Zangdok Palri Project Newsletter - March 2007

Zangdok Palri Sambhota Primary School and Orphanage

Dear patrons,
dear sponsors,

It is thanks to you that the Dzogchen school will soon celebrate its fifth year of classes, that those pupils who are orphans have come to regard the school as their home, and that all pupils proudly refer to it as ‘their’ school.
And it is also thanks to you that we hope to expand the school-orphanage soon.

In the meantime, school life at Dzogchen runs its course, each day at a very specific pace.
The children rise at 6 a.m. and start the day with half an hour of gym accompanied by music. After that, there is the morning toilet and breakfast. Classes start at 8.30 and run till noon, with two breaks.
After lunch and a short resting period, classes start again at 1.30 p.m. and end at 6, also with two breaks.
Free time after dinner is for studying or playing, and everyone is in bed by 9.

Holidays follow a quite different pattern from the ones we have in the West. The major holidays are not in spring but in winter. The children are free from school in January and February, with classes starting again March 1.

There is also a holiday period specific to this region. For the whole month of June, children return to their families to help out with the harvest of caterpillar fungus, a medicinal plant in high demand in China. The sales proceeds are a considerable bit of extra income for the nomad population. Orphan children are free to join family members in this period and make a little money for themselves.

As the used stamps market appears saturated, we have stopped collecting stamps. Many thanks to all of you who have mailed us their stamps, or even brought them over to Howald!

An Event Not To Be Missed!

On Sunday September 2, the ‘Escher Stadlaf’ will take place at Esch: a main run of 16 km (10 miles), an additional run of 10 km, and a children’s run. A foot rally will take you through the historical and cultural patrimony of Ville d’Esch.

Part of the proceeds will go the Dzogchen school, at 1€ per participant. We will of course also be at Esch with our information and sales stands.

Whether you feel sporty enough to run or prefer to walk the cultural track at your own pace, be sure to mark this date in your agenda!

Additional info on http://cafola.lu

Our Next Chances To Meet Up

For some gift ideas or just for your own enjoyment, come visit us at our sales stands. You’ll find a wide range of Tibetan, Indian and Japanese incense, Asian and Himalayan arts and crafts, lots of new jewellery and since recently a wide variety of essential oils.

• at the Cactus commercial centre in Howald March 5 through 10
• at the Festival des Cultures (Halles de Foire in Kirchberg) March 17 and 18
• at the Cactus commercial centre in Bascharage April 23 through 28
• at Coop Bonnevoie May 11 and 12
• at the Fête multiculturelle at Bertrange May 13
• at the Centre Concorde May 21 and 26
• at Scheffleng helleft June 22 (still to be confirmed)
• at the Marché Tiers Monde at Dudelange Jule 1
• at the Escher Stadlaf September 2
• at Brussels, the Tibetathlon a sportive and cultural event
• at the Cactus commercial centre in Bascharage November 5 through 10
  

Should you wish to promote Zangdok Palri, we can send you some folders or even a comprehensive file presenting the organization, its programme and its educational project.

We invite you to support the project through patronage or a gift

[back]