Golog Childfund, Shaya Laughlin

Deep into the mountains and far from civilization, I could hear young boys reciting their Tibetan lessons.

Their soft, gentle voices filled with determination could be heard afar from the snow-covered school yard. We had arrived to the “Motherland Pama School” in the Golog region where some children are supported by the Child Support Fund of Golog.

As I peeked inside the classrooms, young monks and nomads were carefully writing in their books with great concentration. One hundred boys attend the school in the small village and the poorest 50 of them board at the school weekly. Despite very harsh conditions, the young boys have catching smiles.

The school was established nine years ago and has three classes from grades one to three.The three teachers do their best to transmit their knowledge to the young boys, but they are seriously lacking resources. The headmaster explained that the school needs more money to buy equipment like books, pens and pencils. He mentioned that it is also hard to keep teachers in such a rural part of Tibet. “The isolation is hard because there is no road, shop, hotel, or restaurant,” he explained to the translator in Tibetan. 

The transport is not easy and it takes a long drive to reach the school. But if we want to grow as a school and provide for more students, we need more teachers and cooks. During class, most children can be heard coughing, but the school cannot afford to have medicine for everyone. If it wasn’t for the Child Fund, 50 of the boys would be without shelter, food, or a stable living environment.

But more funding is needed to assure the future of the school and the young boys.