The  Sengcham Drukmo Girls Home

He could have lived comfortably at Long-Ngon Monastery in Golok, a large monastery, teaching from a high throne, but instead he chose to be a public school teacher in order to best serve the people of this very poor and remote high-altitude area. He was popular with all kinds of people in Tibet, because everyone in the community knew he had no selfish motives. Rich businessmen and high government officials trusted him with their personal affairs. They felt comfortable asking him into their homes to perform divination and other services. Poor people were eager to request help and receive his advice because he treated them as equals, not as lesser men just because of their economical status. They could only offer small gifts in return for his services, but he would often refrain from accepting payment. On many occasions he helped the local police mediate disputes between tribes or families. He served others tirelessly and asked for nothing in return. I never saw him own more than three sets of robes. Unfortunately, he passed away too young. Many Tibetans, have high hopes if you are born into a lama’s family and expect you to be and do something special. This is one of the reasons we decided to turn our own home into an orphanage for girls. Our Little Leaders Click Here I owe gratitude to my father. His positive impact on society and the lives of officials he touched paved the way for me to obtain permits for starting any project without hindrance. All are glad to help. In our Tibetan Buddhist tradition one should built a large golden stupa as a memorial to the death of a high lama, but I’m convinced that we can honor our father’s memory better by helping our society. Some Tibetans were unhappy that we didn’t follow this tradition, but when they see the sweet smiles of our little girls, how can they disagree? So my family attempts to continue my father’s good work. My mother, Lako, was crucial in supporting the success of the Girls Home. When she was healthy, she cared for the girls as though they were her own daughters. When she was a teenager, she was trained as a barefoot doctor, so she was able to use those skills to treat the girls’ simple injuries or illnesses. She helped wash the girls’ clothes, and slept with the youngest girls who needed the comfort of an adult to sleep through the night. But her greatest sacrifice was near the end of her life. She was very ill, but decided to sell her heirloom family jewels in order to buy essential food for the girls rather than paying for medical care that might have extended her life, or passing these treasures to her own daughters, or offering them to a lama for prayers to be read at her death. She felt that helping the girls was a virtuous project worthy of such a huge sacrifice. My three siblings, brother Khenbo Zoba Zangbo, and sisters Shangbo and Semnyit are all helping in this project. My brother is an educated monk and teacher at the local Traling Monastery school. He recently earned a graduate degree at the Chinese Institute of Buddhist Studies in Beijing and could have had a comfortable life teaching Chinese disciples there. Instead he returned to Golok to serve the local people and especially to help the Girls Home. My sister Shangbo is an English teacher at the local Tibetan Middle School, and lives in our home to take care of the girls when she is not busy with her teaching duties. She is so dedicated she rarely has any time to herself. My sister Semnyit is trained in medicine and works in the countryside. But when she comes home to visit, she loves the girls like little sisters. She teaches the girls about hygiene and good health practices like frequent hand washing. So why do we help only girls? Maybe some of you have heard how poorly some Tibetan men treat their women. If you haven’t, join our efforts and you will find out. Sometimes people say to me, these Tibetan girls are so shy, they won’t speak up, so it’s hard to know how to help them. They are always working hard without complaining, are often mistreated, rejected, or despised and don’t have a chance to know the outside world like men do. They are Tibet’s great unsung heroes. I am really so sorry for many years, we Tibetan men have not respected Tibetan women – their rights, status, education, and health as they deserve. We kept them working hard at home, told them they were spiritually dirty, and didn’t give them a chance to be educated and gain enough self- respect to speak their minds. Many people assume that since we practice Tibetan Buddhism all our ways are compassionate and peaceful. Yet sadly this is untrue. We Tibetans must try to live up to this reputation. Our religion gives us a good foundation for proper behavior, but up to now, our sexist habits are still not improving much. This bad treatment of women is unacceptable. So my biggest dream is to enable every Tibetan girl to get an education. Then they will be able to stand up and choose whatever they want to do in their life. Until that day, we won’t stop working hard. I am asking more people to join this great project to change the lives of Tibetan women. We desperately need your help to accomplish our goals and fulfill their dreams. Hopefully the next generation of Tibetans will have better mothers to both raise children and be successful role models in this modern world. Previous generations of Tibetan leaders have put us on the road of compassion and truth. I am proud to continue on that path, dedicating myself to helping these girls and ultimately improve our Tibetan culture and society to survive the 21th century without being reduced to poverty and despair. Our_Little_Leaders.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0
Dockpo’s brother Khenbo Zoba Zangbo teaches the Buddhist University at Traling Gonba, but humbly fills in at the girls home as needed, including as cook. For more click hereKhenpo_Zopa_Zangpo_.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0

Founders

We are the Tra family of Golok.  My name is Dockpo Tra.  I was born into a reincarnated lama’s family in this nomad region of  northestern Tibet.  My father, Lama Kalzang Norbu Tra, was a highly respected lama and a great teacher.