Hi, my name is Jigme Namgyal.

I am 14 years old and I was born in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. My father died when I was 11 years old. My mother who works at a construction site could not take care of my sister and me any more, so she sent me to the monastery. I came to India with 31 other monks. I was the smallest of the group. We were driven in a truck for six days from Lhasa and then walked to the Nepalese border. Normally it takes 20 days, but because we were afraid of being caught we only walked at night and got lost. Finally we reached our destination at Drepung Gomang monastery. I have no one to support me here in India.

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