My name is Sonam Wangyal and I’m from Tibet. My childhood was spent surrounded by my warm-hearted family. As I grew older, I started to think about going to school. However, there were no schools nearby, so I didn’t get an education. The Chinese don’t build any schools for the Tibetans. Their main intention is to keep us uneducated and illiterate, so they can remove Tibetan culture and identity. Without education or qualifications, we can’t get jobs. Illiterate people often end up deprived of basic necessitates and forced to beg and steal in order to survive.
Around the age of eighteen my family asked me to work. My business was transporting wood from Tibet to Chinese cities. I saw all the trees being cut down and it made me realise that deforestation was a very serious problem. The Chinese government gets rich off the Tibetans through deforestation, through mining our land. They cause environmental destruction and pollution. Chinese soldiers also rob and kill Tibetans, and many Tibetans face starvation. The Chinese want to eradicate Buddhism as well – that’s why there are so many self-immolations.
Chinese education only focuses on economic development, which brings worries, tension and suffering. It does not make you kind or compassionate. If our Buddhism is stolen and we lose our culture of peace then there is a danger that Tibetans cannot be good human beings. Realising this situation, you have to depart from your family. In Tibet you have no rights to express your feelings or preserve Tibetan culture, so you are forced into choosing exile.
That’s when I decided, with three friends, to go to India. There would be opportunities to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama and get an education. I couldn’t tell my parents, however, because they love me so much that they wouldn’t want to let me go. I did however tell my brother.
On the way through Tibet we met a Chinese solider on the train to Lhasa. He said that His Holiness is a traitor. He was arrogant. Annoyed, I stood up and declared that His Holiness is our life; he is incredibly important. The Chinese soldier suddenly changed. He had been deceived by the government and told that the Dalai Lama was a traitor. Ironically, he then went on to help us, organising tickets and telling us where to go.
When we reached Lhasa we had no papers to get into India via Nepal. We would have to travel by foot and find guides. We discovered that it was a very dangerous journey and that we would have to risk our lives. We saw on the news that some Tibetans escaping across to India had been caught by Chinese soldiers and shot.
However, I made it to India and received good opportunities. I was educated and got shelter and food. I tried to study hard so that I could do something for the Tibetan people and make my life meaningful. Then I received his Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teaching, which made me a really good person and increased my awareness of the value of kindness and love.
As a Tibetan, you see the problems of the Tibetan people. Many can’t understand the Indian language and are unqualified for jobs. They have no money for proper meals or rent and they become ill, mentally and physically. So what is to be done? I felt empathy for their suffering and wished to be able to do something for them.
One time I had the opportunity to see His Eminence Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, who was at that time Prime Minister. I made the point that Tibetans need better medical facilities. Then in 2012 I met an Italian woman called Marisa, who supported my project at the beginning by paying 2500 Rupees per month. To maintain this service, I found that to set up a non-government organisation (NGO) is the most sustainable solution. So I founded Patient Care Association in consultation with Prof Samdhong Rinpoche.
However money was very short and I wrote to the Tibetan government, but received no response. I spoke to Rinpoche who talked to His Holiness who blessed the organisation.
In 2014, I registered my project with the Indian government and made it an official NGO. With the experience I have gained under the honourable guidance and advice of my advisors His Eminence Professor Samdhong Rinpoche and Lama Lobsang, I can open a door for Tibetans to receive safe and high quality medical care in exile. The Patient Care Association is able to continue thanks to the very generous donations we receive from our wonderful supporters. I feel very fortunate that I can help people with my NGO.
Click here to read more about the Patient Care Association.
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