Manali during the last week of October and our small Prayas school closed its doors again for the long winter.

One new and positive point was the interest shown by other local teachers (government school principal and teachers) in the school programme. The principal of the Manali government primary school proposed to register some children in her school – but, in spite of continuous discussions with some families, the Rajasthani parents still do not accept their children to mix with other communities.

2007... 2008... Due to severe mismanagement by the local NGO (HPHWO), discovered in October 2008, it was decided (at the children's request) to organize a new school in 2009, with new rules and under the supervision of another local NGO. New premises have been identified, teachers have agreed to the new school regulations, a "local foreigner" will manage the educational programme during Dominique's absence from Manali. The name of this new school was found by students themselves: "Asha New School" ("Asha" means "hope"). So let's hope for the best in 2009!

After partition from the local NGO "HPHWO"
children enjoyed school in the warm autumn sunshine
of Manali, on a private house roof-terrasse.
Rhada was one of the most motivated students.

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1st May 2009: we kept our promiss to the children and opened the Asha New School on 1st May. Dominique spent two weeks in Manali (and in Kullu for the Handimachal Project) to prepare the school opening and welcome children during the first days of school.

Two teachers were confirmed in their duties. Judith, a "local tourist" from Switzerland, who is settled in Manali and talks hindi fluently, is, on a volunteering basis, piloting the every day organisation of the school and giving new teaching techniques to our teachers.

First lessons in the new classroom
of Asha New School (2 May 2009)

"Interactive teaching" by Judith, involving
individual deduction and thought
instead of unproductive endless repetition...

As of 25 May 2009, the attendance of children in Asha New School varies from 15 to 20, with maximum of 30 children one some days. Three level groups have clearly emerged and a third local teacher will be hired very soon in order to fix the groups and prevent demotivation of children.

The budget for this school "season" (May to November) has been set to 1,000-1,200 euros, including renting of the school hall, salaries of local teachers, equipment, books and stationery. No school fees are being asked to families in order to prevent financial discrimination.

We are greatly dependant on donations for this educational programme and are most grateful for any help you may provide in this regard. Please contact Dominique for details.

Volunteers wishing to join the school for 2-3 weeks (or for a few days) during their visit in Himachal are most welcome and should contact Dominique. Small educative or artistic activities can be easily designed in order to widen children's perspectives and keep them smiling in school.

 

The Drogpa or Dard community, believed to descend from pure Aryan settlers, is a unique people who survive in the barren and rocky Indus valley north of Khalse, on the border with Pakistan. Villagers settled in Dah Hanu valleys have been Buddhist followers since the 19th century, unlike their Muslim counterparts present near Drass or in the Khargil district. They are following a very unique and independent way of life, characterised by an exceptional culture, original customs, colourful festivals and clothing, and a separate dialect.

Ladakh nevertheless does not escape globalisation and many young Dard men are attracted by new opportunities in Leh or further into the mainland. In order to preserve this unique culture and at the same time allow the Dard community to adapt to the modern world, La Maison des Himalayas engaged strong relationships with this interesting people and has been financing various development programmes in their favour:

Already completed:

. Construction of a playground in front of the government school (1998 – cost: 380 euros);

. Construction of three primary schools (total cost: 5,400 euros):

. Financing of teachers’ salaries (Tsering Ladol and Tashi Samdan);

. Repairing of Dah main access trail, destroyed in 1999 by a bomb (cost: 950 euros);

. August 2002: organisation of waste collection and disposal in Dah village; purchase of “use me” tanks;

. Development of handicraft activities, such as the weaving of traditional shawls with wool from local sheep: shawls are being sold in France the income from which is covering the salaries of both teachers employed in the primary schools;

. Sponsoring of children in Dah (around 65 children);

. Sanitary and health programmes, carried out on a regular basis and for specific cases (see our action in favour of Tsering Lhamo above)

. Punctual actions in the village

Still to be completed:

. Extension of sponsoring to the four other Dard villages;

. Building of a playground and a wall around Lhastang school (estimated: 1,272 euros);

. Construction of a pre-primary school in Sanit hamlet (Dah) (estimated cost: 1,800 euros) and hiring of a teacher;

. Further development of local handicraft activities in order to avoid rural migration for men and young women;

. Development of local agriculture (the main cash crop is apricot trees; the development of goat breeding is under study;

. Preservation of Dah cultural heritage:

The traditional dances, songs and music of the Dard people, their costumes, their dialect, their way of life deeply rooted to nature are the clear signs of a unique culture which is now in great danger.

The modest contribution brought by La Maison des Himalayas to help this community to protect its identity should be relayed by other organisations in order to be efficient. Contacts have been taken with the Unesco’s representatives in this sense.