Lho Shyala School
- A Beautiful Place in the Himalayas of Nepal

 

Geographic Regions
The Himalayas span five countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan. Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres (26,781 ft) above sea level. Its name means "Mountain of the Spirit". Our school is located at the foot of the Manaslu mountain.

 

Our Two Campuses
1.Shyala Campus
(Hilltop Campus- altitude of 3500 meters)
Shyala Campus was the first campus established in 2011. The school site was generously donated by local villagers. The founder, Sonam Rinpoche, showed great compassion and aimed to fight the lack of access to child education in the Himalayas.

2.Arkhet Campus
(Hillside Campus- altitude of 620 meters)
Because of the severe weather conditions and unavailability during the winter season, the second campus was constructed in 2013. When winter semester begins, teachers and students spend 5- 6 days hiking to the hillside campus and stay until next spring.

 

Challenges of Construction Work
At this high altitude the extreme climate added to the difficulty of construction work in the Himalayas. All building materials were carried by mountain mules, the roads through the mountains were narrow and difficult to navigate, and its position also made it hard to reach basic power supplies. Without electric power, modern methods of construction were unavailable, people built the school site with timber and stone by their bare hands.

 

School Programs & Activities
The school system is from nursery to senior high school. Classes are held 6 days a week, though the curriculum students can learn English, Nepali and the Tibetan language. The school organizes a host of co-curricular activities such as playing sports, cooking, dancing and gardening to enable students to discover and hone their talents.

Morning routine: Students wake up at 6:00 and start early morning workout. After an energizing workout, it is time for chanting the sutras at 6:30 am and enjoying breakfast at 7 am.

 

Development
2011：The school was established in the year 2011 by Sonam Rinpoche. The construction project began in September.
2012: We had 31 children enrolled while undertaking the construction project.
2014：In the early years of school development there were no desks and chairs in classrooms, we simply sat on the floor for studying. A special donation designated to the school of making desks and chairs that we can sit comfortably and concentrate on studying. We felt thankful to receive this gift.
2015：In April 2015 a magnitude -7.8 earthquake struck Nepal. The devastating disaster destroyed homes throughout much of the country, our school buildings were almost flattened. Luckily, all the teachers and students survived the catastrophic earthquake and stayed in tents for the following months.
2016: As the emergency phase ended, we shifted into reconstruction. Our teachers and students made efforts to help rebuild the school site. The generosity of supporters carried us to get through tough times.
2018：To provide a place for students practicing dharma such as chanting sutra and making prostrations, we started the Buddha Hall construction on April 29, 2018.
(Tibetan lunar calendar was the 15th of March )
2019：With the help of many people, our learning environment and conditions are getting more stable, we can experience diversified learning activities and develop more talents.
2020：We welcome more kids to join our big family this year, we have 200 students enrolled.

 

Thank You for Your Support
We are truly blessed to have generous people helping us manage a long-term school project. The dream of pursuing basic education in the Himalayas faces challenges. Supporting people and sponsors, teachers and parents all help us pursue the dream. We would like to thank all our sponsors for their generous help over the years. Wishing the joy of learning can be spread to more kids who still live remotely and haven’t got the educational opportunities.