Munsel
Foundation and Dragon Seat Meditation Center have been active participants
in the development of the Munsel School Project since it started in
January 2006.
In
2007-08 fifteen children moved to the town of Yushu (Jyekundo) and begin
living in a rented house near a public school. 2008-09 an additional
20 children came to live in a purchased home 5 minutes from the public
school.


April
14, 2010 at 7:49AM a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the town. In less
than a minute most buildings had collapsed. Five Munsel School children
died that day. Due to the heroic efforts of the adult staff 25 children
survived.


Almost
all of the children returned to the villages for two months after the
earthquake yet when it was time to attend school again they all returned
to Yushu. They lived for over 2 years in refugee tents suffering the
harshest of conditions while the city was rebuilt.



Due
to changes in governmental city planning our school home site was lost
to a new city park. This required a big change in homing our children.
At the start of the 2013 school year, the older children were spread
throughout the city living with extended family members. The five children
without a place were moved into a much small house with the house parents.
Our kind and hard working house parents continued to oversee the other
children being sure they were attending school and had necessary supplies.

At
the 2013-2014 winter school break all the children gathered together,
along with other kids, to have an intensive study period of studying
the Tibetan and Chinese languages. Emphasis was placed on Tibetan writing
skills.

