Joana B.
recommends this project with his on site report
| over 4 years ago
In the summer of 2006 I visited Choki Traditional Art School in Bhutan and ist principal Sonam Choki a few times. Her youngest brother Tashi just come back from his studies in Delhi and was our tour guide during a two week trip through Bhutan. In Thimphu we also got to know an elder brother, who had a craft shop and sold some of the students paintings and carvings, thus contributing substantially to the income of the school. My whole family, especially the children, loved the young students, who worked very skilfully at their Buddhist carvings and drawings. All over the country we could see that the traditional arts are very much alive and that young craftsmen are needed in every housing or temple construction, as the building law requires house owners to include traditional motives and materials in the construction. We were very impressed by the professional attitude and level of commitment of Sonam Choki, the charming, young school principle, whose family had built the school following their own initiative and using their own financial resources to help children from poor rural areas get a solid training, which not only enables them to support themselves in the future but also contribute to the continuity of Bhutanese culture. Children for a better world, a Munich NGO, for whom I run one children group decided to sponsor two scholarships for students last year and my husband and I have personally supported three other scholarships. Every transaction with Sonam has been not only professionally seen to, but also been accompanied by an enriching e-mail exchange.