Greetings from Tibet!

now, if this doesn't make your heart sing ...the best christmas present ever.

congratulations to all of you that made this possible!

YOU ARE A GIFT!

Supporting rural Tibetan women and children Report of Booker T. Washington High School Art Book and Pen Distribution Project PROJECT UPDATE Report of Booker T. Washington High School Art Book and Pen Distribution Project
Reported by Kunchok Gyaltsen, MIIM, MPH, PhD
December 8, 2010
The Booker T. Washington High School printmaking art students and other printmakers from other various local schools in Dallas, San Angelo, Arlington and even a printmaking art school in Africa created an Art Painting Book for Tibetan children. On May 13, 2010, a THF fundraising event took place at the Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas. Booker T. Washington High School students, and other Dallas area printmaking students and their teachers created, printed and donated copies of the Art Painting Book and coloring pens to THF. The art books and pens were shipped to Amdo and arrived at Kumbum Monastery on October, 2010.
THF In-country advisors identified and selected where and which school would receive the books and pens. One of the criteria was the school would have an equal amount of students to the amount copies of the books. Also it should be a school in a remote region, where there is little resource available and the students have never seen such art books and pens. Finally, the Mardo Tsokyaring School was chosen to provide the books to their children. This school is a township Tibetan boarding school. There are 74 students from ages 7 to 12 years old. The school is located on the highest region of Tibetan plateau, as high as 4,400 meters (14,000 ft) and the area is the original source of Mhachu (Yellow River). Mardo Tsokyaring School is one of the townships under the Mardo County, which is under Golok Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Tso-Ngon (Qinghai) Province. The area of Mardo County boarders Yushu; the language and customs are very similar to Kham although the people speak the Amdo dialect.
Two Tibetan medical graduate students, Lhundup Dorjee and Gyatso, from the Tso-Ngon (Qinghai) University Tibetan Medical College traveled to Mardo Tsokyaring School from November 26 to 28, 2010. They distributed all the books and pens to all the students of the school. They also introduced how to use the books and pens. Mr. Lhundup Drojee is a professional Tibetan teacher and has knowledge of teaching art to Tibetan students. Mr. Lhundup Dorjee is also an associate Supporting rural Tibetan women and children PROJECT UPDATE
professor of Tso-Ngon (Qinghai) Normal University and has many years of experience in training Tibetan teachers and curriculum design for Tibetan students.
Lhundup Dorjee and Gyatso reported that all the children loved the books and pens and were so excited when they got to hold the book and pen in their hands. The students used them right away after the distribution although they had mid-term exams the next day. The teachers expressed how surprised they were that the American students could use Tibetan characters in their art designs. The school has never had any art class for their children and this is perfect project for the school. The school principal and teachers send their gratitude to the printmaking students, their teachers and everyone who worked very hard to put this art book together. Also, they thanked Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen and Ms. Meredith Aikman for arranging the books and pens to cross the ocean and to reach one of the Tibetan highest places of Mardo.
P.S. With this report, there are a lot of photos taken on that day, the photos presents the Mardo land, distributing the books and pens, how students are using, and group photos of the whole school.