April 2020

Dear Friends of Jhamtse, 

I hope you, your family and loved ones are well and safe as the entire world is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. This is one of the most challenging times in human history. Many countries, like USA, Italy, France, Germany, where our supporters and well-wishers live have been severely affected. 

Although this is a difficult time for everyone, we at Jhamtse Gatsal are trying to support and help those who are in need within our modest resources and capacity. We hope that our efforts can help make our world a little safer and better. Our children are sewing masks which will be distributed among the front-line workers within the district. They are translating awareness videos made by the government into Monpa (the local language) to share with villagers who cannot understand Hindi or English. While maintaining the lockdown and social-distancing directives, we are continuing construction work at limited capacity to enable our daily-wage workers from other states to support their families far away. 

The current pandemic has given us an opportunity to reflect on the purpose of our existence and our role in this global health crisis caused by disturbing the ecological balance of our planet. Often, Mother Nature has given us clear messages that irresponsible human behavior can cause irreparable damage. Our existence on this planet is very insignificant, yet our egocentric, greed-driven behaviors can cause significant destruction. We, human beings, pursue economic gain at the expense of the environment. However, today all of our self-serving systems have been brought to a standstill by a tiny virus that is invisible to the naked eye. 

This, dear friends, is another opportunity for us to learn from our mistakes. Often, we have focused solely on building our human community at the expense of other sentient beings. So, as we work towards rebuilding our community after this crisis, we must remember that we share our beautiful planet with all living beings. We must find a way to live in harmony with them. We need to rekindle our human spirit to rebuild a human community which looks beyond only our needs and well-being, but caters to the needs and well-being of all beings. Our existence is not essential for their survival, but their existence is vital to ours. 

The current crisis brings us validation and proof that what we are doing at Jhamtse Gatsal is in the right direction. I would like to tell you, our donors, sponsors and well wishers, that no matter how insignificant your contribution may appear to you, we are moving in the right direction and it could not have happened without your support and good wishes. Near or far, you are the backbone and strength of Jhamtse Gatsal and you enable us to nurture and raise the next generation of right thinkers and leaders. 

We hold you dearly in our thoughts and prayers daily and wish you good health and resilience to tide over this global crisis. 

With heartfelt gratitude and prayers,

Gen Lobsang Phuntsok La
Founder, Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community