Before my first birthday and after separating from my father, my mom moved us to my grandmother’s house to live in a better environment. My mother looked after me and provided food by working several jobs: farming, cattle rearing, and collecting yartsagumba, a highly sought-after dead Himalayan caterpillar fungus. Because our village used the bartering system to earn money, my mom was often forced to leave for months to work in villages far from our home in Chharka. During those periods, I frequently stayed with my aunt. Being separated from my mother was hard on me as a three-year-old. 

One morning on the way back from the river to fetch water, I met brother Lama Tenzin and Barbara Jean Euser, who later sponsored me. This chance meeting changed my life forever. Lama Tenzin spoke to my mother and invited us to travel with him to live at the CED Society in India; I was just five years old.

After completing primary and secondary schools, I enrolled in Siddhartha Law College in Dehradun in 2017 to begin a 5-year integrated course to graduate with two degrees, a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Legislative Law. With one more year to go, I aspire to become a lawyer to fight against the inequalities occurring, not only in my village but around the world. I intend to help support my village’s people and educate and empower girls from Dolpo like me, who once lacked the education and opportunities. Alongside my studies, I am also working as a part of Lama Tenzin’s PinkPADS project. We help dispel the old Indian and Nepali societal taboo topic of menstruation through educating people about menstrual hygiene and women’s health.

I will be forever grateful for the kindness and efforts of brother Lama Tenzin Choegyal, momo la (Tibetan for grandmother, the late beloved mother of brother Lama Tenzin), his entire amazing family, and the incredible sponsors. They always wholeheartedly believed in the children at the CED. Finally, my journey to Dehradun wouldn’t be possible without my Amala’s love (in Tibetan, it means dear mother) Karma Dolma la. She sacrificed her entire life by leaving her family to provide a dream for me.