VAST Bhutan

The Golden Youth Award is a neat idea of the Bhutan Youth Development Fund (YDF):

• To establish a system of recognizing for notable achievements by youth.
• To motivate youth to be outstanding.
• To identify potential leaders for a new and challenging political environment.

The Golden Youth Award will be given to the youths who demonstrate outstanding achievements not only in academics but also in other categories such as sports, artistic, leadership, cultural and social contribution. Young people of Bhutan have always held a special place in our Monarch’s heart therefore, the golden youth award besides being a tribute to His Majesty the 4th King is also to recognize and motivate youth who reveal leadership and outstanding qualities.

A week long “Golden Youth Camp” for 10 youth for each dzongkhag, for the final selection of the award winners, started off today at the brand new Jigme Singye Wangchuck Youth Center here in Thimphu.

VAST is privileged to participate in this Golden Youth Camp as art competition organizers. The VAST team is led by VAST member Dorji Gyeltshen.

Professor Mark Mancall from Stanford University always visits VAST with his students when he is leading trips to Bhutan. Some of the students visited VAST this afternoon while we were practicing some new games for the upcoming summer camp at Tsirang. They joined us in our games, and also taught us a few.

Over chai, they asked us a lot of questions about democracy in Bhutan, and Gross National Happiness. Most of our answers were “dont know”.

An afternoon filled with fun and laughter as Kueron taught us new games; games that we will be playing with the other participants at the summer camp in Tsirang starting from July 8. Kueron, a long time VAST member, teaches at the Early Learning Center here in Thimphu. She learnt all these fun games from iDiscoveri.

Halfway through the afternoon, a group of Stanford students dropped by, and joined us in our games adding to the fun.

> Additional pictures on flickr by Li-ping

On the 23rd of June, VAST was asked to judge an art competiton. The National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) had organized a nation wide art competition among school children to mark the launch of the State of the World’s Children Report, to be launched on the 9th of July. There were more than 200 entries.

On the 19th of June, Asha Kama left for Washington DC as a part of the Bhutanese delegation to take part in the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival.

His Excellency A.K.M. Atiqur Rahman, the ambassador of Bangladesh to Bhutan, and Hashem Khan, the popular Bangladesh artist, dropped into VAST for a chat on 12th of  June.
 

a special project managed by VAST members, and other volunteers

- Food aid, debt relief and establishment of Rice Bank in 2 villages of Kabji Gaywog in Punakha: Chorten Nibu and Punlingsum

According to the baseline survey conducted by village youth volunteers in 2007, 19 families from the villages of Chorten Nibu and Punlingsum  were found living below the poverty line and face food shortage during the critical period of the year.

Creating of the Rice Bank will provide them with food during the most critical period of the year. The bank will be replenished after the rice harvest at minimal interest by the families themselves. The Rice Bank will therefore be sustainable and provide rice during the next season. This will break the vicious cycle of debt, since borrowing from other villages is done at a high rate of interest.

The Project facilitators from VAST established the Rice Bank on the 2nd of June coinciding with the Coronation celebration of 4th king. The bank will be manage by the families themselves – 3 Tshogpas (committee members) were elected to manage the bank for a period of 5 years.

The project facilitators from VAST are indebt to the following volunteers and donors for their generous contribution towards ending the rural poverty in these 2 villages.

Donors

1. Mary Anne (USA ) - USD 1000
2. Choing Tshomo (USA ) - USD 200
3. Yannick Jooris - Nu. 5000
4. Asha Kama - Nu. 5000
5. Dr. Tashi Wangchuk - Nu. 2900
6. Group contribution (Choing, Miraj, Phurba, Rajesh & Asha Kama) - Nu. 30000
7. Dr. Norzang and Dr. Lhaki - Nu. 8450