Sonam
Sonam is in need of sponsors!
Sonam is from a small village. She has high expectations of herself, and works hard in class and on her homework. She is a major reason her class has been so successful, as she is a natural leader.
Sonam is a force to be reckoned with. She has high expectations of herself, and works tremendously diligently in class and on homework, as well as being proactive to contribute to community responsibilities. She holds her peers to the same high standards, and her teacher suggests she is often the reason her grade accomplishes as much as they do.
A kind and firm leader, Sonam is regularly the one to encourage her classmates to focus, to gently draw in a less engaged participant, or to implore the group to work together as a whole, especially in middle school when collaborative projects would sometimes fracture into smaller gender-divided groups.
Outside of class, she enjoys and excels at dance and sports, lately exploring her talent for volleyball by proudly participating on the Jhamtse Gatsal girls’ team in the regional tournament. Sonam is engaged, curious, and warm, and consistently helps those around her be the best versions of themselves, too. She has expressed that she would like to be a teacher in the future. The Community fully supports her decision and believes that she would make an excellent teacher.
Child ID: 0605022
“The most positive change that I see in the children today is that where they had nothing and no hope in their life; today, they are dreaming and thinking of doing something for the world at large; they are thinking of paying forward the kindness of their supporters and caregivers. This, to me, is the biggest achievement of all.”
— GEN LOBSANG PHUNTSOK LA
Your words of support are important to the children. In keeping with Jhamtse Gatsal's Project Earth initiative, we ask you to send electronic letters via email to sponsorship@jhamtse.org. These letters are forwarded to the Community throughout the year and shared with the children. Sponsors will hear back from children once a year.
Typically, a letter from your child will arrive as part of Jhamtse Gatsal's annual sponsor update, which contains a letter to you, new photos of the child, and a report on how the child is doing from a teacher, Ama la (house mother), or school administrator.
As we share sponsor letters electronically, we ask that letters be kept to a couple of pages in length. Children love seeing pictures of you, your family, and/or your daily life. The children love to hear about your family, things you like to do, and what the world looks like where you live. These are subjects that translate easily across different environments and cultures and to a younger age group.
When writing, remember English is not the children’s first language. Short and simple communications are most successful; Ama las and older students may help translate for the younger ones, but mostly the children love looking at the letters independently. Many of the smallest kids are still learning to write the alphabets of the three languages they study. Their native Monpa language has no written form.
Birthdays
While we prioritize birthdays in our society, in Monpa culture, they customarily have little significance. Parents often don’t know the exact date of a child’s birth.
When you sponsor a child, you have an opportunity to build a relationship with your child through letters and photos.
Minimum sponsorships are $400 USD per year or $35 per month.
If you live in the US: Your contributions are tax-deductible under U.S. tax regulations. As a non-profit, Jhamtse International is tax exempt in the United States under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code.
To make a tax-deductible donation/sponsorship as permitted under regulations from the following countries, please click on the link below:
Your US tax-deductible contribution of just $35 a month connects a child living in extreme poverty with loving care and a quality education. Sponsoring a child will profoundly change the future for your child and other children, and will change your own life as well. Our sponsorship program is at the heart and soul of Jhamtse Gatsal.
Our children arrive scared, neglected, abandoned, scrawny and subdued - with little hope for survival, let alone education. Many suffer from malnutrition and have run the risk of starvation. Access to clean water, reliable healthcare and preventative medicine in remote villages often means greater risk from even simple medical concerns. Your sponsorship will give these children a chance to heal. Your support provides:
A loving and compassionate home and family
Education
Nutritious food
Health and hygiene training
Medical and dental checkups
Support through higher education until their first day of work