Students from BaSiC Initiative (USA) helped with recycling issues in summer 2009 and produced some comic books to help the kids understand and become motivated. Take a look -  download the pdf

Water supply in the Leh Valley comes from snow-melt. The volume of water potentially available at any time depends on the amount of accumulated ice stored in glaciers and permafrost, and on snowfall each winter. Through spring and summer, the snow and ice gradually melt, and the water runs down numerous channels and eventually joins the Indus River that runs through Ladakh and into Pakistan.

Weather patterns seem to be shifting and glaciers are tending to recede. Therefore water supply could be at risk in some areas in the medium-term.

Our solar pumps raise water from a depth of about 30 metres into above-ground reservoirs at the top of the campus, from where water is distributed under gravity through separate potable and irrigation systems. We use grey (used) water for irrigation, including for willow saplings.

We monitor the situation closely on the Shey campus and water management is becoming more and more important. This reality is being integrated into the learning process. 

Julayne Farmer from the USA is working with students to help them express themselves through photo-images.  They have been working on a range of subjects including ‘Gandhi’, ‘The Best Bit of Me’ and ‘Peace, Hope, Love, Freedom, Happiness’.”

http://photoliteracy.blogspot.com/

Sometimes known as ‘Little Tibet’, the Union Territory of Ladakh is an ancient kingdom in north-west India, bordering Pakistan and the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Union Territory of Ladakh has two districts Leh and Kargil.

The Leh Valley lies at an altitude of about 3,500 metres and the surrounding mountains rise to over 6,000 metres. The area is remote: the main road linking Ladakh with the rest of India is cut off by snow for six months or more each year. This is a high-altitude desert environment where water is precious. Agriculture and human settlements depend on water from snow melt, which flows towards the Indus River. 

Traditionally, most Ladakhis were subsistence farmers growing mainly barley and vegetables, or they were nomads tending goats and yaks. The opening of a road in the 1960s linking Ladakh with the plains brought large numbers of army personnel and the spread of the Indian civil administration. 

The private sector is small, comprising mainly seasonal, tourism-related activities. There are few substantial companies, however there is an increasing number of new business entrepreneur role models among the Buddhist community. The main aim in life for many young Ladakhis is to obtain government employment, even though few such jobs are available.

A Society and Culture Under Threat:

Ladakh is experiencing:

• Challenges to local water supplies as glaciers melt as a consequence of climate change,
• A shift away from traditional agriculture, with people drifting to the towns and associated uncontrolled urbanisation,
• Cultural erosion,
• Knowledge and skills gaps,
• A continuing focus on rote-learning in schools, which ill-equips young people for the modern world,
• Over-dependence on government jobs, which have become very scarce, and a weak economic private sector, resulting in increasing youth unemployment with associated social risks.

Congratulations to Annie Smith, David Songhurst and Ian Hazard for their successful ascent of
Stok Kangri'ssummit (6,121m) last summer! Their determination to complete the challenge, in the midst of difficult weather conditions, helped to raise nearly £6000 for the school.

September 23rd and 24th was a very exciting time for all, as the school hosted an international film crew of 300 who were making an advertisement for Cisco Systems.

On the Saturday, Junior 4’s classroom was the location for filming and all the children had the chance to watch the process.

On Sunday, the location was at Thiksay Gompa and Junior IV spent the day there. Cisco commissioned Ogilvy & Mather and Radical Media to produce their commercial.

A donation for equipment was given to the school as well as treats for the children. Some of the money will go towards school outings and also to the special Children's Day on 14th November.

Resources:

• View the video - before it premieres! (8.3mb | 30 seconds)

On the occasion of the visit by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo, New York State, celebrated the local and global achievements of the Druk Padma Karpo School with an exhibition and a commemorative book titled ˜Building Culture"

In the book, Brian Carter (Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School) states, "This is a school built around an idea that seeks to provide children with appreciations and understandings of the wisdom of the past that are integral with new attitudes and skills for the future. The school is an outstanding example of a truly sustainable design.

Resources:

• View photos
• Read the University’s news article
• Download ˜Inside the School", an excerpt from the book

House competitions continue with cricket and football. Each of the five ‘houses’ has a boys team and a girls team. There was great excitement when the new tracksuits were delivered, thanks to the generosity of a donor, and now the infants would like some too!

On the 20th May 2007, the school’s launch on the LA scene took place at the Architecture + Design Museum Los Angeles, within its theme of ‘Enlightened Development’.

Bruce McKinlay of Arup and Elizabeth Shanklin of Ogilvy made presentations explaining their firms’ activities at the school in Ladakh; His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa presided, and Donovan kindly serenaded the audience.

The event raised valuable funds towards the school’s 3rd Residence, which must open by November 2007 in order to receive incoming children from remote areas.

This event, organised by Druk Foundation, was made possible by the generosity of the A+D Museum, and corporate sponsors Arup and Ogilvy.

Students from Alton College, England, recently raised and donated £1,300 towards a project they will complete at Druk White Lotus School. The World Challenge students will travel to Ladakh and be at the school in mid-July. They will help with implementation of the school’s new landscaping plan by constructing a mudbrick greenhouse and some local terracing. The picture shows group leader, Ivan Bicknell, presenting a cheque to Drukpa Trust’s Annie Smith.