Tashi Deleg! This year, 2019, marks the 25^th year anniversary of the establishment of Crystal Mountain School (CMS).  Celebrating the 25th anniversary not only marks its long history but also projects its success story. CMS was the first formal school in the upper regions of Dolpo established by Action Dolpo and supported by Government of Nepal, and for nearly a decade, it was the only school in the region to provide free education to children from Dho-Tarap and surrounding villages of Dolpo. The first cohorts produced stellar results in the district level exams, and excelled in further studies at schools in Kathmandu and abroad. In its 25-years history, 70 students have completed School Leaving Certificate (SLC), 50 have completed or are  doing +2, 10 Nursing, 5 Health Assistants(HA), 9 Bachelor of Arts (BA), 1 Bachelor of Law (LLB), 2 Masters of Arts (MA) in Dho Tarap Dolpo, where there were only few who had attended only primary school.

Today, CMS alumni are working as teachers, nurses, health assistants, artists, elected community leaders, skilled laborers, as well as in various other capacities in both government and non-government sectors. At a time when villages in neighboring districts are depopulating, CMS continue to attract large number of children and contributes to critical youth retention and community development in the region. The school has also rapidly expanded in its scale started from zero, most notably through adding three passive solar buildings in the past ten years. In addition to the regular seven-month school session, these passive solar buildings and the availability of local teachers have enabled the school to run another three-month of winter classes amidst the cold winter. CMS inspired and encouraged in the establishment of number of schools in all parts of Dolpo. The school will be also a center for the higher secondary education for Dolpo children in future.   The school plays a vital role in the preservation of Dolpo’s culture, tradition and language and helps in bringing awareness in Dolpo communities about the importance of its rich natural resources and in the conservation of flora and fauna. For this, the school received the Abraham Conservation Awards from WWF Nepal in 2001. The school was also a subject of various films and was covered in national and French newspapers and magazines for its remarkable achievements.

To commemorate the founding of the Crystal Mountain school in 1994, couple with an aim to draw the attention of the Central and Province Government about the challenges faces by Dolpo people in Education, Health Sanitation, Communication, transportation, Environment and Culture and also to promote quality tourism in Dolpo with  encouraging community based eco-tourism which will improve the socio-economic aspects of the Dolpo Communities, we are organizing Dolpo festival and Crystal Mountain school silver jubilee with a series of events from September 10-14, 2019 in Dho-Tarap, Dolpo. The Festival and Silver Jubilee celebration, co-organized by Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality, will include local cultural performances, traditional sports shows, inter-school performances, photo and book exhibitions, film screening, traditional storytelling (namthar) and religious performances (mask dance), music and dance, and public discussion on the sustainable development of Dolpo. There will also be a free Multi-disciplinary health camp (from Ek Ek Paila) with surgeries like Cataract. On the full moon day (September 15), we will complete a circumambulation of the holy Buddha Mountain (NasSarpa) to officially conclude the celebration. We are inviting members of Action Dolpo France, government officials, religious figures, intellectuals, celebrities and artists, all schools in Dolpo and the sponsors, and would also like to extend our invitation to guests from Nepal and beyond.

Thug Je Che !