Cancellation of the up-coming trip

Due to the recentsituation in Tibetan area, the team has decided cancelling the trip to grassland school via Xiahe which was originally scheduled to take place this Saturday.

It’s therefore the book collection will continue slowly. A trip maybe rescheduled a few weeks later depending on the situation. Please be reminded that it maybe also not the best time to post books to Sherap at this very moment.

Best regards,
Maggie

Types of Book!

Below shows examples of the types of book which are aimed to collected this time:

Tibetan language Children books

朋友介绍下刚找到国外一个研究生办的组织

Tibetan Art and Literature Initiative (TALI)

http://www.talitibet.org/projects.html

他们找经费在国内(青海)出版一些藏文的儿童书

由藏族的艺术家做设计插画

派发到国内藏区的小学

已经联系上他们

需然上一次出版的两本已经没存货

想订想买也买不到

但是他们说年中再出的几本新的故事书

可以把"草原学校"也列在派发的名单上

这真是个好消息 !

Through a friend, I was introduced to:

TALI: Tibetan Art and Literature Initiative

(http://www.talitibet.org/projects.html).

TALI publishes Tibetan language children books inside China (Qinghai) and then distribute the books freely to Tibetan primary school in Tibetan area. Eventhough the last 2 children books they published last year are all out of stock, they are very please to include the grassland school into the distribution list when they have a few more books which are scheduled to be published later this year.

What a good news!

In the meanwhile, we will try to collect children books (story books/ picture books) from anyone (English/ Chi) and bring some to the school during Easter.

Pictures from TALI at other tibetan school in China

Simple children books! learn Eng, pic books for word...

Someone who have experince doing such project has given the following comments:

"Many thanks for your message. I am glad you are undertaking this important task. My congratulations to you and all friends involved in helping this school...

...Finally, regarding sending books from HK, I think they may want to have certain simple books to learn English, for example, like picture books with words. Maybe you can find bilingual Chinese-English ones. Dictionaries may be useful as well. Science or geography picture books could be also useful. But it is hard to say without knowing exactly the curriculum they follow. I usually send the books in English from here and they open them, take a look, close the boxes and let them arrive to their destination. I have not had trouble with this yet. I did not write any letter either. As long as the books are for children it should be OK."

A call for Book donation

Happy belated Losar (tibetan word of Tibetan new year)
also Happy belated CNY of rat! and Happy 2008!

It's been a while for this site to be updated.
Finally I have almost completed my research study at uni. Will surely update the site very soon.
In the meanwhile, please find the following the latest happening!
6 people from HK will be visiting the grassland school Easter next month. And we would like to take this opportunity to call for book donation. Adding more personal touch to what you can participate. Demo Shi! Tashi Delek!

Jules and Anja's 2nd visit

Jules and Anja visited Sherap and the grassland school back in June. Here are the photos provided by them. Jules and Anja live in Holland.

[Anja teaching English alphabet]



















[the younger class studying hard]



























[Jules working on the fencing wall construction]

[Sherap]

[group photo]

school construction update

After a phone call with Sherap [4 August 07], please find the following summary:

Construction
1. Fencing construction is almost complete;
2. A new building for teacher's accomodation shall commence soon. (in cost quotation stage).

Village level
1. The local government has just connected each house with running water. (自来水) Therefore only in winter (frozen temp), the villagers will need to fetch water from the spring.

Future plan
1. Visitor block and more classroom block shall be built next year;
2. A sustainable toilet block shall be built next year;
3. Sherap will collect the building parts of an old house of his friends which are planning to be demolished soon. This aims to reuse the building material for the future school construction, also act as a historical record of past materials and building elements;
4. The need for a pipe connect to the spring no long required, however the potential need of a water storage for the spring shall be reassessed in the next visit.
5. sherap agree the idea of using traditional building methods to build the next school block, the idead to conserve Tibetan traditional architectural knowledge.

Visitors
1. Three friends of Sherap, who are from Lanzhou Polytechnic University, are visiting the school now, they have been teaching the school children singing and dancing.

report by maggie

Fencing wall contsruction progress

Below are the photos taken by Sherap at the end of May and early June. They illustrate the progress of the fencing wall construction which defines the school premises.

Following a phone conversation with Sherap last week, it was told the contsruction is almost completed.

More recent photos will be uploaded upon receiving them through e-mail from Sherap.

So please stay tune!

The dutch team is visiting grassland school

The dutch team [Jules and Anja] is on their way to visit Sherap now. They will see the progress of the school and the fencing construction. Their trip finish on June 25.

Please stay tune for update later.

[photo from their visit May 2006]

site work photos from sherap

School update

[Old photo on the site work for the school building
construction in 2006]

School update May

1. Site work on leveling the ground for the low fencing area has all been completed;
(but some of the sub soil is still frozen.. wow!!! )
2. There is rain water drainage problem on the newly leveled ground;
3. Next week when sherap goes back, they will start the fencing wall construction;
(He said steel reinforcement and concrete will be used... !!!)
4. This summer's construction plan is just to accomplish this fencing wall.

Sherap said there is enough finance for this summer's construction work but he hasn't have time to sort out the cash balance. But for sure there is lack of financial support for any next stage construction. (for the next year)

Sherap said that the children are all doing well, enjoying their class and they are playing Football (soccer) alot these days. The class is going as normal (Mon- Fri, 8 to 5) with two teachers. I asked him whether the children needs anything for now, he said they seems alright but this time going back, he may shop for some bandage and other medicine for daily use...

There are two Dutch friend of mine gonna visit Sherap end of this month, and they will visit the school. They will stop by HK on the way in and out, so there is a window opportunity for the HK team to pass anything to sherap.

p.s: Labrang monastery has forbidden all official monks to visit internet cafe at xiahe.. that's the reason why Sherap hasn't got any chance to reply any e-mail. He said when he pass by another town (Hezuo), he will go online there.

some more photos

photos taken by RY

sherap's letter for the local government

Below is the letter written by sherap orginal in Tibetan but tanslated into Chinese with the help of his friend. the letter was for the local government.

student list

Here are the students who attended the school on the day we visited. The older students wrote their own name and the teacher wrote the name for the younger students.

Site visit report- April 2007

School visit report no.1

visit date - 5-6April 2007
visitors- maggie/kun/roland/rex
------------------------------------

School operation

- 42(nos) students are attending class everyday; (free education)
- the students are separted into two groups by age;
- the level of both class are equalivant to primary 1;
- the older class learn faster than the younger class, therefore the older class may proceed to primary 2 school level next year;
- subjects including: Tibetan/ Chinese/ Mathmatics/ P.E (sport);
- currently the are two teachers; (which enable the two classes to operate at the same time)
-----Mr. Cheung who is a Tu ethnic cultural group (paid by the local government)
-----Sherap's father (voluntary teacher)
- School time: 8.30am to 5pm;
- no students are bording at the school;
- Mr Cheung (teacher) are living at the school building.

(will report on the planning of the next construction phase in next post!)















the younger class

the older class

discussion on the next phase of construction














dicussion on the design scheme for the school