Background

Puli Tibetan school is located in Dechin County on the eastern edge of Tibetan Plateau.  This area is extremely rugged with an average altitude at 10000 ft.  Most of the Tibetan villagers are either herders or farmers.  While they rely on their land and animal stocks to sustain their livelihood, their way of living does not generate a steady cash flow.  It is typical that a household only generate an income of about $200-$300 each year. 

Even though the public schools provide free education, it is still a significant financial burden to send a child to school, with the expenses of books, school supplies as well as the boarding fee since the schools are usually out of one day's hike from the villages. Furthermore when children reach teenage, they become contributors to the household responsibilities and start to bring some income home.  All these factors lead to the fact that most Tibetan children in Dechin drop out of school before they reach 9th grade. 

Endangered Tibetan language and culture

In public schools, Tibetan language is usually not a required subject since it is not tested in the high school and college level entrance exams.  When school is tight on budget, the first things they tend to neglect are those subjects that are not required.  Nowadays many local Tibetan people can not read or write their own language.  Without the language, the rich tradition of the local culture is at a danger of being lost. 

Founding of Puli

This school was built by a villager named Aniu who has never gone to school himself.  In 1997, after a pilgrimage trek spanning several years and thousand miles, he came back with a sense of mission that the children of his village needed to go to school despite the financial hardship.  More importantly, they need to learn Tibetan language and study many of their own traditions.  He sold his entire family assets and devoted all his enthusiasm in carrying out this mission. 

The school started off with 3 children and 1 teacher in a room loaned from a temple.  In its seven year's existence, it not only provides free education and study materials, but also free boarding and living, to children from low-income families.  Besides receiving a small fraction of financial support from the government, its operation has entirely relied on outside donation and the teacher's wit to operate on a shoestring budget.  Today, Puli has 55 students and a teaching building, students' dorm and dining hall.  Its existence testifies how strong a person's determination is in beating the odds and producing miracle. 

In the last seven years, many times Aniu and his supporters did not know where the fund would come from for next month's operation.  However, Aniu has never been let down by any hardship on the course. He has total faith in that higher power that has given him the strength to carry on as far as he already did. Being a devoted Tibetan Buddhist, he has surrendered himself and Puli's future to that higher power therefore he never spent energy worrying about tomorrow's uncertainty in vein. He always says: as long as the school lasts one more day, it is one more day's blessing. 

How to donate

To support Puli Tibetan School, you can donate through "Tibetan Children's Education Fund" operated by our non-profit partner Crooked Trails.  Your donation will be eligible for tax deduction.  You may also ask for matching funds from your employer. 

Chiaoyang and "Migratory Bird" cafe

Puli could have not been today's Puli without a Chinese woman named Chiaoyang.  In 2002, after trekking the pilgrimage circle, she fell in love with Mount Kawa Karpo.  She left her city job and opened a small cafe, called Migratory Bird, right in front of the majestic Kawa Karpo.

Yet, mountain God Kawa Karpo has a bigger plan for her.  After moving to Dechin, she got more and more involved in helping Aniu with Puli School until she found that Puli has become an indivisible part of her life. 

For five years, she has worked tirelessly as an accountant and an avid advocate for the school.  With her association with professional people in large cities, she brought in large amount of funds to support the school.  Not only has she devoted vast amount of work without any financial return, she is also reluctant to receive fame through media exposure.  For her, the work itself is the ultimate payback.   

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