ROKPA Times November 2017 - The World of ROKPA Children

AT HOME
Being part of a large family –
Two sisters tell their story
Tsering Chöden | 16 years old
I come from Dolpo, also known as the
Hidden Land. Dolpo is located far north of
Kathmandu, on the border with the Tibetan
areas of China, in the middle of beautiful
high mountains. There are no accessible
roads. My mother gave birth to eleven children, five of whom died
due to malnutrition and lack of medical care.
I knew I had two sisters and a brother who lived far away from
us. I had never met them. My second oldest sister had married
and started a new life. At home it was my younger sister Dolma
Lhamo and I who had to do all the work. When I was 5 years old,
we went to Kathmandu, mostly on foot, to meet my siblings. At
the ROKPA Children’s Home, a boy came out to greet us. It was
my brother Pema. On that day, I became part of the ROKPA
family. After a few months my parents returned with my sister to
the village. I missed them, but I also got love and care in the
Children’s Home.
Dolma Lhamo | 17 years old
My life is rich with memories. In Dolpo
I helped my mother to feed horses and
cows. Sometimes I worked with my
father in the field. In the winter, my little
sister Tsering Chöden and I were sent to
school. There we learned the basics, but I still could not read
and write like the others. Because my mother needed help, I
often had to miss school. Afterwards I was taken into the
ROKPA Children’s Home. I now have a big family.
I visited Dolpo for the first time four years after joining the
Childrens Home. I was very happy to meet my relatives and
especially my sister Chonzom Bhuti. But it grieved me to see
that she worked very hard for the family. Her life situation is
completely different from mine. My sister is the only one of us
siblings who is not educated. Because of that, we are in two
very different places.
Pema Sangmo
15 years old
“I’ve painted this drawing
because I’ve been in Kathmandu
for many years and away
from my family. This drawing
is a memory of my childhood.
Me and my brother often
played in the river. That made
us happy.”
Photos: © Raymond Meier
4