The Padma Organization :: The Situation in Nepal

Nepal is a country steeped in natural resources and beauty. Millennia old Hindu and Buddhist traditions survive with very little change over the last 1,000 years. Despite the resources and depth of culture, Nepal has seldom known political or economic stability. In the past decade a Maoist and student backed uprising was able to topple a monarchy renowned for its corruption and dictatorial style. A good step, but now Nepal is rife with political parties vying, sometimes violently, for control. This chaos makes economical development and social stability impossible. As is always the case, this affects the poor and underprivileged most.

Who Padma Helps

The populations of families and children we aspire to help come from several backgrounds within Nepal. The first population is in part a result of the caste system in Nepal. Such groups as Migrant Sherpas from the high Himalayas, and Tibetan refugees escaping from Chinese oppression receive very limited job opportunities and little or no protection by the police and government. This makes them easy targets for robberies and other exploitation. For families in these groups, educating and feeding their children is a lofty and challenging goal.

Padma's third project supports a Tibetan refugee artist living in the Katmandu valley. Pasang Tsering escaped from Tibet with his family during the Chinese cultural revolution of the 1960’s. In the course of the Chinese occupation of Tibet over one million Tibetans have been killed, over 6,000 monasteries destroyed and countless Tibetans imprisoned unjustly. Pasang is one of the lucky Tibetans who escaped to Nepal. An artist by nature, he transforms the grief and sorrow of losing his homeland into exquisite and inspiring works of art. His primary materials are antique chubas from all corners of Tibet. A chuba is a traditional garment worn by Tibetan women. The color, quality, and varying patterns of chubas traditionally hand-woven from Tibetan yak-wool were the highest fashion in Tibet for centuries. Today, due to the devastated yak population and the abundance of cheap silk alternatives made in Chinese factories the centuries old tradition of chuba weaving in Tibet is fading with much of the rest of Tibetan culture. Pasang's works bring new vitality to this rich Tibetan history.