About Tibetan Village Project
Mission: Tibetan Village Project (TVP) is a non-profit, non-political
organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development while preserving the
rich cultural heritage of Tibet. The organization was founded in 2001 by Tamdin and Tseyang with support from friends and family.
What
is the story TVP? Tamdin Wangdu grew up in a remote village in central Tibet.
Like many other Tibetans, Tamdin did not have the opportunity to go to school,
have access to clean drinking water, medical care or electricity. These necessities
still do not exist in many places of Tibet. However, Tamdin's dreams led him to
explore opportunities and possibilities. He left Tibet and came to the United
States in 1993.
In
the summer of 2001, Tamdin learned that his father had died at age 57 after suffering
four long days of acute stomach pain. Not a single healthcare worker was available
in or near Tamdin's village to prevent his untimely death or even to determine
its cause. Tamdin believes that just knowing how to perform CPR could have saved
his father's life. In memory of his father, Tamdin started
the Tibetan Village Project in order to fund a medical treatment and prevention
program in his village and surrounding areas. Now several years later, the Tibetan
Village Project has expanded its programs to support schools and community development
projects. Click here to learn more about TVP's
accomplishments, current project priorities and future direction.
How
are projects coordinated in Tibet? The TVP is founded and coordinated by Tibetans
to help themselves using a bottom-up approach. Most of our projects are small-scale
initiatives that work directly with Tibetan villagers through project-coordinators
chosen from each village who know the local situation, understand the culture,
and speak the language. Under the direction of the TVP's board, Tibetan project
coordinators in the field and Tamdin oversee all aspects of project implementation,
from coordinating village participation in each initiative, to distributing funds
and compiling progress reports.
Advisors
Dr.
Emily T. Yeh of University of Colorado at Boulder
Chris Jones, Himalayan Region Eco-tourism Project of Columbia University & UVa
Steve Troy, The Sustainable
Resources
Emily Davis, EDA Consulting, San Diego, CA
Tseyang Wangdu, Westminster,
Colorado
Board of Directors
Don Cullen, Melbourne, Australia
Karen Wilding, Boulder, Colorado
Jeffery Cohn, Boulder, Colorado
Joe Braidish, Boulder, Colorado
Sunny Klaber,
Boulder, Colorado
Project Coordinators
Tamdin Wangdu, International
Jamphel, TAR
Lhagyal, TAR
Sonam Dhargyal, Kham
Volunteers
Sarah Oliphant, Colorado, USA
Brooke Bryant, Xining, China
Alexander Silzer, Canada
Michele Simpson, Colorado
Accomplishments | Contact Info | Media | Donate | Resources
