Rukha Leaps with Reaps

‘When I was little there were only 3 properly constructed houses surrounded by numerous bamboo huts. If Her Majesty hadn’t visited here, we would have still been living in huts with very little development.

The children of our village have been enrolled in the nearby schools with almost all of them completing high school while some have even continued to study till college.

Agriculture has always been practiced but with a shortage of water, we only
cultivated maize and seasonally practiced paddy cultivation.

With the recent improvement in the water supply, we have been able to properly cultivate paddy and other grains. I have seen some individuals starting to commercially sell their products in the nearby market.

In 2011 after a meeting with the Tarayana Field Officers, the foundation also provided the community with wire fencing for our domestic animals and crops. The
wire fencing has protected and saved our animals and farm products from wild animals and pests. With a lack of water supply and poor road connectivity, I could never venture into commercial farming. Lately, consumers have started coming from town to purchase the rice breed called TandinTshering. We have been producing self-sufficiently since receiving support in seeds, tools, and training.

I aspire to work diligently and start producing more rice than before. I couldn’t join school but I make sure my younger siblings go to school and get educated. I never traveled outside the village but with the recent development of the road, I have started frequently traveling to Thimphu and Wangdue Phodrang. I was 16 when Ashi first visited our village, as a child I was advised to stay silent and I was very scared, but when I saw Her Majesty, I could feel her compassionate aura and parental love. I recall Her Majesty sharing her joy for the tremendous progress our Olep community has made during one of her visits.’