Hope 108
Helping Optimise Pupils' Education
On the way to morning assembly, after school breakfast - Gangtey
About Bhutan
Located between
the two giants of India and China lies the captivating landlocked Kingdom of Bhutan.
Known locally as Druk Yul - land of the thunder dragon - Bhutan is a similar size to Switzerland, with a population of around 750,000.
What Bhutan lacks in size is more than made up for by its unique characteristics - for example, instead of GDP, wealth is measured by GNH (Gross National Happiness), which includes conserving the Buddhist culture and preserving the environment.
The current national tagline for Bhutan - Believe - is about believing in the future of Bhutan; the values, differences and potential
From the snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the north, complete with tigers and snow leopards, to tropical jungle in the south, with tigers and elephants, more than 70% of Bhutan is under forest.
It even has the tallest unconquered mountain in the world - Gangkhar Puensum (7,570m) - which is considered too sacred to be climbed.
And with such pristine, clean air, it's no wonder Bhutan is the first country in the world to be carbon negative!
Since 2008 Bhutan has been a democratic constitutional monarchy, with the much-loved King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk as head of state.
The country is divided into 20 districts comprising 19 languages and dialects.
The national language is Dzongkha and classes at school are taught in English.
Both education and healthcare are free in Bhutan.
Bhutan graduated from the least developed country (LDC) category on 13th December 2023.
Bhutan was one of the last countries in the world to have television and internet (1999) and, to this day, does not have any traffic lights - a white-gloved police officer is the only concession to directing traffic in the capital, Thimphu.
If you're a fan of spicy food, you'll love the national dish of ema datsi - chilli cheese. This is an integral part of a meal - not just a seasoning, more of a main event - and delicious served with red rice!
How did it start?
Dee and Martin
first travelled to the Kingdom of Bhutan in November 2016.
On their first trip, they visited a remote primary school and learned some of the difficulties the poorer pupils have in accessing the free education system.
They soon realised that it would be relatively easy to help underprivileged children who were eager to learn, thus optimising their potential.
After initial stand-alone projects to assist some remote schools, and with the help of some dedicated teachers in Bhutan, Hope 108 came into existence.
Hope -
Helping Optimise Pupils' Education, which means to literally give hope to underprivileged children who are full of potential.
108 - This is an auspicious number in Buddhism and has been set as the target for the number of children we aim to assist.
Why get involved?
Hope 108
is an initiative to allow you to assist bright rural children in remote parts of Bhutan. Hope 108 enables disadvantaged children to attend school and reach their full potential by removing financial barriers to education.
Although education is highly valued and free in Bhutan, barriers can include:
- restricted family finances, particularly with single-parent families, making it difficult to buy full school uniform, shoes, sports kit and so on
- children having to walk up to two hours each way to their school, without suitable footwear or school bag
- risk of children having to stay at home to look after younger siblings or help farm the land.
By becoming a Hope 108 sponsor, you can directly optimise a child's education and give them hope for the future.
Some of the benefits include:
- an increase in the sponsored child's confidence by feeling valued
- sponsorship money is exclusively spent on the sponsored child
- required items are purchased locally, contributing to the local economy
- sponsoring a child gives financial relief to the family
- all sponsorship money is securely held by the school principal
- no fees or administration costs are taken
- feedback from existing sponsors highlights how motivational it is to be able to make a direct, positive contribution to a child's future
- sponsors receive regular updates on the child's progress and achievements.
For full details of how you can become part of the Hope 108 initiative, click the Learn more button below.