Ray of Hope Academy
Birendra Chamling handing a prize to a student at Ray of Hope Academy's Annual Day

Thingling · West Sikkim · Est. 2008

Every child here has a future because one man refused to give up.

Ray of Hope Academy has been changing lives in remote West Sikkim since 2008. 20 children. 17 years. One extraordinary founder. Help him build them a permanent home.

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Years Running

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Children Enrolled

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Graduates

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Given to every graduate

The Story

In a village most maps don't show, 20 children go to school every morning.

Thingling is a small village in West Sikkim, tucked into the hills near Khangchendzonga National Park — hours from the nearest city, far from most roads. For its children, it has always been beautiful and isolated in equal measure.

Ray of Hope Academy was founded in 2008 for children who had nowhere else to go — orphaned children, children from families who couldn't afford fees, children who would otherwise grow up without ever sitting in a classroom. Birendra Chamling started it with no funding, no institution, and no guarantee anyone would come. They came. They keep coming.

Today the school runs from Nursery to Class V. Children wear uniforms with red ties. They take field trips to historical sites. They hold Annual Days with balloons and prizes and cake. They are, as Birendra says, the ray of hope for their families — and for all of us.

"The children are Ray of Hope for their family and relatives, and blessing for our society and nation."

— Birendra Chamling, Founder
Children on a field trip outside Thingling
Field trip — children exploring outside Thingling for the first time

The Founder

Birendra Chamling at a parent meeting

By season, he guides trekkers through Goecha La. Every other day, he runs a school — and saves money for every child who graduates.

Birendra Chamling Rai is simultaneously the founder, principal, director, fundraiser, and caretaker of Ray of Hope Academy. He earns income as a trekking guide in Sikkim's high-altitude season and puts it back into the school. He organises field trips to historical places so children can see the world beyond their village. He runs Annual Days with prizes and celebrations so every child feels seen. And for every child who completes the school, he has saved ₹8,000 — plus a ₹1,000 graduation prize — waiting for them.

He does not do this for recognition. He sent us a voice note recently and said simply: "If teacher salary is there, then we can take more children." That is the size of his ambition. Not fame. More children.

Principal & FounderGoecha La Trek GuideWest SikkimRunning Since 2008
Government of Sikkim Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department record for Ray of Hope Academy
Officially registered — Government of Sikkim Land Record, 2024

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See the school in action

What Your Support Builds

After 17 years, they deserve four walls that won't leak.

The school owns its land — verified by the Government of Sikkim in 2024. What they need now is what stands on it.

01

Teacher Salaries

The single biggest need. "If teacher salary is there, we can take more children." More teachers means more children off the waiting list and into classrooms.

02

The School Building

Iron frame, proper roof, real walls. They are still working on the ground level. This is not an upgrade — it is the foundation everything else rests on.

03

A Student Hostel

Children from the most remote villages need a place to stay. Birendra is already planning it. He just needs help building it.

04

Books & Supplies

Every term, he sources materials from whatever is left. Your donation means no child sits at a desk without what they need to learn.

"When a child completes our school course, we give them ₹9,000."

₹8,000 in savings that Birendra has held for them since Nursery. ₹1,000 as a graduation prize. For a man running a school with almost nothing, in a remote Himalayan village, this is an extraordinary act of faith in every child who walks through his door.

He has been doing this for 17 years.

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"I don't ask for much. I ask for the children."

— Birendra Chamling, Founder, Ray of Hope Academy, Thingling