MANJUSHREE ORPHANAGE

This video is of the Manjushree Orphanage kids making "truss-bridges" for a competition I arranged for my March 2007 visit. What is a Truss-bridge competition? --a basic engineering exercise typically given to first year college kids...but the children stepped up to the challenge, had fun, and proved to be great young, joyfully engaged engineers


Manjushree is located in the high mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, at Tawang. It is an area rich in biodiversity--a place of deep forests, snow-clad mountains, mighty rivers and verdant flora, animated with over 500 species of birds and home to many rare animal species -- yes, especially yak and dri.

Winters are harsh, and summers see long periods of heavy rainfall.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Tawang is of special significance as it is the birthplace of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama. The grand monastery. which is the home to over 600 lamas, is the center of social and religious life for the people of the region.Within this authentic setting, the traditional Tibetan-Buddhist way of life is preserved.

Despite the area's natural beauty and cultural richness, Tawang is an underdeveloped place: Roads crumble away when the summer rains arrive and are in constant disrepair; electricity is unreliable and power outages are a daily occurrence. Modern democratic institutions and a cash economy are still taking root, after being first introduced in the early 1960's. Agriculture is still the typical occupation of the Monpa people, who routinely barter what they grow for the necessities of daily life. Village children--who should be gaining the knowledge they will need at school-- work on small farms for the family to survive. These children are not immunized against disease. Death due to tuberculosis and typhoid are common. Such is the poverty of Tawang.

Architecture for Tibet, a new non-profit organization located in New York City, was formed to make things better -- we are very hopeful of funding a greatly needed Academic Center for Manjushree Orphanage.

Please contact us at info@architecturefortibet.org to learn of ways to help ...

Tashi Delek !!!




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Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• arunachal
• pradesh
• tibet
• tawang
• buddhism
• manjushri

[krglongbourn]

iS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT YOU COULD HAVE SPEAKERS SENT TO COLLAGES TO TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK AT YOUR ORPHANAGE,AND SCHOOL AND IF SO HOW DOES ONE CONTACT YOU