2 minute read
A higher education
from Juiced! #18
by Juice Master
MUST-WATCH MOVIE A higher education
Imagine sending your child to school at four and not seeing them for 12 years – an award-winning documentary tells the story of the children of the Higher Himalayas whose parents make this sacrifi ce
Any parent will tell you they would do anything for their child and want to give them the best start, but ask if they could send their off spring away to school at four years old and not see them again for 12 years and most would be aghast. This is a stark reality for families in the Higher Himalayas of Nepal who believe it will give a child the best chance in life.
Here, parents send their children to the capital city of Kathmandu to a school run by a Buddhist monk, in the hope that an education will set them up for life. For ten years, the children do not see or speak to their parents, due to the remoteness of their home villages which require an arduous trek to return. It is only children are forced to become independent at such a tender age.
The documentary is fascinating and, having created it, Zara set up a non-profi t organisation, Snowland Journeys, to help the young people and communities featured in the fi lm for the long term. The organisation takes the school’s young graduates back to their homeland to enable them to understand why their family sent them away and to see how deeply they are loved. The trips are fi nanced by trekkers who participate in the expeditions to this remote and stunning region with Snowland Journeys and then, once the children return to the capital, the charity supports them as they begin their young adult lives.
upon graduation at 16 that the children can make the journey across mountains and rough terrain, back to an environment untouched by the modern world – there are no mobile phones or social media.
Directed by Zara Balfour and Marcus Stephenson, Children Of The Snow Land follows three students as they leave the Snowland School to make the epic journey home after more than a decade apart from their families. The children question whether their parents loved them and why they were separated at such a young age.
An incredibly moving and humbling story, the fi lm explains the quandary these parents face and how the young If you are looking for an inspiring and insightful movie, Children Of The Snow Land is available to watch online at
