Tarayana Programs

1) Support vulnerable individuals to achieve greater socio-economic security

Tarayana Foundation provides lifelong security for many individuals, giving them a sense of dignity in life the winter of their lives. The Foundation supports more than vulnerable individuals with the provision of a monthly stipend. The identification of the beneficiaries is done through rural needs assessment visits and selection is done by the Management Committee upon verification by local institutions. Tarayana volunteers and Tarayana School Clubs also help in the identification of beneficiaries. In addition, some individuals have been extended grants to help with roofing of houses, starting new initiatives and rebuilding lives after personal disasters.

2) Sponsor students in disadvantaged circumstances: endowment fund for education

A modest Tarayana Scholarship Endowment fund was set up through grants from Save the Children-USA, Lotus Outreach, and corporate and personal donations. The Endowment allows for Tarayana to support school going children. Tarayana supported 800 students during the 2007 academic session and it is estimated that the Foundation will support 1200 students in 2008. The support provides for the students' school fees, uniforms, supplementary meal contributions and other associated expenses, which would otherwise have to be borne by the parents.

The beneficiaries are identified in collaboration with the local community leaders, Tarayana Field Staff, District Education officials and teachers. Tarayana School Clubs also help in identifying students needing support. In addition to the support being provided through this programme, the Tarayana School Clubs collectively supported 85 students during the 2007 academic session. This is an example of students helping students to stay in school and that much more gratifying as young children learn to be part of the solution to addressing local issues of poverty.

The foundation aims to support as many students as viable in the coming years. However, owing to the lack of sufficient fund, the foundation regrets the inability to support the large number of students around the country who have been deprived of primary education due to economic conditions. With the availability of more funds we will be able to sponsor more children. The foundation invites and highly appreciates donations, grants, funds, etc from individuals, organizations to support the endowment fund program to achieve its objective of educating disadvantaged children in Bhutan, which is in consonance with the United Nations' Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education.

3) Support needy patients to receive medical care: facilitate access to medical services

Tarayana continues to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and volunteer medical groups to bring specialized health services to the rural people. In 2007, Tarayana facilitated a restorative surgical camp at Paro in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Surgicorp, a volunteer group of plastic surgeons from the United States, led by Dr. Jack Demos. A total of 72 cases were treated during the camp. The treatments ranged from correcting hare-lips to cleft palates to muscle release in the case of burn victims, to separation of fused digits, to tissue scar removals. The Foundation has also continued to sponsor poor patients in availing medical care by providing travel and sustenance allowance so that the patients can receive appropriate care at the regional as well as national referral hospitals.

4) Promote relevant artisan skills to enhance rural income: promotion of artisan skills and crafts

Construction of Craft Worksheds

Community work sheds have been constructed in almost all the communities that Tarayana is currently working with. These work sheds provide the community with common facilities and a gathering place for them to come together to work on their craft and to learn new skills. These sheds are also used as venues for local meeting and training venues. The community owns and utilizes the work shed according to the demands of the community. These worsteds are provided with solar lights so that the community members can work for a few hours each night. The added income that the community earns contributes to poverty alleviation in some small measures. The Foundation seeks generous funding support to build more such centres in other rural communities.

Some of the skills taught and sharpened in the past four years include traditional paper making, traditional clay pot making, nettle weaving, soap and candle making, refining cane and bamboo crafts, organic farming, book keeping and marketing skills.

Regional Tarayana Craft Centres

The Foundation has acquired land in Bumthang, Gelephu and Kalapang, Mongar for constructing Regional Craft Centres. The establishment of these regional Craft centres that will serve as nodal points for Tarayana activities such as venue for providing artisan skills training as well as market outlet for rural crafts. The Foundation aims to house the Craft centres with curatorial acquisitions to provide education and knowledge to visitors and impart skills to prospective crafts persons within those communities.

5) Improve socio-economic security of rural communities: Housing Improvement project

Under this project 48 houses have been completed in the five Lhop villages of Dorokha Dungkhag. Ten more houses are in various stages of completion as the second phase of the housing project comes to an end by this December. Some more houses will be supported in the third phase as funds become available.
Six of the fifteen houses to be constructed in Rukha are completed. Basic shelter seems to evade some of the poor people in rural communities and the Foundation is committed to making it possible to put a roof over their heads. In 2008, it is hoped that more households in Silambi geog in Mongar can also be supported.

6) Make Tarayana an organization of passionate professionals

Excellence of an organization is in the excellence of its people. The quality of institution is ultimately set by the quality of a team of professionals and managers, and also as human beings with good values/ethics and emotional intelligence. Tarayana will take on the challenge to create an organization of passionate professionals, who can see life through the eyes of the economically disadvantaged and comprehend their dreams, without any prejudice or pre-conception whatsoever.

Tarayana will in turn take responsibility for making the most of the opportunities of selfless service available to them, will know what is expected of them, and will perform where and when the Foundation needs them most.

Tarayana Institutional Capacity Building

The Foundation has grown within the four years of its existence and now has fifteen full time employees including those in the field, a 13 member Executive committee (all volunteers) and a seven member Board (all volunteers). The full time staff are mostly project based and are paid through the capacity strengthening support from Helvetas.

To ensure that the Foundation continues to meet the growing challenge of its mission, Tarayana will place special focus on the continuous improvement of its processes and how it carries out its services for the poor people. Tarayana will engage in an ongoing process of assessment and will strive to be a “learning organization.” The Foundation will be a goal-driven organization, with its attention firmly fixed on performance, strong financial management, and effective communication.

Fostering Volunteerism in Youth through Tarayana Clubs

Tarayana clubs were first established in sixteen high schools and few higher institutes in 2004, the current number of Clubs stand at 70 with membership up to 3555. The main purpose of these clubs is to help the rural communities close to the schools and institutes locally and to foster the spirit of volunteerism in the club members. It is hoped that all the club members will learn to be more socially responsible and seeks ways and means to be useful to the community at large. The Foundation provides Nu. 10,000 to each club as a starting fund to support the activities of these clubs. The choice of activities depends on the club members based on their needs. This is also to encourage innovation. As the strength of these clubs have grown significantly a three weeks training workshop is being planned for the Club Coordinators and student representative. Some of the objectives will include the sharing of experiences, streamline activities, and smoothen implementation challenges. The training workshop will also give the participants hands on training in rural development modules, leadership skills while fostering volunteerism.

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