Kamzang Kids & Causes

KAMZANG KIDS (SCHOOL)

Singge is from Zanskar, &I met him in 2001 in a remote village in Zanskar and discovered his story. Joel brought him back to Leh, where I met them, and then Manali the next summer, a story in itelf. His mother is blind and his father's family doesn't recognize him. He is now 14 or 15, and goes to school in Manali at the Himalayan Buddhist School. He was sponsored for school for many years by Sunish, a Tibet trekker, and looked after by his surrogage father Joel (who often takes him trekking with his groups during the summer) &  Kim (who takes care of him sometimes in Leh and pays his school fees).

*** Tragically, Joel recently died of a heart attack and Singge is devestated. Joel's friend Chuck, an Indian trekker, donated some funds for Singge's school and Joel's family will now take care of his sponsorship.

Dawa Yangi, a Sherpani from Monjo, the Everst region, was formerly supported only by her jobless mother. She is now going to school at a Hillary School in Khumjung. She's now in Class 10. She was sponsored by Steve for a few years but lost her sponsorship a few years ago and I have been helping her family. If anyone is willing to help her get through her higher education it would be fantastic!

Nuru Sherpa, the son of Lhakpa Dorji from Thame & Lhakpa Doma from Pangboche, is living in Kathmandu with his family. He is sponsored by Jennelle, a Nepal & India trekker, and is one of the smarted kid in Kathmandu. At least we think so! He's going to be Kim's assistent in Kamzang someday ... He's now in Class 8.

Phuru Diki Sherpa, from a poor family in Monjo village, the Everest region, now at school in Kathmandu (pictured with some trekkers and her Aunt). She is sponsored by Camilla & David, Everest trekkers.

*** Phura Diki is now entering Class 11, which in KTM is the +2 of Universitylevel. She is getting great grades inschool and wants to become a pilot, which is very expensive. Anyone wanting to help her along this path is welcome to get in touch with Kim!

Nimalee Sherpa, Dawa Yangi's younger sister, now going to school in Namche Bazaar. She is sponsored by Graeme & Laura, and has also been helped, along with another Sherpa girl who is now sponsored for school in Kathmandu, by Jim W, an Everest trekker. She is doing great in school and I see her often.

Lhakpa Zangmu from Mende (see below) now has sponsors, Karen, Steve & Lindsay from our 2008 Arun Valley trek! She is now going to school in Kathmandu, a great chance for her ... The girls have also been helped out by many Everest trekkers, including Tom P, an Everest trekker. I see Lhakpa Zangmu regularly, and she now speaks good English and is in Class 3. She's really blooming being in Kathmandu, and is happy and healthy.

Jamie sponsors Lhakpa & Tsering, the two Sherpa sons of Gyelgen & Pemba, his housemates. They go to school in Kathmandu and are doing
great!

Santos Giri, our 'sherpa' Kiran's son, has a speaking/nerve problem. He was sponsored for speech therapy in Kathmandu by Marian, an India trekker who now sponsors Santos and Kiran's other two children for school in Kathmandu.

Junar's daughter, Rachana, & son, Abinath, have been helped for their schooling in Kathmandu by Graham, a long time trekking friend. He is also going to be helped by the father son team of Ron & Charlie, who came on Wild Everest (Dec) in 2009. Charlie raised some money for the Kamzang Fund through school, and is now making a contribution. Thanks, Charlie!

Dorje is the daughter of Dolma, our good friend and the local 'amchi', or Tibetan doctor, of Purne in the Indian Himalaya (Zanskar region). Joel had been sponsoring Dorje's schooling and now his good friend Alison will take over from Joel. *** Alison will also sponsor Lhakpa Nuru from the Everest region's grandson, who Joel was also sponsoring for school.

Two more fabulously Sherpa cute kids (only Tsewang Palmo pictured here), Phura Tashi, 7, & Twewang Palmo, 4, have just found sponsorship for school in Kathmandu from Margherita, a wonderful woman from Italy on our Mustang trek. The father, Ang Nuru, is a guide with us as well as privately, and their mother Lhakpa Kanchi, has been paralyzed from the waist down for over a year. They are really in need of financial support after the veryexpensive operation and long stay in Kathmandu. Both are from Pangboche village, in the Everest region.

