The Children of Sikkim supports the education of children from Sikkim, NE India, and has been doing so since 2003. In the beginning our chairperson co-founded a primary school in West Sikkim called Sikkim Himalayan Academy (SHA). After supporting this for 10 years, we now concentrate on secondary, graduate and postgraduate education of former pupils of SHA. Our aim is to give individuals continuity of support for as far as suits their abilities. Currently we have secondary pupils at Dr Graham's Homes in Kalimpong, and students at college or university in Dehradun, Bengaluru and Gangtok.
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In 2003 Dutch and English educational volunteers founded Sikkim Himalayan Academy at Buriakhop in Sikkim, North East India. This is a primary school of about 70 pupils. It was funded by a Dutch Trust Stichting Kinderen van Sikkim and in England, The Friends of Sikkim Himalayan Academy. Volunteers from all over the world were organised from UK to assist the Sikkimese teachers and give the children a wider horizon.
In 2013 The Friends became a Trust, The Children of Sikkim, and a registered charity. We concentrate on supporting children from about 10 years old through the whole of secondary education and into college or university. They must be from Sikkim from families for whom such education is otherwise impossible.
In this way we are able to directly change a child’s life prospects. For example, in 2021 Topden is studying for a degree in Ophthalmology in Dehradun, north of Delhi, having been sponsored since 2006.
We also think this will indirectly help Sikkim. We believe cultural and family ties will draw these young adults back, where they can contribute to the development of Sikkimese society.
Sikkim is the least most populous and second smallest among Indian states. Although it is not the poorest, the children of families living on subsistence agriculture outside of the main towns are very poor, and disadvantaged in education. Given very steep-sided valleys more than 1000m deep, travelling even short distances can be very difficult, but living away from home for schooling is something they cannot afford.
A part of the Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is host to Kanchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third highest on Earth. Rugged, remote, beautiful, High Himalaya, mysterious, colourful, poor – all these words describe Sikkim.
It is a cauldron of ethnicity – with 11 official languages including English. The main groups are Sherpa (Nepali), Lepcha, Gurung and Bhutia.
