In the month of July, Lha hosted four student groups of Rustic Pathway, the American organisation which provides “meaningful student travel and services”, organising volunteer and study programmes around the world.

The groups came to Dharamshala to discover and learn about Tibet’s culture and traditions. Each group consisted of 12-14 students, and in addition to visits and lectures on different aspects of Tibetan life and culture in exile, every group member spent three hours a day with their Lha student partner. The visiting students were each paired with a Lha student for the duration of their stay to enable mutual learning and exchange of ideas and experiences as well as an opportunity for one-to-one tuition in English.

Lha also hosted a Lifeworks International student group – the second this year. Lifeworks is another American organisation, providing community service adventures for teens. This group consisted of six students who were also paired with Lha students while they learned more about Tibetans in the Dharamshala community.

Another group visiting Lha was 11 students from Loyola University in the United States. They also came to get more exposure to Tibetan issues and culture by attending various events and talks from community leaders in Dharamshala. They also volunteered to spend their mornings with Tibetan students helping them learn English.