Problems and risks

Main problems are due to lack of education :

Children are not encouraged to manage facilities or to preserve traditions such as cooking or sawing

 Learning is not encouraged (no library or cultural activities etc.). Children do not learn much about Tibetan culture as there are no books available in Tibetan or Chinese. Education levels are very low and cannot replace the lack of cultural input

 There is no overall thinking about the development of the region and specifically regarding the roles of investors who will rush in in the future. The region is enclosed and only accessible by a dirt road. There are infrastruture plans to link the region to neighbouring regions whose inhabitants come from different cultural backgrounds. Dzongsar is Tibetan but part of the Chinese province of Sichuan. There is a strong risk that Tibetans will lose their identity, heavily subjected to Chinese influences just as it happened in other neighbouring Tibetan regions. If the region doesnt anticipate its future development, children from Dzongsar will not play a part in the economic management of the region in the future.

The project not only aims at strengthening children’s abilities but also at organising means of communication and exchanges in order to facilitate the preservation of traditions and the management of the region.

Needs

Opening a cultural centre in Dzongsar in order to facilitate cultural, administrative and community exchanges. The centre will include a library and a learning centre. The learning centre will facilitate cultural exchanges among the local community first and later with foreign visitors. Learning English is essential for the region.

 There is no proramme for the prevention of diseases in the region. There is no doctor, no dentist monitoring the region. The centre can also serve as a clinic and as a place where rules on sanitation and the environment will be disseminated .