Sikkim

She Yün is rooted in the unique culture, history, and geography of Sikkim

Sikkim, a former kingdom, joined India in 1975 as its 22nd state following a referendum that led to the abolition of the hereditary monarchy.

Although two-thirds of Sikkim’s inhabitants are of Nepalese origin, its population exhibits great ethnic diversity: thirteen different ethnic groups, primarily represented by indigenous Himalayan ethnic groups of Sino-Tibetan origin (Bhutia, Lepcha, Limbu). More than eighteen languages are spoken in Sikkim, with English, Hindi, and Nepali being the most widely used. The Sikkim education system is thus trying to find a balance between “valorizing ethnic identities” and the “need for a common linguistic foundation.” In practice, “the language of instruction throughout Sikkim remains primarily English, then Nepali and Hindi…“¹, with other languages being valued mainly in the context of public school events.

Religious affiliations are also diverse: the most significant are Hinduism (60%) and Buddhism (29%); Muslims, Sikhs, and others remain a minority.

Moreover, Sikkim is a Himalayan state, and therefore predominantly mountainous. This results in a relative geographic isolation of certain communities, generally vulnerable and disadvantaged. In addition to ethnic and religious diversity, the Sikkim population is therefore also characterized by a relative disparity in terms of access to education.

She Yün ensures the selection, support (financial, material, logistical, etc.), and even the supervision and extracurricular support (boarding school, pedagogical support) of vulnerable children who access its program in Sikkim, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, language, or gender. The topographical difficulty of accessing schools justifies the boarding school system offered to the majority of children accompanied. The role of interface that She Yün plays between parents and the school is fundamental in this context. Moreover, through their schooling, the children of vulnerable families that we support increase their mastery of the administrative vehicular languages (English, Nepali); as a result, it is not uncommon for them to be able to facilitate for their parents, or even for their community, access to the different services to which they are entitled. This role of “facilitator of access to rights” is, in our view, an indirect added value of the program.

Finally, She Yün is a young organization that is moving towards its goal at the pace of its public (in 2023, the first children supported are finishing secondary education). The impact therefore remains to be evaluated.

¹https://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/EtatsNsouverains/inde-Sikkim.htm