After the Chinese took over Tibet in 1950 and His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in exile in India, it was apparent that one of the most critical needs of Tibetan refugees was a means to care for the many children who had been orphaned or separated from their homeland - Tibet. His Holiness recognized that the future of Tibet and its people depended upon the younger generation. With this in mind and out of concern for the many children who were suffering, His Holiness set up a center for destitute children in Dharamsala, India, 17 May 1960, named the Tibetan Children's Village (TVC). TVC aims to provide education including an understanding of the cultural heritage of Tibet, giving the children a sense of national identity in hope of someday returning to a free and independent Tibet. However, in the meantime these children have been faced with a great sacrifice to be able to practice their religion freely.

As I walked past the barbed wire at the entrance, all I remember thinking was, this feels like a prison. Inside the atmosphere was happy while the older children in the village were preparing a dirt field for an important sports event that His Holiness the Dali Lama would be attending, it was going to be like a mini Olympics. As some of the children practiced their long jump, high jump and running, others finished off digging out the rocks with shovels and pick-axes  to make the surface flat while some launched buckets of water across the dry, dusty ground.

As I moved through all the hustle and bustle of work and play, I received a variety of reactions. Some of the children posed for the camera while others shied away as the camera began to create a hostile situation. Some children feared being recognized as they were here in exile from Tibet.

At the other side of the playground I spotted amazingly bright colored saris worn by Hindi women, reminding me that I was still in India. What was an eye opener to me was that these women were laborers and despite their incredible elegance, poise and beauty they were carrying long planks of wood and rubble out from a construction site. With their children playing in the dirt, most of these women were my age doing work that is usually done by machines back home.

Tucked away at the back of the village is the baby orphanage. The faces of these children moved me. Their expression of happiness, intrigue, pain and despair were all so innocent, not knowing why they had been put in the situation they were in, only to find out later

The sounds of young children singing caught my attention, so I followed my ear and arrived at a congregation of young children lined up in perfect order, singing and praying. Their little hands pressed tightly together and then quickly dropped down into their trouser pocket pulling out a white prayer scarf, holding it in the palms of their hands as they sang. These scarf's are called Khatas and are symbolic to Tibetan refugees in India as a gesture of respect and devotion to their leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As the children continued with their morning prayer I just froze with amazement, watching and listening to a generation of children who continue in the fight.

These children who are so young and innocent have to live without their biological families to be able to practice their religious beliefs freely as a result of war. Through this struggle and grave sacrifice most children grow up fighting for the freedom and independence of Tibet in the hope that one day they will return.