The Interfaith Center at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Little Rock recently held a series of events with Lama Tenzin Choegyal, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, to raise awareness of his work with orphans.
Tenzin, who lives in northern India, runs an orphanage for children rescued from the impoverished Dolpo region in the Himalaya Mountains. His connection to Arkansas came in 2012 when the Rev. Susan Sims Smith, executive director of the Interfaith Center, and a group of women traveled to India and visited the children at the orphanage. They returned a year later and since that time the center has worked to help support the ministry.
The story of the orphanage began 14 years ago, when Tenzin was on a summer break from college. He and a friend trekked into the Himalayas with the help of a guide. They knew they couldn't go into Tibet, but they wanted to get close enough to see the country that's the home of their religious leader in exile, the Dalai Lama. Rebels on the mountain robbed them, leaving them with no money, and they sought help from residents in a remote village. There, Tenzin saw children in need, especially young girls who were unwanted or seen as less valuable than the boys.
"I decided I had to do something for the girls," Tenzin said.
He turned to his family for help, and his mother and sister sold the family business so that he would have the money to build an orphanage. He traveled back to the area and brought 11 girls across the dangerous, high-altitude mountain paths. With the orphanage operational, he enrolled the girls in English-speaking private schools. Now, more than a decade later, a handful of girls have graduated and two are headed to the United States in January to attend college in Virginia.
The goal is for the girls to complete their education and return home to help others, including those in the villages.
"It's my mission to show the people that ... if you give a chance to girls they can become anything," Tenzin said. "One wants to be a lawyer, another wants to be in business management to show men that women can do it."
Today, the orphanage -- the Children's Educational Development Society -- houses 16 girls and a handful of boys. Their day begins at 4:30 a.m. They get cleaned and dressed, do yoga, mediate and then eat breakfast before heading off to school at 7:30. The routine is the same until Saturday, when there's school in the morning and an afternoon of chores and laundry. That night there is a big meal and usually movie time. Sunday morning is for sleeping in and the rest of the day is time for adventures, day trips and activities. The children receive some spending money and return home for dinner before getting ready for another week of school.
"They are teaching the kids they are receiving this education so they can make the world a better place and that we are sending them to college so they can serve others," Sims Smith said.
"I'm very happy to do this," Tenzin said. "It's like a family."
The Interfaith Center sponsored a dinner at a Little Rock restaurant so others could hear of Tenzin's work. They also hosted tea and talks, and Tenzin led a class at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. He'll be returning to Arkansas again next year, and anyone interested in having him speak to their group or organization can contact the Interfaith Center at theinterfaithcenter@gmail.com.
Information on Tenzin and the orphanage is available online at interfaith.itssm.org.
Religion on 11/29/2014