The History of
Lhasa Jatson Chumig Welfare Special School


 
 
 
 
 

For more information and inquiries, contact:
Tenzin Choedon
Email: jatson4@yahoo.com
Phone: 086-139-0891-1214
Or, via mail:
J.C.W.S.S.
Bariku Road
P.O. Box 101
Lhasa, Tibet P.R. China

 

Our History:

Lhasa is a city with an abundance of natural resources, and rich culture. It is politically, socially, and technologically developed, and is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. However, due to its isolation from the outside world, Lhasa is far behind in the economical and technological developments of other countries. Here there are thousands of orphaned, and poor children struggling hard for their livelihood. Most of them are in remote areas and poor villages, and they face mental and physical problems coping with the environment. Keeping their obstacles and hardships in mind, we established this institution with educational and accommodation facilities and also to give vocational training by building a handicraft factory so that these disadvantage children may grow up to become healthy, happy, self-sufficient members of the community.

The school is a family run organization that has devoted their life's work and tried their level best to ensure the continued success of the students and the institution. 

The Lhasa Jatson Chumig Welfare Special School is located in the center of Lhasa, Tibet. Established in 1993, the Jatson Chumig school accepts orphans and the physically challenged, as well as kids from poor families. These children have been brought under the care of this school, given a stable environment, a great education, and the opportunity to someday give back to their communities. Moreover, this special school fills a large, empty place in the children's lives, creating one big loving family in a wonderful place.

We have 145 students who call Jatson Chumig ... home.

We are breaking the cycle of poverty through education as well as helping to preserve the Tibetan culture in the vocational training students receive in our handicraft workshops.
 
 
 
 
 

Headmaster Jampa Tsundup

Master Jampa Tsundup is very faithful and compassionate. He gives with selfless sincerity, to help to the children, and to develop the school, seeking no personal recognition or reward. A loving and dedicated father to each child, he's never taken his eyes away from them, not for a second. Their specific love and respect is evident in their beaming smiles.

The Advisory Committee of China recently recognized Jampa for his good faith demonstration and cooperation. Teng Shang Mei, organizer of “Science Educational Distribution” named him a “Great Developer and Establisher for China”. Jampa was also recently honored as “The Best Head Master in the Country”.

Jampa Tsundhup, the Director, Headmaster and factory director gives all of the employees at Jatson Chumig direction in life, opportunity, hope. When two disabled workers get married, he represents their families as paternal father to both. In many cases the disabled workers do not have any other family members to attend their weddings.

Jampa Tsundhup started his factory with little money, no outside support, no funding from the government. In the beginning they had to cook on open fires in the cold of night, as there was no kitchen. These were the toughest times. Gradually, the factory was able to receive projects from people like An Sang who were influential in pushing the Tibetan regional dance troupes to assign the making of costumes to the Handicapped Center. For years they squeezed by making barely enough to keep everybody fed while building their orphanage and school. When SARS hit China, the factory’s business finally turned for the better as demand for Tibetan medicinal incense boomed throughout China.
 
Jampa Tsundhup was once a Buddhist monk. Then one day he decided to leave the monastery. There, in monastic isolation he could only help himself, but could not reach out and help others. He discarded his robes to bring his belief into reality by helping those who needed help the most. In the minds of many he is a living Bodhisattva.

In addition to supporting themselves, the fifty disabled workers support one hundred forty-five Tibetan orphan children, many of whom are also disabled. Jampa Tsundhup also serves as headmaster of Lhasa Jatson Chumig Welfare Special School for the orphans which he has built on the small factory compound with proceeds from the sale of arts and crafts manufactured by the handicapped.

The orphans live in the school and attend classes in Chinese and Tibetan languages. They also perform songs which they wrote. Jampa Tsundhup called together some of the children. They sang:

“Watch a grand eagle, soaring in the sky, where he is flying; Coming to this school we value life, wild flowers are blooming…We are grateful for this opportunity in life, it is too sad not to know your own culture…To realize beautiful dreams, please do not pass the good years in vain.”

Their song captured stillness in the late Tibetan afternoon when sunlight is strongest and shadows become deep, protruding abstractions of one’s imagination. The sorrow of their condition was drowned in the joy of their singing. They were overcoming predicament.
 
 
 
 

Foundation of the School

The Jatson Chumig Welfare Special School began in 1993 under the leadership of Jampa Tsundup. His goal was to provide for under-privileged Tibetan children while teaching and maintaining the traditional handicrafts of Tibet. At that time, there were only 35 students, and the curriculum of the school involved a basic education course of two years followed by a handicraft training program. In 1998, the school moved from its old location in the heart of Lhasa to its new location in the western part of the city, an area with much less pollution and more space with which to grow the school's future. 

Expansion of the School

In 1995, the school bought land in the Jatson Chumig area and began to construct the existing school. In 1997, all the members of the school moved to the new school. In the new school, there are three homes for the students, as well as a dining hall and kitchen facilities. Moreover, there are 6 classrooms, 5 handicraft workshops, and the handicapped workers are provided accommodation. There is a clinic and training rooms for the handicapped students. The school premises are surrounded by a meadow with green pastures and flowers, and the atmosphere is very clean and peaceful. Beginning with 35 children from 7 different counties, there are now a total of 145 students. Out of this, 20 are handicapped, 109 are orphaned and 16 financially disadvantaged children who are given education. 

Starting from grade 1 through grade 6 the students are taught Tibetan, Chinese, English, Mathematics, Drawing and Physical Education with a standard equal to other junior schools in Lhasa. Regarding staff, there are 7 teachers and 12 foster parents to cook.

In the handicraft factory, of the total number of 63 workers, 30 of which are handicapped. There are 5 teachers and 7 other staff members, including an accountant, a cashier, a store and shopkeeper, and a driver. There is one headmaster looking after the school and handicraft factory.

In 1998, the curriculum changed to a six-year-basic-education course for each child. This includes the following subjects: Tibetan Language, Chinese Language, English Language, Math, Reading Skills, Physical Education, and Games and Songs. At this time, after a child completes the six-year course, she undergoes one of two training programs. Either he enters a specific artisan field — working for a time under an expert teacher in the handicraft center in such fields as papermaking, tailoring, incense making, thangka painting, shoe making, doll making, or carpenter training — or undertakes modern vocational training in accounting or medical assistance. Once a child completes this apprenticeship, they may either live in Lhasa or move back to their village, and from there many begin a business and continue the tradition of teaching and producing traditional Tibetan handicrafts.

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