For some students at the Paro College of Education, Saturdays are not for rest. Instead, they spend the day serving others with compassion and care. Members of the Service with Care and Compassion Initiative Plus, or SCCI+, dedicate their weekends to supporting persons with disabilities and the elderly. From sweeping homes and washing clothes to preparing meals and offering companionship, the Nyingjay Youth Volunteers are bringing comfort, dignity, and hope to those in need.
Twenty-three-year-old Jangchuk Dorji puts on his gho and prepares for another meaningful Saturday.
After getting ready, he spends some time with his mother while waiting for his friends to arrive.
Together, they head to the Hope and Joy Wheelchair Centre in Nemjo, Paro.
There, Jangchuk joins other members of the SCCI+ club who have also dedicated their weekend to serving persons with disabilities.
The volunteers spend the day cleaning rooms, preparing meals, assisting residents with daily activities, and simply keeping them company.
‘‘My initial expectations of SCCI+ were to help someone. My mother being a person with a disability, there were very few people willing to or able to help us, and it was just basically my brother, some relatives and other than that, no one. What I really wanted after I joined SCCI+ was that no one else should be in a position where they are unable to get help in a country such as ours. We’re supposed to be a community, we’re supposed to look after each other, and if not us, who will?’’
As eager as the volunteers are to provide support, the residents at the centre also look forward to the weekends when the students visit them.
Pema Dorji, a resident of Hope and Joy Wheelchair Centre said, ‘‘I am from Dagana. I stay at the wheelchair centre. Friends from the Paro College of Education come here to help me. When they come here, I feel very happy.’’
Shekhar Choden also residing at Hope and Joy Wheelchair Centre said, ‘‘I am very happy when my sisters come here from college. They teach and help me. I love studying.’’
According to assistant coordinator of the club, Tenzin Gyeltshen, the experience is transforming the volunteers as well.
‘‘I can see many changes with my club members because first of all, some of the changes that I can see is through helping the person with disability, they build confidence and second of all, they also build a sense of compassion. And at the end of the day, by helping the person with disability, they feel grateful and proud of what they have done.’’
Dema Lhamo, member of Nyingjay Youth Volunteers said, ‘‘As a student/teacher trainee who is training to be a teacher later, I think it helps a lot for us to understand that there might be students later in the future who might need this kind of support from us as well, who might not be as intellectually gifted as the students we might expect them to. So, we really get to understand that aspect of teaching that we will be facing later in our careers.’’
The Service with Care and Compassion Initiative Plus club was started in Paro College of Education in 2024 with support from the Disabled People’s Organization.
According to Executive Director of the DPOB, Kinley Wangchuk, nearly 80 per cent of persons with disabilities live in rural communities, while most services remain concentrated in Thimphu.
The initiative was created to channel the energy and dedication of young people toward communities that need stronger social support.
‘‘We started the pilot project back in 2024 in Paro College because what we realized was that Paro College was a teaching college. So once we train these students and then once they are member of the club, they would have gained enough experience, and then later in the future these students would become teachers and would be spread all across our country where they can initiate similar initiatives in the local community.’’
He added that the members of the SCCI+ are well-trained youths and follow strict guidelines.
Moreover, there are plans to expand the SCCI+ club to other colleges under the Royal University of Bhutan.
For Jangchuk and other members of Nyingjay Youth Volunteers, service is not just about helping others. Through simple acts of kindness, these young volunteers are making sure no one feels forgotten or alone.
Sonam Yuden/Karma Samten Wangda
