The first time she visited on a trekking holiday, Gail was struck by the beauty of the country, and the serenity of the people of Ladakh, when she stayed as a houseguest with a very special family.
She can hardly have known at that time the close links she would forge with the people, and the strength of the pull Ladakh would have on her in the years to come. She has re-visited the country many times since that first visit.
“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 had the idea of setting up the charity Himalayan Children – Helping on the path of life to enable more children to flourish, grow and enjoy an education. It costs around £10 per week for a child to board at the school. This is approximately £1.45 a day, which isn’t even enough to buy a cup of coffee in the UK.
UPDATE : Thanks to your generosity, 39 children are now sponsored by Himalayan Children at local day and boarding schools.
Who’s Who :
Gail McAllister Young
Gail is a founder and Trustee. Her enthusiasm, passion and commitment drive the work of the charity. She works with the other trustees to ensure the aims aims of the charity are central to all we do and that the support goes directly to fund the work in Ladakh.
Rinchen Dolkar
Rinchen is a remarkable Ladakhi woman, living in Leh, who works on a voluntary basis for Himalayan Children in Ladakh. Rinchen has worked in various Government organisations, working tirelessly to support the rights and welfare of women through the Ladakhi Women’s Alliance. Rinchen is the local ‘eyes and ears’ of our charity. She co-ordinates Gail’s regular visits to Ladakh, acts as a translator, liaises with the different village leaders, schools, and helps to develop the essential local links which are fundamental to our work in Ladakh.
Ailene Brooks : Trustee from 2011
Ailene is a trustee and also support aspects of the charity’s communications through her report of fundraising event and the management of the website.
Debbi Coles
Debbi works alongside Ailene to promote events and assist with the website.
Gillian Islip : Trustee from 2018
Gillian oversees sponsorship communications.
Claire Blackmore and Julie Beard oversee the financial management and legal aspects of the charity. Julie is also a Trustee, from 2018.
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