her school
which sits abandoned most of the year due to lack of resources
this is Tashi
who dreams of being educated so she can help poor children like herself
her reality
where due to extreme conditions and isolation teachers do not show up or stay
a child's dream
This is Tashi. She is 7 years old.
When asked of her hopes and dreams for the future her response was astoundingly similar to many of the other children we have met.
Tashi dreams of being an 'educated person' so one day she can return to her village and help other poor children like herself.
hardship postings
While Government schools in Ladakh are not uncommon even in some of the more isolated villages, many suffer from low funding. If school rooms have been built in remote regions the difficulty is finding qualified teachers who will work and stay. The result is that often these schools will sit abandoned.
Due to the harsh climate and conditions, many areas in Ladakh are considered as 'hardship postings' for teachers who often suffer from low morale.
Tashi's account of her teacher showing up for only 2 days a month while children of all ages wait in their unheated classroom, sadly was also heard in many villages we visited.
In some villages children may walk for up to 8 hours a day to get to school only to face the same problem.
It is not an unwillingness to learn, rather an inability to be taught which is the main obstacle between children like Tashi and the education they desperately want.
For less than the cost of a coffee per day, you can help a child like Tashi realise her dream of an education