Revival of the spiritual and cultural traditions of Sumthrang Monastery and implementation of vocational training to improve local education and the working skills of younger generations - PHASE 2

WHERE 

Ura District, Sumthrang village
 

CONTEXT

This project is the second phase of a project completed in 2022, aimed at reviving the tradition of Sumthrang through the establishment of a learning centre designed to preserve and transmit this spiritual tradition, while also improving the knowledge and skills of local youth, offering them solid opportunities to enhance their economic and social conditions. Phase one included the construction of a multi-purpose building for educational activities, toilets and showers, along with training on hygiene and health (including the distribution of hygiene kits) and capacity-building sessions for the partner organisation in project management. In this second phase, a guesthouse, a library, a building with classrooms for educational activities and teachers' rooms, a courtyard, and external landscaping and drainage works have been completed, alongside training activities to further strengthen the partner's management capacities.

OBJECTIVES

General objective
The spiritual and cultural tradition of Sumthrang has been preserved and transmitted to future generations of Bhutan.

Specific objective
A spiritual, cultural and vocational centre for nuns, monks and lay people — with classrooms, dormitories, kitchen, dining hall, toilets and showers for up to 50 students — has been established in the village of Sumthrang, and secular and temporal educational activities have been successfully launched.

ACTIVITIES

• Establishment of a project committee with representatives from the Monastery, the Nyo Foundation and ASIA to oversee project activities
• Construction of a 117 sqm two-storey guesthouse with six rooms to accommodate visiting scholars, teachers and guests, equipped with necessary facilities and basic furnishings
• Construction of a building housing a library and classrooms, totalling 172 sqm, equipped with necessary facilities and basic furnishings
• Construction of a 2,500 sqm courtyard and roads, pathways and green areas covering 1,250 sqm
• Organisation of training sessions on logical framework, project cycle, budget control and monitoring

RESULTS

The project has taken shape through the creation of a management committee bringing together the monastery, the local community, the Nyo Foundation and ASIA, ensuring shared oversight of all activities.

A multi-purpose building in traditional architectural style has been completed, equipped with energy-efficient technologies and furnishings suited to educational use. The construction of toilets and showers with solar panels has made a tangible contribution to improving daily living conditions.

The project has also strengthened the Nyo Foundation's capacities in project management and monitoring, and improved the hygiene conditions of the nuns through training and the provision of basic kits. A long-distance sponsorship program for the most vulnerable nuns has been launched as a further component of the intervention.

BENEFICIARIES

Direct: 15 permanent students + 50 temporary students attending short courses each year + 5 permanent teachers
Indirect: 280 people (families of students and teachers)

PARTNERS

Druk Nyo Foundation

PROJECT FUNDED BY

Tides Foundation