Recapping the 2025 Ladakh Service Trip

June 30 – July 11, 2025 

By Liya and Yan Milman

This past summer, we were grateful to join IYC’s service initiative in Ladakh, India, combining cultural exploration with volunteer service to bring eye care to remote Himalayan communities.

Preparation and Fundraising

As co-presidents of IYC’s California branch, we learned about the prevalence of chronic eye disease in Ladakh, where high-altitude UV exposure and limited medical access put many residents at risk. To prepare, we organized a community fundraising drive in San Francisco, reaching out to local businesses like Sports Basement and launching a GoFundMe campaign on May 30, 2025. We also collected gently used sunglasses from the community. The funds and supplies we gathered directly supported our eye care volunteer projects in Ladakh.

Before the trip, we attended a five-hour eye care training session at Hung En Hospital in Taipei. We learned to conduct vision screenings using the Snellen chart, examine the retina and optic nerve with an ophthalmoscope, and test each eye individually using occluders. This training equipped us to perform safe and effective eye screenings for people of all ages.

Volunteer Service

Over the course of twelve days, we carried out four major eye care service projects:

• Mohabodhi Tingmosgang School (July 2, 2025): At the school, we met children as young as five already showing symptoms of myopia and in need of glasses. Here we served approximately 90+ patients, did eye screenings and distributed sun glasses as well as eye medication as needed. In addition, we gave a presentation to educate the students and teachers about eye care. This was particularly significant especially as we hope the younger students can be educated early and take into account how to protect their eyes at an early age.

• Phyang Monastery (July 4, 2025): At the monastery, we serviced well over 150+ patients from monks to residents of Phyang village. We conducted eye screenings and distributed sun glasses as well as eye medication as needed. One memorable moment came towards the end of the day, a 15-year-old girl came in and was found to have cataracts typically seen in people over 50 years old. We were glad to have seen her and taught her the importance of wearing sunglasses when outside, and gave her medication for itchy eyes.

• Durbuk Amchi House (July 6, 2025): We visited the Amchi’s house and were introduced to traditional Tibetan medicinal practice. Here we learned that the Amchi is a holistic healing system practiced in Tibet, the Himalayas, and other adjacent regions, which treats the mind and body as interconnected and relies on balancing the five cosmic elements. We realized that this was deeply embedded in the Ladahki culture. We also conducted eye screenings and distributed sun glasses as well as eye medication. Towards the end of the day, we were able to get a pulse reading by the Amchi and brought back powdered herbs for treatment. 

• Karuna Charitable Hospital (July 9, 2025): We were able to conduct eye screenings at a modern hospital and serviced well over 190 patients in the area. We also encountered elderly patients - some in their 80s - who could not even see the top line of the eye chart and were in need of proper care. At the school nearby, we also gave a presentation in the morning to educate students and teachers about eye care. 

Cultural Expedition

Alongside our volunteer work, we explored Ladakh’s stunning landscapes and cultural sites. Here are selective highlights: 

• July 3, 2025: We toured Alchi Monastery, renowned for its Tibetan style architecture. At the monastery, we saw beautiful wall paintings of Buddhist teachings and huge Buddha statues. What was particularly memorable was a display of sand mandalas which is a sacred Tibetan Buddhist art form that creates a cosmic symbol from millions of grains of colored sand over several days or weeks. The sand mandalas are later swept away to symbolize impermanence in life. In the afternoon, we visited Nimoo Organic Farm, and learned  about sustainable high-altitude farming. We tasted delicious locally grown apricots and other fruits, and had tea while listening to the founding of the organic farm. We also walked around the property and saw the confluence of the Indus, Sind, and Zanskar Rivers.

• July 4, 2025: After our service project in the morning at the Phyang monastery, we visited a pashmina wool family workshop to learn how local artisans weave wool from pashmina goats. We saw the process of how pashmina scarves were woven starting from clumps of wool strung into balls of wool before being fed into the loom. We further learned that the sourcing of the pashmina wool was very complex, often involving regional disputes over control of resources. This makes pashmina a very valuable and high in demand commodity.

• July 5, 2025: In the morning, we experienced the Hemis Monastery Mask Festival, an annual festival celebrating the birth anniversary of the founder of Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh. During the festival, there were sacred dance and chanting rituals performed by monks in elaborate colorful masks and robes. In the afternoon, on our way to the Tibetan medicine village at Durbok, we traveled through breathtaking wildlife reserves where we also saw wild horses. We took a break along the Tsolak lake and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the surrounding Himalayan mountains.

• July 7, 2025: At Pangong Lake, we enjoyed the breathtaking blue waters of this magnificent lake which was also a popular tourist attraction due to it being a movie film site for Three Idiots. We played fun games along the rocky shores and enjoyed short guided horseback riding along the lake. In the afternoon, we visited a shepherd’s home in the middle of a vast open landscape and saw herds of sheep and yaks along the way.

• July 9, 2025: After a long service day at the Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital, we decided at the last minute to head over to the city center to explore the stores and markets. We were able to do some shopping and purchase souvenirs. It was fun to experience Leh’s city center which was very different from our experiences in the historic cultural and natural sites throughout most of our trip.

Reflection

This trip reminded us that even small actions - like providing a pair of sunglasses - can have a lasting impact on someone’s health and quality of life. The gratitude and warmth of the Ladakhi people deeply touched us, and we left with a greater appreciation for both the challenges and the beauty of life in the Himalayas. One of the most memorable moments for me was meeting a girl my age at the school we visited. Despite the huge differences in our daily lives, from the technology we use to the opportunities we take for granted, we quickly found common ground through our shared interests. It was a reminder that service isn’t just about what we give, but also about what we learn and carry with us long after the trip ends.