Community Service

Community Service >> Three Days in Yushu: TIS Brings Service to Qing- Hai By Aaron Falzerano and Yvonne Williamson Teda International School

Vairocana Temple

It started with a simple question to Vera Chen of the Teda Charity Association: “Next time you visit our schools in QingHai, can I come too?” In 2015-2016, TIS students provisioned their first library in QingHai at Galeng School in Xunhua County near Xining. Each class at Teda International School from K-5 created a service project to raise funds to buy books and bookshelves. It’s a touch too far to take the students on a field trip, so a group of three TIS staff, along with Ms. Chen took five days out at the start of summer holidays to go exploring.

With the plan in place, we wanted to take with us a useful gift to present to the children. So the Crayon Project was born with a modest goal of 140 packs of crayons at a value of around 5000RMB. Before the week was out, we topped 10,000RMB and with the help of the students, raised a total of over 17,000RMB enabling us to provision yet another library as well as gifting crayons and chalk to 150 children.

What for the future? We already have the name of the next school we will help. So much positive change has occurred in the last few years but there is more to accomplish. Our next school is a Kindergarten that was started by a Tibetan lama many years ago. The school is small and under-resourced but essential. The families in this region are uneducated and struggle to see how education can be helpful in their nomadic life. People like the lama see the value of education, especially for the young, and are willing to work hard to change the mindset and provide for the needs of the children.

You will see, as we did, this common thread of compassion and passion at work in many communities. Leaders who are making a difference. Tibetan lamas with a heart to build confidence and capacity in the underprivileged young. Headmasters and teachers who themselves surmounted incredible obstacles to gain an education and who have then returned to their communities to make a difference. So, next time you plan a vacation, take a risk and head to the hills. Remember, you have to actually be ‘in life’ in order to be in the right place when the opportunities come. This is a must do!

Tibetan Grasslands

Xiwang Elemtary