At 4,200 meters in Bhutan’s Himalayas, Lingzhi School is one of the country’s most remote learning centers, reached only after a two- to three-day trek beneath Mount Jomolhari. The school serves 57 students from isolated highland communities, where education is not just about learning—it is a lifeline to opportunity, dignity, and a rapidly changing world.
Surrounded by a fragile ecosystem and communities dependent on yak herding and seasonal livelihoods, Lingzhi stands at the intersection of climate vulnerability and human resilience. This initiative aims to transform the school into a climate-smart, energy-efficient campus that ensures safe, healthy, and sustainable learning conditions for children in one of Bhutan’s most remote regions.
Despite the extraordinary beauty of its setting, daily life at Lingzhi School is marked by hardship. The classrooms are aging prefabricated structures where cold winds seep through the walls. Dormitories are overcrowded and poorly insulated. Sanitation is inadequate, with makeshift pit toilets and no proper water system. Some of the youngest boys have shared that they wet their beds at night because they are too afraid to walk to the toilets in the freezing dark. Older girls face a different but equally serious challenge: without access to water, managing hygiene, especially during menstruation, becomes a source of daily discomfort and embarrassment.
Families already make enormous sacrifices to keep the school functioning. Each household is expected to contribute firewood every year, even though many live above the tree line and collecting it is physically demanding and increasingly unsustainable. As climate change places greater strain on fragile highland ecosystems, these burdens only grow heavier.
And yet, the children continue to show up with joy, determination, and dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, and teachers. Their resilience is inspiring. They deserve a school that matches their courage.
Lingzhi School is accessible only by a two- to three-day mountain trek.
Lack of water and sanitation facilities creates daily challenges for students, especially young children and girls.
Students walk for hours just to reach school, coming from villages like Gongyul, Mesoyul, and Chebisa, some traveling an additional three to six hours beyond the main trek.
The Lingzhi School initiative is made possible through collaboration with the Royal Government of Bhutan, local communities and families of Lingzhi, school faculty, and Bhutan Foundation stakeholders and supporters.
There are several ways you can support the transformation of Lingzhi School:
Together, we can build a safer, warmer, and more dignified future for children in Lingzhi—ensuring that no child’s opportunity is limited by where they are born.