KAMZANG KIDS (MEDICAL)

Jamphael had a cleft palatte operation in southern India. Pictured with his sister, Cherring Lhamo.
Jamphael is sponsored by Sunish, who also sponsors Singge & Don (an India trekker and friend).

Tsering lives in Yara village, Upper Mustang. Her mother and the rest of the village say she can't speak but we found that she is a great communicator and think she only needs some speach therapy. Shivan, on our Last Nomads of Mustang trek, is helping with the costs of her travel to and stay in Kathmandu. She will go for free therapy at the same clinic that Kiran's son goes to ...

Nyima Dikki from Samdo, who had post-partem depression for four years. We've provided her with medical help and medications with the help of a doctor on one of our Manaslu treks, and she is now out of the house, looking after the kids, working again and doing great. Clint Rogers, who has written a book about the region, contributed money to the family regularly.

*** UPDATE: Tragically, Nima Dikki's husband Tsewang Gyurme died fighting a forest fire encroaching on the grazing pastures of Samdo in December 2010. Tribute below ***

LOOKING FOR SPONSORS ...

Two of the brightest (and cutest) Sherpa kids around, we're looking for sponsors for Tsering Gyelsen, 11, & Sera Doma, 5. Their parents Gyurme & Nima Lhamo run a small lodge in Pangboche and Gyurme comes with us as a trekking and climbing guide. They are from Pangboche village, Khumbu.

Suresh's adorable daughter. How can you resist that face? Please help ...

Beni's kids (see Causes & Funds under BENI). On the left is her son, Gagan, age 3 and on the right is her daughter Judicious, age 6. Beni is helping so many other village women with employment and school but is having a difficult time finding enough money to send her own kids to school ...

Who's seen the movie 'Himalya', filmed in Dolpo? This is chief Thinle's grandson Karma, who now lives in Saldang (see Saldang Fund). Even though his father was the star of the movie, the family still lives extremely simply in Dolpo without the money to send the grandkids to school in Kathmandu.

Lhakpa Zangmu Sherpa (right) and her cousins (left) in Mende, Solu Khumbu, Nepal (Lhakpa Zangmu is on the left in the lower photo). Lhakpa Zangmu will now go to school in Kathmandu, but her cousins still and live with her grandmother in Thame and the poor hamlet of Mende, Solu Khumbu. Her cousins are now in need of sponsors!

Our Samdo Kids (see Samdo Fund), the 4 Tibetan children of Nyima Diki & Tsewang Gyurme in the village of Samdo, Manaslu region, Nepal. Nyima Diki had post-partem depression for 4 years, and the couple spend all of their meager savings trying to discover what was wrong with her (see above). They live in a very poor Tibetan village a few hours from the border of Tibet. They really need sponsors for school in Kathmandu. The younger son is a monk in Sama Gaon village.

The Samdo girls in 2011 (lower photo). Clint R lived with the family for a year while doing resarch for a book on Samdo and helps them out regularly but his contributions aren't enough to send them to a good school. This family has very little, and really need help. Kim helps the oldest daughter with teh basics but we're still looking for sponsors for all three of the kids. Their father, our good friend Tsewang Gyurme, died tragically in early 2011 and now they need help more than ever (see tribute at top of page) ...

Nima, our yak driver from Ringmo (the Dolpo region) has a bright son looking for a sponsor to send him to school in Kathmandu.
He's incredibly intelligent and a great kid ...

Nima's other son, the younger one. We're also looking for someone to sponsor his education in Kathmandu. The schools in Dolpo don't provide the kind of education to take the children out of the village; in Kathmandu they learn English, computer skills and in general receive a real education.

Our Papaya family in Kathmandu. The parents sell papaya on the streets near the former royal palace, and all the kids have now leflt school as their parents can't afford to send them anymore. Pictured are the oldest son, 19, and his wife, 16. The other two girls are 16 and 14, and their son the youngest. They've been helped recenly by Russ, an Everest trekker, but really need school sponsorship for the younger children. Kim also helps them regularly. The two daughters on either side of Mom, and the daugher-in-law on the right ...