Himalayan Children is a charitable organisation which was born out of Gail's trekking experiences in Ladakh.
She now visits twice yearly,
speaking to the children already sponsored, and discussing their progress with the Principal.
She also speaks with the
Councillors of the villages, who
put forward children for future sponsorship. The video shows
her meeting with these people,
and also with the headteacher
of the Puga Nomadic School.
Gail explains why she decided to set up Himalayan Children
" On my first visit to Ladakh I fell in love with the simplicity of the place and was touched by the Ladakhi people and their culture. I stayed and worked with a local family, harvesting and generally helping out whilst living their way of life. I learnt an awful lot from my new family, and I said I would return.
On my second visit, I revisited my family and was welcomed again into their lives. Whilst there, watching them work so hard, I felt I wanted to help. I started by sponsoring the education of their youngest son and also the son of another family in the village.
I visited the principal of Lamdon School - Eshey Tondup - and talked about sponsorship. I worked out it would cost £8 per week for a child to board at the school. This is approximately £1.14 a day, which isn't even enough to buy a cup of coffee in the UK. So I had the idea of setting up Himalayan Children - Helping on the path of life to enable more children to flourish, grow and enjoy an education.
We have four new children from Lamdon School who need our help; we will do this through fundraising, sponsors and donations. "
UPDATE : Thanks to your generosity, 20 children are now sponsored at local day and boarding schools through Himalayan Children.