Kyitsel-ling is a boarding hostel for needy Tibetan children. It was founded with contributions of friends, mainly through the Tibetan Children's Education Foundation, Montana and a special grant from the Department of Education of the Tibetan Government in exile at Dharamsala, India. The foundation stone was laid by His Holiness The Dalai Lama on November 21, 1997, who named it KYITSEL-LING, which means "the place of happiness'. The Kyitsel-ling children attend the local Tibetan settlement school (classes KG to XII) and come home to Kyitsel-ling.
While it is true that some Tibetan families have done well in exile, many continue to be very poor. Kyitsel-ling is a home for the poorest of the poor, children from broken homes and homes where the parents' poverty and lack of literacy does not allow them to actively support the children's academic growth. A large majority of Tibetan refugees in India make their living by selling sweaters and jackets. During the winters, they travel to different cities in India for business. Often their children's education gets disrupted as they are compelled to follow their parents for lack of a place to stay. Kyitsel-ling ensures that at least some of them can have an uninterrupted academic year. Appreciating these needs, the establishment of Kyitsel-ling has been welcomed by all sections of the Tibetan community in exile. Initially planned as a center for fifty children, we already have well over a hundred.
Kyitsel-ling is really much more than a boarding hostel. It is an education center. The programs at Kyitsel-ling are aimed at:
a) Supporting the academic progress of children
Extra tutors are arrangedfor children of all ages, to support and compliment school work. Special self-study hours are arranged and children are encouraged to develop the habits of self-study and hard work.
b) Actively facilitating thecultural transmission to the younger generation and inculcating
traditional moral values.
Kyitsel-ling's location within a Tibetan community encourages the cultural transmission to the children. Our immediate neighbors are Tashi Kyil Monastery and Tibetan families. Traditional religious prayers, customs, practices, songs, dances and music form a core curriculum for the children here.
c) Promoting happiness and the well being of the children
While naming the place, His Holiness The Dalai Lama exhorted us to keep the children here happy. That is always going to be our endeavor. Children's happiness, welfare and growth have always been the focus of staff discussions. Realizing the importance of happiness, adequate playtime is allocated and a recreation block has recently been added. For more information on Kyitsel-ling and the programs there, please contact Mr. Tsering Phuntsok, Director at kyitsel@sancharnet.in.
TCEF is a nonprofit 501C3 organization dedicated to Tibetan children, helping preserve their culture and function in the modern world.
