FIELD NOTES FROM OUR DIRECTOR, TASHI T. DUKPA, AND SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, PEMA GYAMTSHO, IN BHUTAN
To kick off the summer, we are excited to report to you on some of the projects from our communities throughout Bhutan. We just returned from an invigorating trip to southern, eastern, and central Bhutan, visiting projects that are making an impact in our GNH-inspired communities. Thank you for your continued support for our efforts on the ground.

Panbang (Southern Bhutan)—On February 9, 2018, tiger conservation biologists in Bhutan forged a ground-breaking path in the study of mountain tigers with the first successful radio-collaring of a tiger in the country. The three-year-old female tiger, named Tendrel Zangmo, is providing unprecedented data about its movement and habitat patterns. Joining the continued effort of the National Tiger Centre to radio-collar more tigers, we followed the footsteps of tiger biologist Dr. Tshering Tempa and his team in Royal Manas National Park. Seeing the passion and hard work of the foresters in the field was inspiring–waking up by dawn to set out to the sub-tropical jungles of the park, carefully tracking pug marks (footprints), and monitoring the camera traps and safety snares. An all-Bhutanese team is still continuing to investigate and attempt to radio-collar more tigers. In a world where fewer than 4,000 wild tigers remain today, such commendable efforts deserve our support. The Bhutan Foundation has been supporting the collaring project since 2016. Click here for more information on the project, and click here if you would like to support our tiger project on Projects for Good.









Merak (Eastern Bhutan)—In May, we also visited the beautiful highlands of Merak in eastern Bhutan, where our nomad health camp for the year kicked off. An overwhelming number of highlanders showed up at the health camp to seek various medical and health services: over 600 highlanders in the course of three days. What stood out for us was the increasing level of acceptance and openness of girls and women in seeking OB/GYN services. A woman in her 50s walked two hours to reach the camp and walked back to her yaks after receiving a Pap test, which otherwise would have taken her two days of travel to receive at the nearest hospital. Similarly, other women in the community will not need to make the journey anymore as the gynecologist who led the health camp has now trained the local health worker to conduct Pap tests. The service is now readily available to all the girls and women in the community. To date, we have reached more than 15 villages covering more than 2,000 highlanders through our nomad health camps. To plan next steps in improving the accessibility of medical and health services for highland communities, we conducted a stakeholders’ meeting last week in partnership with the Ministry of Health, local parks, community members from the highlands, and other partners. In addition to the health camps in Merak, we have also partnered with the Bhutan Ecological Society, a local civil society organization in Bhutan, to supportthe local school in making classrooms warmer for students by insulating the rooms with wooden panels and electric heaters.






















![]() Tashi T. Dukpa
Director
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![]() Pema Gyamtsho
Senior Communications Officer
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OUR PARTNERS
- Bhutan Ecological Society
- Department of Forests and Park Services
- Department of Culture
- Royal Education Council
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
- Perkins International