A Bigger Picture

August 19, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | News by: Sandy W. (volunteer)

One thing that has stood out and become clear to me on this visit to Jhamtse Gatsal is how much the school is a transformative force not just in the lives of these 50 children, but a leader and source of light within the entire region. It’s actual impact ripples much further outward than I had realized before. I see this in a couple of ways:

Jhamtse Gatsal is very much a pioneer and sets a numerous examples for the surrounding villages. It is shaping up to become a center of learning for better health practices, and sets an example of engaging and well-rounded teaching techniques. When Jane and Steve (volunteers from Seattle) were visiting, Steve gave a couple workshops in lesson planning and interactive teaching style, which teachers from nearby villages attended and enjoyed.

The school is an important leader with its new garden initiative, too: in the last few decades, the government has run a program distributing artificial fertilizer to interested farmers. Their crops multiply, and the farmers sell the extra back to the government. This program is very appealing to individuals who otherwise don’t have a source of rupee income. However, the older generation sees how the fertilizer really is depleting the soil, and tells how the land no longer produces like it used to without the chemicals, and that the vegetables are not rich like they used to be. Jhamtse Gatsal’s new organic gardening project is a critical initiative; it not only will reduce the school’s food costs and environmental footprint, but can become a center of sustainability education for the greater community.

Then there are the students themselves. It now seems really clear, and maybe I’m just dense, but I hadn’t realized before how much these 50 kids are not the end recipients of the gifts that we’re sending over. Their lives are revolutionized, for sure. But they are not the final beneficiaries of Jhamtse’s efforts – they are the vehicles. Here, each of these kids grows into a strong, independant, motivated, compassionate young adult. All these seeds that were inside of them are nourished and nurtured. They learn not only the academic tools they’ll need to be the future leaders of their generation, but also develop and practice the love and compassion that motivate them to want to give back. They’re such smart, caring, thougtful kids. I have no doubt that in a few short years, they will be the ones to lift the impoverished villages of the area, inspired to share with others the gifts they’ve been granted here: blessings like health, nutrition, education, and a childhood. It’s incredible and really empowering to think that even as it seems like our work is so specific–providing for food, for beds, for a bathhouse–the actual effect of those gifts and this community we’re supporting extends so way beyond this one hilltop.


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