Global Citizens Network (GCN) Project Site:
Jampaling, Pokhara Valley, NEPAL
Check Trip Schedule for Trip dates
Tibetan Refugees
Nepal , lying between China and India, is a small country but contains great altitude variation, from the lowland jungle of Terai to Mount Everest at 8,848 meters. Nepal contains eight out of ten of the world's tallest mountains, 75 percent of the land is mountainous, and one percent is under cultivation. The population of 16 million is 80% Hindu and 20%Buddhist and includes Sherpas, Gurungs, Magars, Chetris, Newars tribes, who all speak Nepali and do subsistence farming. Income comes from rice, jute, tourism and Gurkha earrings from the British military. Nepal is known for trekking, rafting, art and architecture. The summer, May through September, is rainy season and October through April is sunny, warm and clear. While never colonized, Nepal has trade contact since Marco Polo, and much English is spoken due to trade relations with the British in India.
In the Pokhara valley, 45 minutes by plane from Kathmandu are the four Tibetan refugee settlements of Tashi Palkheil, Jampaling, Tashi Ling, and Paljorling. The skyline is dominated by the 26,000-foot range of the Annapurna Mountains, but Pokhara region is 2000 feet lower than Kathmandu and as a result is warm and pleasant in autumn and winter. The settlements, each 20-40 minutes from the town of Pokhara on Lake Phewa, were founded between 1962 and 1975. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled and set up government in India. Refugees came to settle in Pokhara to maintain their way of life. Each site has a community of 1,000 people, including a school of 250 students, a small health clinic, a monastery, an old folk's home, and a carpet factory. Younger people weave, trim, dye and design carpet, while elders spin and roll yarn for their livelihood. They also engage in the cultivation of corn and making and selling Tibetan handicraft, as there has been a six-year downtrend in the carpet business. The people are Buddhist, wear a mix of Tibetan and western clothes and 80 percent of the population is literate. Some leaders and most young people speak English; older people speak Tibetan or Nepali.
Development through Cultural Identity
After an exploratory visit to the settlements in October 1999, Global Citizens Network volunteers were invited to assist with a number of projects. Ideas for projects have included roofing repair, building a public bathhouse, renovation of an irrigation canal, renovation of a water drainage ditch, business development of a recycling center, and building a job training center for tailoring traditional clothes and building furniture. Over the years participants have interacted with the Jampaling community on a number of community projects, as well as learned about Tibetan history, culture, religion and art and teach in the settlement school. Projects are determined by the Tibetan Welfare Committee prior to the teams’ arrival in conjunction with community members.
Travel Itinerary
From the U.S., most flights stop for an overnight in Bangkok, Thailand, then proceed to Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon arrival in Nepal, team members will spend their first night at a Kathmandu trekker lodge then fly to Pokhara, a 45-minute flight alongside the Himalayas. At the end of the trip, the team will return to Kathmandu via the same flight with one overnight in Kathmandu. [The GCN trip begins in Kathmandu.]
Accommodation and Meals
In the settlement, team members may stay in a home that can accommodate about ten volunteers. Meals are eaten as a group and prepared by a local cook. Only boiled or bottled water is used for drinking.
Time to Explore
The GCN experience is time in the host community, which allows for plenty of time to get to know the local community in your own way. Often team members like to explore the surrounding area for an occasional day trip. There are many opportunities in the environs, such as Annapurna Conservation Area for trekking and rafting; Phewa Lake for sailing; visiting local Hindu Temples and Buddhist monasteries, regional museums or Himalayan viewpoints.
Health Issues
Participants are required to be in sound health. Potential participants with significant physical limitations are encouraged to check with their physician and discuss the situation with GCN staff beforehand. Some inoculations as well as provisions for high altitude may be required. Check with your local travel clinic or the Center for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ for accurate information.
Costs
The program cost for this three week trip is $2,225. Program costs covers on-site accommodations (lodging and meals), in-country travel, training materials, donation to the project, emergency medical and evacuation insurance, t-shirt, and a portion of the team leader’s expenses.
Airfare to Nepal, and costs relating to activities outside of the village, are additional and the responsibility of the individual participant.
All trip related costs are tax-deductible in the U.S.
Discounts available (one per person/group)
For further information contact us
Global Citizens Network
130 N. Howell St.
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 644-0960 or (800) 644-9292
Contact us
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
