You may have seen in the news that there has been terrible weather in the Dharamsala area leading to flash flooding and landslides. The Chetru slum has been very badly affected, with many families’ homes and possessions swept away by flood waters. These marginalised people who have spent years struggling to survive in very adverse conditions have now lost the little they had managed to accumulate. Many of you will recall the hardship following the closure of the Charan slum in 2016. Now they have lost everything yet again. Tong-Len’s nutrition and childcare centre, the toilet block, our medical and tuition centre supplies and equipment have also been taken by the torrential weather conditions.
Jamyang and his team have worked tirelessly alongside the local authority personnel in bringing every single resident to safety. As far as we know, there are no fatalities, and we are so thankful for this. Three hundred children were given sanctuary in the hostel and the authorities provided a government school building and a municipal hall as temporary places of refuge for the others. People have rallied to provide warm clothing and food as the rain continues to pour down.
Besides letting you know that everyone is safe, it is also an opportunity to give credit to everyone who worked so hard to avert what could have been an even greater tragedy. Tong-Len staff, our students, members of the slum community, local authority officials and workers joined together in a heart-warming team rescue effort.