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Scholarship Program
The Girls of Derong

by Dana Isherwood
May 20, 2002

Contents of this report

• Tibetan girls in Derong write about themselves
• The impact of sponsoring a child in Kham
• Plea to existing sponsors to send photos of themselves for their girls

On the way to Derong, stuck in deep snow at Wuming Pass, about 4600 meters above sea level. We waited for four hours for a snowplow to come and clear the road ahead so we could get through.

We, the Kham Aid Foundation field team, were determined to see "our" girls in Derong, a Tibetan town in western Sichuan close to the border with Tibet Autonomous Region. We had planned to spend one long day going from Litang to Derong; but a May blizzard, three mountain passes covered in deep snow, an auto accident, and 250 miles of mostly single track dirt road forced many delays. One day’s journey turned into three before we arrived in Derong dirty, tired, and very hungry. The "we" refers to Pam Logan, Dana Isherwood, Bill Isherwood, and Linda Griffin along with our driver, Wei Kepeng.

Kham Aid provides scholarships for 24 Tibetan teenage girls (12 to 15 years old) at the three-year Derong Junior Middle School (similar to a U.S. high school). The girls are individually sponsored by either individuals or organizations around the world. The girls are selected by the local Women’s Federation based on their academic progress in primary school. They come from poor families who are unable to provide for their education and the girls must have a strong desire to stay in school. Kham Aid has 86 students in seven schools. Derong, like all the Kham Aid scholarship schools, teaches classes in both Tibetan and Chinese (English is also taught, but not emphasized). This approach maintains their native language and at the same gives them the Chinese language skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Derong town

Who are the girls we worked so hard to reach? Let them speak for themselves in the letters they wrote to their sponsors. Sonam Chutso writes "I was going to have to give up on my studies because of my poverty, but you gave me the chance to carry on studying. You let me climb out from the darkness into light." Tsering Lhamtso writes "I will use my hardship as fuel for studying and repay your selfless help with outstanding grades." Tashi Tsomo writes "we can only repay you by studying. You brought me back to school and gave me the chance to start my studies anew. Above all, you have given me spiritual encouragement so that I have learned to face life’s difficulties with a smile."

Do their powerful words surprise you? These are not like western teenagers. Sometimes, their letters make us smile. For example, when Sonam Lhamo, age 15, chose to write about China’s "Develop the West" campaign. The Kham Aid girls of Derong come from farming families in the villages and townships in the county. Some have lost one parent. Their homes lie in the hills and mountains around Derong. Most of the girls board at the school and see their families perhaps twice a year. They suffer the hardship of separation from their families for the sake of their education and an opportunity for a better life

Sponsored girls get a look at themselves on program director Dana Isherwood's digital camera.

Some of the girls look to their sponsors as a second family. This year, a few sponsors gave us personal photos to bring their girls. We thought it was a nice gesture, but did not appreciate the impact it would have on them. Those with no photos were envious of those who had them. One evening, Ciren Zima, the girl I sponsor, knocked on my hotel door to ask me for my pictures. She brought me a small doll as a present.

One sponsor asked not to be contacted about the progress of his three girls. The three got together and wrote him, saying "Today, some ladies and one man came to our school. At first we thought it was you and we were all so happy. When we realized it wasn’t you, we were very sad and started to cry. Next time they come, please come with them to meet the three of us. You are our second father. Won’t you think of us three as your daughters? Please don’t forget to send a photo."

The girls of Derong are like our girls at Litang, Batang, Dawu or Luding. They are teenagers from a different world. They take very seriously the chance for an education and we honor their commitment. We also honor our sponsors who make all things possible. You know who you are. Thank you. We wish you (as one of your girls wrote) "ten thousand years without illness and success in all things." Tashi Delek!

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