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“Trash For Education” Exhibition Underway in Dharamsala

Fri - 25 Nov Written by Tibetan Administration Official Media. Tibet Net

Dharamshala: “Trash For Education” an exhibition initiated by Tenzin Pelmo, an English teacher from Upper TCV school in collaboration with the Environment Development Desk of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), is being showcased at the DIIR's Lhakpa Tsering auditorium today.

Speaking to reporters at the exhibition, Tenzin Pelmo said that the novel idea of reusing trash for educational purposes is a brain child of years of hard-work and interest in the field of teaching and environment conservation.

She said lots of things that we treat as trash can be effectively reused as educational tools without having to buy additional teaching aids from outside.

Thanking the TCV school and her many supporters for extending their help and good wishes, she said she wants to fulfill three main purposes through her activity - enhance the desire for learning among the young kids, create a safe environment for the future generations by reducing excess load of environmental waste, and promote ethical behavior and civic sense among the people.

Quoting the three Rs of Environment conservation “Reuse, Recycle and Reduce”, Ms Dhondup Dolma, an environmental researcher at the Environment and Development Desk, DIIR, said excessive use of factory products have resulted in the deterioration of the environment not just in Dharamshala but all over the world. Therefore, we have organised this exhibition to showcase Tenzin Pelmo's impressive work on environment conservation and enhancing education by transforming trash for education, she said.

The concept behind the exhibition is to reuse trash in a creative way as teaching aids. Used bottles, old milk cartons, old newspapers, bottle caps, damaged CDs have been creatively redesigned as flashcards, mathematical tools, comic books and book marks to encourage reading and arouse interest in learning among the kids. Various hotels from Mcleod Ganj have also bought some of her pamphlets depicting His Holiness the Dalai Lama's quotes, made from old milk cartons and newspapers.

The exhibition is being shown to the officials and staff of the Central Tibetan Administration after which it will be open to the public.

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Climate Change on the Tibet Plateau Detrimental for Asia's Future

Fri - 07 Jan Written by Article by Yeshe Choesang, WN Correspondent Dharamshala.

Dharamshala: A new book covering Tibet's water and related environmental issues linked to climate change and Tibet was released by the Tibetan Women's Group based in Dharamshala on Thursday, 6th January, 2011. The group said in a statement that a music video titled 'Achi Drokmo' - which features a nomadic woman singing in solitude and grieving over her lost home and herds - was also launched on the same day.

The Women's Environment and Development Desk (WEDD) of the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) released a digital version of a book on Tibet's water, now made available on the Tibet Third Pole website (www.tibet3rdpole.org). The book contains information about Tibet's water and related environmental issues linked to climate change and Tibet. It also provides insight on China's dam-building projects across the Tibetan Plateau.

The recent round of leaked cables from Wikileaks has revealed that His Holiness the Dalai Lama urged Timothy Roemer, US ambassador to India, that "the international community should shift its focus to climate change on the Tibetan plateau."

Since the 1999-release of the so-called Western Development Strategy, Chinese leaders have been vigorously implementing policies of nomad re-settlement, land confiscation and fencing of pastoral areas in Tibet, thus causing detrimental effects for the Tibetan nomadic culture that has sustained itself on Tibet's pastureland for millennia. Under the pretext of providing 'comfortable housing program', and in an effort to undo decades of Beijing's failed rangeland and ecosystem management policies across Tibet, the Chinese government has begun to resettle hundreds of thousands of Tibetan nomads into permanent dwellings.

The international community is well aware that the Chinese leadership's aim of presenting a more modern face for Tibet is mere window dressing. Indeed, the policy violates nomads' human rights, most recently seen through the lens of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, warning of consequences to nomad settlement.

We therefore call on the Chinese government to immediately halt this resettlement project as scientists have demonstrated that having nomads on pastureland is essential to preserve the grasslands in the age of climate crisis.

Last month, Tenzin Woebum, head of TWA's WEDD, took part in the conference 'Global Gathering of Women Pastoralists' in Ahemdabad, India. This conference saw the gathering of Pastoral women from 32 countries including Tibet. The representatives from pastoral communities from across the world came together to strengthen alliances and forward practical solutions to issues that affect their pastoral life. As an outcome of this conference, the conference participants presented a 23-point declaration as a guiding political document to inform and support the development of pastoralist policies.

TWA's WEDD is also launching a Music Video titled 'Achi Drokmo'- (in English - a nomadic woman). The short video (4 minutes and 38 seconds) features a nomadic woman singing in solitude and grieving over her lost home and herds.

The mission of TWA's WEDD is to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change upon Tibet's unique ecosystem and upon the plight of Tibetan women. WEDD is committed to disseminating timely and useful information that highlights to the international community the critical issue of climate change in Tibet and engaging in proactive measures and campaigns to combat the policies and the destructive impact that the policies have on the social lives of the Tibetan people.

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Last Updated on Friday, 07 January 2011 06:07

HIV/AIDS Training Course Held in Delhi

Thu - 18 Nov Written by Matthwe Singh Toor, Lhasa Post

Dharamshala: A week-long training course on HIV/AIDS prevention concluded in the Indian capital New Delhi on November 8. Organised by Dharamshala-based non-government organisation CHOICE - HIV/AIDS, and funded by the Saint Stephen's AIDS Trust (SSAT), London, the event was attended by more than 12 trainees from eight regions, including doctors, nurses and HIV activists.

Besides presentations and talks by doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, HIV patients and activists, the training included field trips to hospitals, care homes, as well as role-plays, counseling practice and group discussions.

Dr Nick Theobald of SSAT said, "The aim of this comprehensive training was...to acquaint [the trainees with] the overall issues related with HIV/AIDS - threats of the impending epidemic, social stigma and discrimination associated with the disease, importance of preventive measures, basic associated medical problems, opportunistic infections, voluntary counseling and testing, window period, various HAART therapies (highly active anti-retroviral therapies), including complementary and alternative therapies, etc.

"The training also aimed at developing the skills required to carry out home-based care and also ‘plan of action’ for initiating or strengthening community care and support programmes..I am really surprised by the knowledge and the experience of the participants in the field and was overwhelmed by their response and interest in the training."

Nurse Dondup Tsomo, one of the trainees, commented, “The nursing and home care with field-oriented information resources, need and management of clinical service...and live testimony by the transgender HIV client Mangala were some of the sessions I really enjoyed.”

In her thank-you speech during the farewell session, Ms Tsering Paldon, head of Delek Hospital Dharamshala's public health section, said, "We have truly benefited so much from the training and hope that all of us would go back to our respective areas with lots of knowledge, guidelines and confidence to carry forward our mission to prevent HIV/AIDS in our community, and manage successfully the care and support programmes through proper networks.”

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Last Updated on Thursday, 18 November 2010 10:39

Tibet House hosts conference in Delhi on Tibet’s contribution to global understanding

From 18-20 December, the Tibet House in New Delhi will host 36 scholars and institution builders from 13 countries during a three-day conference on the "Contribution of Tibetan Culture to Global Understanding".

Taiwan Root Medical Corp team provides medical services for exile Tibetans

Fri - 16 Oct Written by The Tibet Post International

Taipei: A delegation of 36 Taiwanese doctors, nurses, and interns from the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps paid a visit to Dharamshala for one week, during which they provided medical services to hundreds of exiled Tibetans and met the Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.