Sonam Tsering's story: an opportunity for the future of Bhutan

Sonam Tsering is a 32-year-old Bhutanese woman and a brilliant student enrolled in the second year of the two-year master's program in Cultural Heritage Studies at the Central European University in Vienna, Austria, thanks to a scholarship funded by the Enrico Dell’Angelo Fund.

After earning her degree in architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, India, she worked for one year for the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development, a Bhutanese government agency in charge of the conservation, protection and promotion of the cultural heritage of Bhutan.

The Head of the Department told us that Sonam Tsering proved to be a person who is not only very professional but also friendly and compassionate, and a resilient collaborator. “Her contributions to the various projects have been exemplary”, we were told 

“she contributed to the design of a restaurant for the Technical Training Institute for Women of Bhutan, of the public toilets of Lhakhang Karpo, of a new temple in Tsirang (one of the twenty districts of Bhutan) and other small projects, showing leadership skills and team spirit”.

Sonam Tsering's story

Sonam is deeply engaged in the preservation of the cultural and architectural heritage of Bhutan, and she has a very clear vision of her own: that of a balance between progress and conservation, in which contemporary architecture can evolve by integrating traditional elements, a balance to be built with a multidisciplinary approach and a coordinated effort between government, local communities and other stakeholders to protect and enhance traditional architecture, also considered a key element for tourism and environmental sustainability.

The Cultural Heritage Studies Program at the Central European University in Vienna is highly qualified and offers students a global view of the practices of cultural heritage conservation.

Thanks to the Enrico Dell’Angelo Fund, we were able to cover the first year of Sonam's scholarship, but funds are still missing to support the current year, the second and final one, which amounts to 9,300 Euro.

The Fund was established in 2018 to honor the memory of Enrico Dell’Angelo, with the aim of supporting the university or professional studies of young Himalayans, in order to improve the quality of life in the areas where they live and to spread their culture and traditions around the world.

So far, thanks to the contribution of many generous people who care about the safeguarding of culture and the well-being and development of the Himalayan communities, we have managed to fund the studies of 15 students, who can truly make a difference thanks to the high level of education and training they have achieved.

If you too wish to contribute to the Fund and take part in Sonam Tsering's Scholarship you can do so through our website, by clicking on this DONATE NOW link
choosing “MAKE A SINGLE DONATION” and, in the drop-down menu, “ENRICO DELL’ANGELO FUND”.

It is thanks to a high-level education that a capable and determined woman like Sonam will be able to emancipate herself and be a protagonist of the future of her country.