Stok is perched more than two miles above sea level in the Himalayas of Ladakh, which is known as "Little Tibet" because of all the Tibetan refugees living there.

Children at the existing school could not go beyond the second grade, so we built two more big classrooms to make sure the kids could continue to receive an education. In fact, the children of Stok played an active part in the construction, which was helped along by the Trek for Knowledge. One day, the trekkies were working on the site, fighting the fatigue that comes easily at this altitude, when the headmaster rang the gong signaling the end of school. More than 70 kids came charging out of school, ready to help us gather the rocks.

It was that energy and participation that helped us complete a successful project, with a big hand from BwB Project Coordinator Gopal Gurung.

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