East West | Travel Blog by Kunda Dixit | Nepali Times | nepalitimes.com

East West | Travel Blog by Kunda Dixit | Nepali Times | nepalitimes.com

Future Generation's Projects in Nepal and Tibet

CBC Segment on the Tibet Four Great Rivers Project
Mar 17, 2008 - 11:03

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1853180223642458811&hl=en


http://www.future.org/news/20091021/community-leaders-eight-countries-graduate-kathmandu-nepal

Community Leaders from Eight Countries Graduate in Kathmandu, Nepal
Posted on Wed, 10/21/2009 – 18:06
Franklin, West Virginia. On October 7, 2009, students from eight countries graduated with a Master’s Degree in Applied Community Change and Conservation at the Gokarna King’s Forest in Nepal. In this 700-acre forest reserve in the Kathmandu Valley, students were awarded a master’s degree for their leadership in conservation and social development among the world’s most underserved communities.

Honorary guests and dignitaries included the former Finance Minister and Foreign Minister, Dr. Bekh Bahadur Thapa, member of the former royal family, Bishou Bikram Shah, Rev Dr. A. Antonysamy S.J., Principal of St. Xavier’s College, and Mr. Karna Shakya, conservationist and founder of the famous Kathmandu Guest House.

Graduating students came from Bhutan, Bolivia, China, Egypt, Peru, Mozambique, Uganda, and the United States. Every student serves communities. Their professional backgrounds range from economists and medical doctors to government agents and community development specialists.

The Tibet Fund (healthcare and education programs)

PROGRAMS IN TIBET

In 1994, The Tibet Fund established its Tibet Assistance Program to address the neglected medical, educational and economic needs of the Tibetan people. Working primarily with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Tibet, the Program has launched small-scale, well-managed programs to educate and care for orphans, offer scholarship opportunities for higher education, and provide eye care and blindness prevention services. For the past 11 years, The Tibet Fund has administered a State Department-funded cultural exchange program that enables Tibetan scholars and professionals to study and gain internship experience in the U.S. The program has also provided college-level English language and computer skills training in Tibet.

http://www.tibetfund.org/prog_tibet.html

Projects in the highlands, surrounding areas, (solar)

Himalaya Projects

The Himalayas feature some of the harshest environments in the world, requiring ingenuity and re-tooling to address conditions unlike any found elsewhere.

Our current projects in the region have presented us with many stimulating challenges and instilled in us a great respect for the ingenuity and perseverance of the people of this region.

http://www.oneearthdesigns.org/projects/himalayas
http://www.tew.org/geography/t2000.forest.html

Sherpa Gear Blog

http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/SAG_Blog/

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2009
Our Sherpa Adventure Gear Flagship Store nears completion
The new Sherpa Adventure Gear Flagship Store continues to develop as most of the inside finished and the outside nearly ready to go. With a projected opening in late June, the building should prove to be a beautiful addition to Durbar Marg in Kathmandu.

The building will feature 4,500 square feet of retail space on two levels for both our soft goods and hard goods for climbing and trekking. It will also have our corporate offices, a bed and breakfast, an upstairs terrace restaurant (with a grand view of the mountains and the Royal Palace Museum) and coffee shop, parking garage, and our research and development center.

We'll post more updates with opening dates and more pictures as we get our new store ready to go!

POSTED BY JOE PURYEAR AT 3:59 AM
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2009
SAG Athlete Nima Sherpa Wins Annapurna Mandala 300 km Trail Race

Sherpa Adventure Gear congratulates Nima Sherpa for winning the 2009 Annapurna Mandala Trail Race, a grueling 300-kilometer race that goes through the heart of the Annapurna Region in Nepal. The race tops out at 5,416 meters over Thorong Pass and goes by 4,919-meter Lake Tilicho, the world's highest lake. The 9 stage race took place from April 9 to April 17 and includes 17,000 meters of height gain and 16,000 meters of height loss. Nima placed 1st in the women's division and 8th overall out of 36 people total.

Nima Sherpa is an experienced high-altitude, long-distance marathon racer with 12 major races under her belt, including the Everest Marathon, the Annapurna Mandala Trail, and The Ultimate Trail Race. She regularly places in the top four with several 1st and 2nd place finishes.

Good Job Nima!!!
POSTED BY JOE PURYEAR AT 2:23 AM

National Parks, the USA through PBS

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/parks/

Parks Overview:
Did you know there are almost 400 parks in the national park system? Use the Park Explorer to find them all, or click on the images below to learn more about some of America's most storied and spectacular places

http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

History is everywhere:
In nearly 400 national parks and every hometown. It covers everything from the remnants of ancient civilizations to the boyhood homes of U.S. Presidents to the stirring sagas of hard-fought wars to the reverberations of one woman refusing to give up her seat on a bus. History is a part of who we were, who we are, and who we will be.

As you explore these pages, we hope you find what you are looking for – but even more importantly, we hope you discover something that surprises you. We invite you to learn more about history and how the National Park Service works to preserve it.

Machik, strenthening communities on the Tibean Plateau

http://www.machik.org/index.php

http://www.machik.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113

http://www.machik.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=58

APPROACH
machik (ma gcig) df. 1. one mother; 2. (ma cig) epithet, as in Machik Lapdron, 11th century Tibetan woman innovator who developed the practice of Chod
Our approach begins with a commitment to grassroots rural community work. We have invested at the micro-level, strengthening Tibetan capacity in rural areas brick by brick. From the beginning, our work has also involved creating new opportunities for training, learning and skills development. But the work has also been about more than bricks and mortar. It is about revitalizing community values and renewing hope and trust in the potential of collective effort.

As our work expands in new directions, we seek to broaden our impact by bringing to bear new resources, tools and entrepreneurial strategies. We seek to make our impact more sustainable by identifying and investing in creative and dynamic individuals who are committed to service and to making a positive difference in their communities. And we seek to make our impact global by creating a nexus for building new transnational and institutional partnerships, synergies and cooperative ventures. As we take steps forward in strengthening communities on the Tibetan plateau--making real connections with real people--we also seek to build a broader-based awareness and understanding of our work through our outreach efforts across local, regional and global scales.