Happy Tibetan New Year

The Lunar New Year (Losar) for Tibet and Buddhists has hopped into western 2023 with the welcome arrival of the year of The Water Rabbit, marked as a year of hope. The Rabbit is considered the luckiest of all the zodiac animals.

One of the Losar traditions is to renew the prayer flags flying in the wind. There are two kinds of prayer flags: horizontal ones, called Lung ta, meaning “Wind Horse” in Tibetan, and vertical ones, called Darchog, meaning “flagstaff”.

Lung ta prayer flags are of square or rectangular shape, and are connected along their top edges to a long string or thread. They are commonly hung on a diagonal line from high to low between two objects (e.g., a rock and the top of a pole) in high places such as the tops of temples, monasteries, stupas, and mountain passes. The students and staff have renewed the prayer flags at the winter school for Losar.

For more information about prayer flags and Lung Ta, please see our earlier blog here:

Year 10 – Creating Hope for Future Development

This year, for the first time. our co-ed year 10 students will be sitting national exams which must be taken external to the school. Students will have to travel to a nominated centre for these exams. Internal “mock” exams are being undertaken to help students prepare for this important first time event for the school.

The outcome of the exams will have a significant impact on the school’s application for licences to teach years 11 and 12. So there’s a lot of pressure on students and teachers alike. We are really rooting for their success whilst balancing the impact of the pressure the students are feeling.

This will be an amazing achievement if the school is successful – the only school in Mustang with such a high level of education. We’ll keep you all updated. Both the girls and boys schools have come such a long way in a relatively short period of time! And we’re well aware we couldn’t do it without all the support we receive from you all. Thank-you, thank-you.

Female Health Education & Screening

We’re so happy to share that a 2 day refresher training on Menstruation Hygiene Awareness was run alongside a Gynaecology Health Screening program.

Thank you to our dear school principal for giving support to the wonderful team from Droko Nepal. So wonderful to see you back at school.

In a culture where female health matters are still “hidden away” and often taboo topics of conversation, it’s so forward thinking of our school administrators to run this programme at the boys school. Hats off to you all for being such powerful role models to all our students – boys as well as girls.

Our girls learned to share their emotional experiences as well as physical changes in their bodies and learned to make sustainable reusable sanitary pads. Amazing job Droko Nepal facilitators!

Finally – a teaser for more news soon…

Bags were packed and over 70Kg of warm clothing donated and knitted by so many of you over the past 3 years were on the way to the Nepal….

More news coming shortly of our wonderful visit to the school. It was just so heart-warming to reconnect with our wonderful school administrators, staff, teachers and, of course, children again after 3 long years enforced absence!

Heart-felt gratitude to you all for your support. We can’t do this without your help.