Light in darkness for blind Tibetan children

Dechen Yudron enjoys singing the song "You are my eyes."

"If I could see, I'd easily tell the day from night; if I could see, I'd give you a ride around the world and a hug from behind..."

The 15-year-old sang this song in Mandarin as a Mother's Day present on Sunday. Though her mother, a Tibetan, does not understand a word of China's official national language, she was happy to see the girl's cheerful face.

Dechen Yudron lived the first 11 years of her life in complete darkness.

It was only when she came to the school for visually-impaired children in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, that she realized her world could be colorful, too.

Dechen Yudron is among more than 50 students at the school, the first-ever for blind children on the Tibet plateau.

Sabriye Tenberken still runs the school which she established. The German woman herself has been blind since the age of 12.

Tenberken trekked 170 km through Tibet's countryside on horseback to recruit the first six students in 1999.

The school now teaches English and Chinese and a range of vocational skills, from computing to cheese making and massaging.

To help the children learn their native language well, Tenberken developed a special type of Braille -- writing for the blind -- for the Tibetan language and built a Braille typewriter for the language.

After four years at the school, Dechen Yudron can read, in Braille, Tibetan, Mandarin Chinese and English.

A total of 37 students have finished their study so far. Some are continuing their education in China or abroad, while others are working as interpreters, masseurs or bakers.

Some students have followed Tenberken into teaching blind children at the school.

Nyima Wangdu, 26, became the school principal in 2008.

Born in a farming family in Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Sichuan Province, Nyima Wangdu lost his eyesight as a baby. His father died young and his mother remarried with his twin sisters, leaving him in custody of his grandmother.

"I don't blame my mother for her decision," he said. "I feel grateful because she brought me to this world."

An outstanding student at the school, Nyima Wangdu was given a chance to study in Britain after graduation, majoring in English language and management.

He was not the only blind student to study abroad.

Gyaltsen, 25, one of the first graduates from the school, has studied in India and Japan. He is one of the most respected teachers at the school with his fluency in Mandarin, Tibetan and English, good computer skills and sportsmanship -- he ascended a 6,500-meter peak near the Mount Qomolangma with a team of international mountaineers in 2004.

"Nothing is impossible as long as you're healthy," said Gyaltsen, now a household name in his hometown in Shannan prefecture.

Self-assurance is a major trait the school endeavors to give the children, apart from teaching the marketable skills.

The aim is to make the children confront and cope with their disadvantages head-on, according to Paul Kronenberg, Tenberken's partner in life and work.

"We want to give the children enough confidence, so that they can integrate themselves into society," said Kronenberg, formerly a Dutch engineer.

With confidence and skills, these children can show the world that living as a blind person can be as good as those who can see, he said.

Dechen Yudron said she wants to become a singer. "My mother used to worry a lot about me," she said. "Now that she sees I'm happily getting along at school, she says my dream will come true as long as I keep trying.'

From Tibetnews