By Jhamtse Gatsal graduate Rinchen T.

Tashi delek and greetings from Jhamtse Gatsal Children's Community! I am Rinchen T., one of the first graduates of Jhamtse Gatsal. I want to share this message with all of our Jhamtse supporters, donors, sponsors, staff and my dear brothers and sisters. I'm blessed to be a child of the Jhamtse family. During this difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the whole world is suffering, people are losing jobs, failing in businesses, our loved ones are falling ill, and our life circumstances have dropped us to our knees – we feel a loss of hope. It is tough to pull ourselves out of despair, anger, grief, and frustration, but I have faith in ourselves and I hold on to the hope for a better future. I look out for smiling faces and look forward to the day of celebration of our human community’s achievements.

Today, my graduated brothers and sisters and I are studying in different universities. We are like the branches of a tree; our lives may grow in different directions but our roots remain in our Jhamtse family. Words alone can never truly express our gratitude and heartfelt thanks to our Jhamtse family. Covid-19, a challenging time in 2020, has affected the life of every human being on this planet. All universities and schools closed and suddenly we were asked to leave from college. In the time of panic, our family made necessary arrangements to bring us back home safe and sound. Though we maintained appropriate social distance, it was so amazing to see everyone and their cheerful, smiling faces with happiness to see us when we reached home. As a safety measure, we lived separately, away from everyone for a month in a very well equipped and comfortable camping space with a small kitchen which was made ready for us when we arrived.

We feel fortunate that we are home with our family while many across the world are separated from their loved ones. We are fortunate that thanks to our family here and our global supporters, we have the daily necessities of life and the means to attend our online classes even in our remote location. However, more than anything, we are blessed that we are part of a family that cares for us and loves us so much. We have been blessed to be able to spend wonderful hours with our younger siblings, including the new ones whom some of us had not even met since their arrival, to share our stories about college and our friends there, about our new life experience in the cities and also hear the stories of our brothers and sisters. We pray that this tough period will fade away soon and people will be safe again with smiles on their faces and happily going about their business thoughtfully and mindfully.