AWARD RECIPIENT FROM THE BRITISH PM BLESSING FROM HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF BHUTAN
Our Completed Projects
"Opening Your Heart to Bhutan is a registered UK charity whose work has been recognised by the British Prime Minister"
OUR COMPLETED PROJECTS
Washing Machines!
Imagine handwashing all your clothes and bedding every week! Imagine if you had to do that with a severe disability and perhaps in a wheelchair. Even though the independence of students at the East Draktsho Centre is encouraged through learning life skills such as cooking, personal hygiene and laundry, those with severe disabilities sometimes rely on the support of others to wash their clothing and bedding. Having access to a washing machine not only offers greater independence for these students but potentially improved hygiene also.
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With the help of Sue Ward and her birthday appeal, together with our supporters we were able to equip the Centre with two washing machines as well as fund transportation and plumbing
Toilets & Improved Paths at Meritsemo
We have provided a clean, sanitised toilet block as well as robust concrete pathways for the 120 children at Meritsemo primary school. We met our fundraising target of £9000 to achieve this.
Meritsemo receives 8 months worth of rain every year. The site is regularly water logged making the short trip to school dangerous for the children there - as you can see in the pictures on the left. The lack of basic sanitation leads to high levels of malaria, dysentry and diarrhoea.
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Our improvements to santitation and access here will benefit the children enormously, improving health and making their walk to and around school much safer and more enjoyable.
Library & Learning Block Stocked and Furnished
We have successfully completed the infrastructure phase of our library project at Draktsho East School and have now furnished the library and learning block.
Shelving and furniture are now in place and we continue to fill the shelves with books for the children to choose from thanks to support from our generous donors.
Kitchens and Dining Block
Completed
In 2019 we met our fundraising target of £32,000 and provided a new dining area and a brand new industrial kitchen for Draktsho East vocational school in Kanglung. The staff at Draktsho were previously cooking over open fires with poor sanitation, producing unhealthy smoke by cooking. The children also did not have a dedicated dining area.
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This has now been solved with the creation of a spacious and comfortable dining area and a greener kitchen, with the installation of 3 electric cookers in the kitchen in April. This allows the children’s food to be prepared and enjoyed in a much healthier environment and saves trees from being used as fuel too! A fantastic achievement for the centre.
Outdoor Washing Area
Installed
We have provided an outdoor washing space at Draktsho East School. This provides a much needed dedicated space to wash clothes for both boys and girls at the school.
Aside from the practical benefits of having a dedicated washing space, participating in activities such as washing clothes provides the children with an opportunity to build self-reliance and to learn important life skills to support them in the future.
Wheelchair Accessibility
Installed
Our wheelchair accessibility project at Draktsho East School is now complete! We have now vastly improved connectivity across the entire school complex, with a fantastic 45m ramp connecting the administration block and the learning block, as well as ramps connecting the boys and girls hostels and the dining room to other areas of the site. The paths are looking fantastic!
Library and Learning Block at Drakstho East School
We are delighted to have reached our fundraising target of £38,000 and have achieved our aim of providing a brand new purpose-built library and learning block for the Draktsho East - the vocational centre in Kanglung, East Bhutan that desperately needed more classroom space. This inspiring organisation teaches 120 disabled and disadvantaged young people skills to help them gain self-esteem through their contribution to the community.
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The new building provides a flexible learning space adaptable for both the academic and physical education of the children.
The two storey learning block is looking fantastic and consists of the following units:
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· Library Room.
· Physiotherapy room.
· Staff office and principal office.
· Meeting room and guest room for visitors.
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Much appreciation is due for Draktsho East's principal Karma Garab Dorji, who has made your donations go a lot further by project managing the build of the library and learning block at the rural boarding school himself (supported by our project manager, Ugyen).
New Vehicle Purchased for Halfway House
In early May 2019 we were thrilled to provide a vehicle to the children’s halfway home in Thimphu, who do essential work for vulnerable children there. We were delighted to present the vehicle to the staff and children, and hope to support them further in the future.