Da Chiki — The Juniper Fund

Da Chiki wears a soft smile, and the lines on her face, etched into her skin over the course of sixty-three years, reveal a woman quick to laugh. A pot of tea sits steaming on the table, and a batch of momos are cooking on the stove, filling the air with a smell that promises a full belly.

In 2014, Da Chiki’s only son, Mingma Tenzing Sherpa, died from altitude sickness while working on Everest. He had supported his mother financially, and without him she began to try to support herself. She was no stranger to hard work, or a hard life. When she was younger, she worked as a trekking guide, porter, and cook. But after that tough life Da Chiki developed knee problems that grew to the point that she could no longer even cook for events in her home village, Namche. Now, she is rarely able to leave her house due to the pain. Without an income or family support, she was at a loss for options.

For Da Chiki, the cost of living grant transformed her life and gave her a new stability that she had not had since her son’s death. With the money from the grant, Da Chiki can pay for her food and rent. She also saves money throughout the year to donate to various monasteries. With these donations, the monks and lamas of the monastery hold a memorial service for her son and honor his spirit and legacy with prayers. For Buddhists, inviting a lama to pray for a loved one who has passed is an important ritual, but one that is difficult to arrange for poorer families. Da Chiki has been able to continue the tradition each year, and even traveled to India to visit the Dalai Lama and receive blessings for her son.

Da Chiki is an inspiring woman with a past full of hardship and perseverance. Her son’s death made her life even harder, but she has found stability with the support of The Juniper Fund and has been able to focus on taking care of herself and her home. She hopes to continue to live a peaceful and quiet life in her home in Namche, and to keep the memory of her son alive for years to come.