Sonam and her family
Sonam was born in Chharka Bhot, a stone-walled village in Upper Dolpa reached from Mustang by a rough trail.
Her father died when the children were young. Her mother raised four children alone: Sonam and three brothers. Two of the brothers are monks; the third studies in Kathmandu.
With help from her mitbuwa, Sonam studied in Dunai and Kathmandu. When there was no money for +2, Chharka Bhot School paid for it on one condition: that she come home and teach. She did. She taught the nursery class, then walked two hours to the family's goats after school, and was back in the classroom the next morning.
She is now in Kathmandu, studying for her exams.
The family has no breadwinner. Her mother farms and herds; her brothers are monks or students. In Chharka, every plank and every bag of cement arrives by tractor, motorbike or yak, so rebuilding costs far more than it would in connected parts of Nepal.
