Author: ab_adm

Ability Bhutan: Successful completion of Training

ab_adm Inclusion of persons with disabilities, News & Events
Teilnehmer*innen des ECCD Trainings
Teilnehmer*innen des ECCD Trainings

To address the exclusion of children with disabilities, the project of Ability Bhutan (ABS) trained 26 ECCD facilitators and 3 primary school teachers from Pemagatshel district to enrol and provide early intervention services to children with disabilities in their centres.

One of Bhutan’s challenges is ensuring that all children with special educational needs and disabilities receive appropriate education and social services. Poor awareness of current resources, negative attitudes, and negative cultural beliefs about disabilities still persist in communities.  Besides, most parents/caregivers and community workers don’t realize the importance of early intervention and miss out on the golden opportunity to reduce the impact of disability.

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Mini-Motor Ploughs for Female Mountain Farmers through Microcredits

ab_adm News & Events, Project, Rights and Chances for Women and Girls

On 8 November 2022, the Association of Friends of Bhutan, Austria and Tarayana Foundation in Bhutan signed a cooperation agreement.  The City of Vienna awarded our association a grant of 29,000 Euros to enable 35 women mountain farmers from the Lhuentse district to purchase small motorized ploughs with the help of microcredits.  Tarayana will implement the project, the goal of which is to enable the women, who currently practice only subsistence agriculture, to expand their agricultural productivity, thereby generating income and improving the livelihood of their families. Read more

Project visit: Tailoring Training for Residents of Rinchengang

ab_adm News & Events, Rights and Chances for Women and Girls
Women present their models

As part of the project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of gender-based violence in Bhutan”, also a two-month tailoring course for women was financed (project partner RENEW; with funding from the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs/JugendEineWelt). The training should promote their economic independence and enable them to generate an independent income. During a project visit of our association in November we could convince ourselves of the newly gained skills of the 19 female participants and the only male participant of the course from Rinchengang. With great commitment, the women are now already making kiras, tegos and wanjus, the traditional clothing of women in Bhutan, as well as other products and are already receiving orders for sewing work.

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Early Identification and Intervention for Children with Disabilities

ab_adm Inclusion of persons with disabilities, News & Events

© Ability Bhutan

Together with the Swiss and the German-Himalayan Bhutan Societies we support the Bhutanese non-governmental organization Ability Bhutan Society. It trains facilitators in the Early Childhood and Development Centers (ECCD) in Trashi Yangtse, in the far northeast of Bhutan, in the early identification and early intervention for children with disabilities. 20 ECCD facilitators will be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to take appropriate action for the support and inclusion of children and their families. Read more

Meeting of the European Bhutan Friendship Associations

ab_adm News & Events

For two years, the meeting, already planned for 2020, had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, from 14 to 18 September 2022, representatives from 13 European countries and Bhutan met at the invitation of the President of the Hungarian Friendship Society, Zoltan Valcsicsak, and his team.  Austria was represented by Claudia Lisa, Christine A. Jantscher and Dr. Michael Raffling. Read more

General Assembly of the Friends of Bhutan Association Austria on the 11th November 2021

ab_adm News & Events

The third general assembly of the Association of Friends of Bhutan took place on November 11, 2021 at the Hotel Palais Kempinski with the participation of 19 members and guests.  As a guest of honor, the President Liselotte Waldheim-Natural welcomed Univ. Prof. Dr. Hermann Mückler, the president of the Federation of Austrian-Foreign Societies – PaN, of which our Association of Friends of Bhutan is a member.

H.E. Tenzin Rondel Wangchuk addressed the Assembly via Zoom

The Ambassador of Bhutan to Austria based in Geneva, H.E. Tenzin R. Wangchuk addressed his message to the assembly via Zoom and presented the De-suung Skilling Program initiated by His Majesty the 5th King, which aims to give young people in Bhutan skills and abilities in various professional fields and thus a start in professional life. We are also looking for trainers from Austria for this program.

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Muenselling – education for visually impaired children

ab_adm News & Events, Project

Muenselling Institut in Trashigang, Bhutan

Access to digital technology for visually impaired children at Bhutan’s school for the blind

Logo MueMuenselling Institute in Trashigang, located in the east of Bhutan is the only school for the blind in the country. Today, 24 students are enrolled. Improved access to digital media will make students become more digitally literate and ensures an inclusive and equitable quality of education for Bhutan’s visually impaired children.  Together with the Austrian Agency for Development Cooperation (ADA), the Association of Friends of Bhutan, Austria supports the Muenselling Institute in Trashigang with 12 smart TVs and associated equipment. The project is a contribution to SDG Goal 4 Inclusive, equal and high-quality education.

Learning and Teaching with modern equipment

Using a computer, getting information and exchanging information via the Internet has become a matter of course for us. Whether in professional or private life, the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) has become an integral part of our everyday lives. For visually impaired people, modern ICT open up new opportunities to participate in everyday life on an equal footing. In education, there are new perspectives for visually impaired children to access learning materials. Modern technological devices applied in special needs education can further help to improve the learning outcomes of visually impaired children.

What is a Smart TV?

A smart TV allows visually impaired persons to participate equally in social life. It offers additional features such as a voice guide, color intensive mode, magnification mode among other features to easily access content. Reading is easier because texts can be enlarged and learning materials can also be accessed acoustically. Additionally, equipping a classroom with smart TVs offers   up-to-date teaching methods for teachers and provides them new opportunities of interaction with the visually impaired students. 24 students are benefitting from this project. The smart TVs and associated electronic devices ensure that visually impaired students have better access to learning materials.

Background

Bhutan signed the UN- Disability Rights Convention in 2010 and is working on its ratification. The convention stipulates, that blind and visually impaired persons must have the same opportunities in the education system as everyone else. This project makes a valuable contribution to supporting Bhutan on its way to an inclusive society, especially regarding SDG 4.

Project name: Enhancement of ICT access and learning for students with vision impairment, Khaling
Financing: Small project fund of the Austrian Agency for Development Cooperation (ADA)
with a budget of 9.596 Euro (82%) and a fund from Friends of Bhutan Association, Austria with 2.010 Euro (18%).
Project phase: 13 July – 15 October 2021
Thematic focus: Inclusive Education & Social Justice
SDG Tracker: SDG4 Inclusive and equitable education, SDG 10 Reduce inequalities

RENEW Strengthening legal access for victims of domestic violence in rural Bhutan

ab_adm Project, Rights and Chances for Women and Girls

Sarpang, Tsirang, Dagana, Samtse and Chukha

Legal access for victims of domestic violence in rural communities of Bhutan

Domestic violence is widespread in BhutRENEW Logoan. However, social stigmas silences domestic violence victims. Most girls and women are suffering in silence. Particularly, in rural areas women and girls face more difficulties to access justice. This project aims to strengthen legal access for victims of domestic violence in the following rural districts: Sarpang, Tsirang, Dagana, Samtse and Chukha. With funding from the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and together with the Austrian organization Jugend Eine Welt, our association supports the Bhutanese women’s rights organization RENEW. So that girls and women will feel save in rural areas of Bhutan. Read more