Sourabh Sood
Dharamshala: A routine day at the Tong-Len Charitable Trust turned into a heartwarming celebration on Friday (December 5, 2025) when Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made an unscheduled stop at the organisation during his stay in Dharamshala for the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha.
The moment children spotted the Chief Minister stepping into their courtyard, the air filled with excitement, applause and the loud, innocent greeting — “Yes Sir!” — as young faces lit up with smiles.
Sukhu’s surprise visit was aimed at encouraging the organisation that has been quietly transforming the lives of displaced and homeless communities living in slum clusters around Dharamshala. The CM interacted with the children, listened to their stories and lauded the initiative for turning education into a tool of empowerment.
‘Taking on humanity, one step at a time’
Tong-Len, a small but impactful charity founded in 2004, works with families who have lived for years in conditions of extreme deprivation. Many of the children previously survived by begging on streets or scavenging waste dumps before the Trust stepped in to provide education, shelter and dignity.
The organisation runs its own school and a hostel facility for children most at risk, working to break what it calls “the cycle of inherited poverty”. Several of its students have gone on to pursue higher education, an unimaginable dream for families who once struggled for basic food, water and sanitation.
CM Sukhu said initiatives like Tong-Len represent the true spirit of service. “Governments create policies, but compassion-driven organisations like this breathe life into those policies on the ground,” he remarked, pledging support for social models that uplift the most vulnerable.
Born from compassion, built through community support
Tong-Len traces its origin to Jamyang, a Tibetan monk who was deeply distressed by the sight of young Indian children rummaging through garbage heaps and begging in the streets near Dharamshala. He soon learned they were living in makeshift slum settlements, lacking all basic human rights and opportunities for growth.
Moved to act, Jamyang teamed up with fellow refugees and overseas volunteers, laying the foundation of the Trust in India. Over the years, the charity expanded its support network globally with partners in the UK and France, and collaborates on some projects with the Dalai Lama Trust.
The name Tong-Len, derived from the Tibetan concept of ‘giving and taking’, reflects its philosophy — to share in the suffering of others and offer compassion, love and opportunity in return.
