Little sister Yixi Songmu
elder sister Jiangzhen
There are always some hidden hardships in life, tucked away in corners where even sunlight cannot reach… In Dongzhen Village of Manigango Town, a girl named Gele Zhima once had a happy family. Her parents raised five children—two older sons and three younger daughters. They lived in Manigango, a town located on the eastern slope of Que'er Mountain, the highest peak in Eastern Tibet and the highest town in Dege County. Like countless ordinary Tibetan families, they herded livestock, raised their children, and worked hard to build a life. That quiet and simple happiness was abruptly shattered in 2017.
That year, when Gele Zhima was just 14, both her parents passed away within 47 days of each other, leaving the five children orphaned.
The eldest brother, 24-year-old Tsering, was already an adult, but having become a monk in childhood and suffering from mental illness, he was unable to care for the family. The second brother, 19-year-old Dawa, took on the responsibility. With no diploma or vocational skills, he worked odd jobs at construction sites in Manigango, Axu, and Cuoa to support his siblings.
That same year, Gele Zhima was admitted to a vocational secondary school to study elementary education. Her dream was to become a primary school teacher and one day return to her hometown to improve local education.
With her admission, her life finally saw a ray of light—just as she had hoped. But soon, chaos returned, and she found herself lost in darkness, unable to see a future. The fragile world around her collapsed completely in 2017. She longed to keep studying.
Fortunately, a retired woman took her under her wing, covering her tuition and living expenses. In July 2020, Gele Zhima graduated from vocational school. Destiny, however, played another cruel trick. Despite her excellent academic performance, she was accepted into university—but this time, no guardian angel came to her aid.
On the remote plateau, she couldn’t find another sponsor. With her two younger sisters starting school and her second brother barely managing to support even one, Gele Zhima was forced to drop out.
Faced with steep tuition fees and her sisters’ uncertain futures, she made a heartbreaking decision: to give up her university education so her sisters could continue theirs.
Now, she stays at home to take care of them. While the girls are at school, she earns a meager income by washing clothes for people in town—5 or 8 yuan per item, sometimes 10 yuan if someone feels especially sympathetic. Her delicate hands, once skilled at writing beautiful Tibetan and Chinese, are now soaked daily in icy water for a few coins.
Her elder younger sister, Jiangzhen, is 11 and now in her first year of middle school in Manigango. Her youngest sister, Yixi Songmu, is 8 and in third grade at Manigango Primary School—most recently ranking first in her class and first in her grade.
The school principal, Shenlong Tashi, said with pride:
"Teacher Tang, Yixi Songmu is the brightest student in our school—academically and behaviorally. I believe she will continue to be, and I stand by my words!"
Although the national “targeted poverty alleviation” policies have ended, the local government has tried many ways to support the family. The two underage sisters now hold official “orphan certificates,” allowing them to receive monthly social welfare funds to ease their hardship.
Mr. Tang Lin, a teacher from Yingming Education Charity Center, met this resilient girl and found himself at a loss for words—except for encouragement. When he left her 1,000 yuan and promised to find sponsors for her sisters, Gele Zhima broke into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Even Mr. Tang, a man nearing fifty, couldn’t hold back his emotions.
Now, both Yixi Songmu and Jiangzhen have found loving sponsors.
Although it is heartbreaking that Gele Zhima had to drop out, many kind-hearted individuals from the mainland have expressed a desire to help her return to school. However, after many heartfelt conversations, she has firmly decided to give up her own education—for the sake of her sisters’ futures.
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