Food aid in Rewalsar (North India, Himachal Pradesh)
Lekden Gonpo, a Buddhist monk, is one of those people with a big heart.
If he is notably the steward of a buddhist monastery in Rewalsar, on the shores of Tso Pema Lake, in northern India. He ensures the reception of disadvantaged children, offering them food, shelter, education, health care within the monastery.
25 boys, aged 7 to 19, from extremely poor families, some are orphans, or have alcoholic parents are welcomed into a strucure, secure and peacful home.
Adult monks expose the children to a well-rounded education allowing them to have a choice later in life to pursue their career interes.
Leisure time is shared with city children. Cricket (a true national sport) holds the main place, but also soccer, badminton and chess are among the favorite pastimes. Children learn to live in a community of which mutual aid is the key word.
Unfortunately times are getting tough. Donations are declining, due to the lack of tourists and passing pilgrims (Rewalsar being a sacred place for Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs). They are no longer sufficient to maintain the buildings. As the forecourt is no longer waterproof, the ceilings of the bedrooms and classrooms located below are subject to significant infiltration which degrades the structure itself.
There is also the necessity to continue to maintain and repair the water-filter, that was offered by the government a few years ago, to have drinkable water.
However, the building renovation has taken a back seat to procuring enough food for the household, as supply is drastically dwindling as one-off donations have significantly decreased.
Faced with the situation, the decision was taken to send all the monks to work in order to provide for the basic needs of the monastery and especially children who cannot return to their families. No exception to the rule and Lekden Gonpo puts his "hands in the dough", working at the small restaurant "Emaho", adjoining the monastery where it offers simple, vegetarian and quality cuisine to tourists and pilgrims.
A "Guest House" (inn), run by the monks, also provides a small income.
The monastery, located in a foothill of the Himalayas, in the state of Indian Himachal Pradesh, experiences monsoons in summer with very high humidity. Wardrobes should be equipped with warm coats and sturdy shoes in winter, in addition to providing for the food needs of all residents.
When you ask Negi if he is happy, he replies, “There are ups and downs. But if you work hard, it's to make people happy ”.
ALH wishes to support this project over time to ensure its continuity and sustainable management for these underprivileged children who find hope and purpose within the monastery.
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