Antahkarana International Newsletter
Volume Five www.saveaculture.org Autumn 2009
Nepal Tightens Tibet Border Area to Please China
KATHMANDU - For the first time in its history, Nepal will form a Border Security Force to patrol its northernmost tip of the border it shares with Tibet in a bid to prevent anti-China activities by Tibetan dissidents.
Despite the tight security, Beijing has been stung by repeated demonstrations in Kathmandu. Even recently, ignoring the beefed up security at the Chinese embassy and visa-issuing centre, dozens of Tibetans courted arrest displaying banners that said ‘Free Tibet’ and unfurled the flag of independent Tibet.
The recent crackdown on Tibetans in Nepal underscores the importance of education for indigenous Nepali Tibetans. With Nepali and English language skills they can participate in the democratic process and protect their rights to free expression. While Maoists are present in the government, Nepal remains a democratic republic in its infancy with an elected governing body.
Villagers Continue to Amaze Us as the Work Grows
by Executive Director, Deanna Campbell
Antahkarana International Newsletter has many new subscribers since our last issue and I extend a heartfelt welcome.
Someone asked me recently what drove me to do this work. It caught me off guard. I wanted to say something impressive. But it is just too uncomplicated for a grand answer.
I simply saw first-hand the impoverished Tibetan villages in the trans-Himalayan region of Nepal. I looked into the faces of children whose parents and grand-parents had been without education for two generations. I heard the translated pleas of the villagers for help and there was no way I could return to a comfortable life and do nothing.
Few people ever reach the extremely remote and inaccessible region I had been lead to by a Tibetan monk. I knew if I didn’t do something it was unlikely that anyone else would even be aware of the need. Without education the people would languish in poverty and illiteracy for generations to come and their precious Tibetan Buddhist culture that hangs by a thread would be lost forever as it is in Tibet.
At first we were unable to find a way to bring building materials to the village (there are no roads) or engage teachers who would commit to harsh village life. We did the next best thing and took some of the most promising children selected by village elders to Kathmandu for an education.
Ignited by the hope we engendered, the hearts of villagers became a conflagration that I believe consumed many of the original obstacles we encountered..
Two years later, in what I unabashedly look upon as a miracle, classrooms sprang up from the stones that lay scattered in the villages and young people returned to their roots to take up positions as teachers.
Amazingly, just last week four village youths who have immigrated to America contributed $150 each to the village project saying they wanted to participate in “the tremendous effort to preserve our great and unique culture” and they felt it their “duty and responsibility” to join the villagers in the effort. The village is coming into new life. There are options beyond escape. We have over 138 children in our classrooms and many adults in our literacy classes. The work continues to grow.
The stark reality is that these miracles must be ratified by financial support. Winter is closing in and the villages will be snowed in until May. In the next week we must get salaries to our teachers so they can buy the food and fuel and other supplies they will need for themselves and their extended families during the long winter.
We must make sure the children have pencils and paper. We have yet to provide tables and chairs or even mats for children to sit upon. What a wonderful thing it would be to send money for warm clothing for the children and money for them to have a good meal at school.
Our children in Kathmandu have grown out of and/or worn out their uniforms and playclothes. The weather is getting cold there as well. There is a contagious skin condition afflicting many of them that requires medical treatment. The list goes on.
Please act now to transform your interest into the good karma of giving. The work chronicled in this newsletter is utterly dependent on your donations. Tomorrow must be today. Some other time is now. "Someone: has to be you.
We need your help
And only you can give it.
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