Hands Across The Himalayas 2.0

This week was a good one for fundraising! Thanks to the Urban family, David, Reily, Kate, Cal and Grandma Bea for their generous donation! If your reading this, I miss you Kate and Cal! Thanks to Julie Cathie and Doug Scott for their donations too. I have accumulated 1,500 hands which means I am about half way to my goal. With less than three weeks to go if you haven't donated yet, now is the time!

Upon reaching my goal it appears that I will be teaching at a middle school level. It will be nice to work with older students building on my k-5 experiences. 

This pic reminded me of Cal and Kate but Bhutanese sisters of course. Hope first grade is going well!

 
Also check out my profile on the BCF page!
http://teachinbhutan.blogspot.com/

But Wait Theres More! Introducing Hands 2.0!

Hands Across the Himalayas 2.0: Fall 2011

The place to improve the world is first in one’s own

heart, and head, and hands. Robert M. Pirsig

Dear friends                                                            

Being chosen to teach in Bhutan in 2012 is a dream come true for me. But I need a hand in reaching my goal. As many of you know I just earned my teaching credential certifying me to teach elementary school. I have recently been hired by The Bhutan Canada Foundation, a non profit agency based in Toronto and Thimphu Bhutan. The mission of the BCF is improving and spreading quality education in the secluded country of Bhutan. They are continuing on a tradition begun by a Canadian Jesuit priest and educator, Father William Mackey, who brought Western style education to the country in the 1960’s. Also known as The Land of the Thunder Dragon, Bhutan is a hidden kingdom nestled in the Eastern Himalayas between India and Tibet. The country only opened its door to tourists in the 1970’s, introduced television in 1999, and is now developing a new democracy under the tutelage of their youthful King. This fledgling democracy incorporates “Gross National Happiness” into its national philosophy. The country boasts amazing cultural and biological diversity with an elevation variation from 500 to 27,000 feet in an area the size of Switzerland.  Bhutan has an incredible array of animals including elephants, one horned rhinoceros, snow leopards, tigers, Himalayan black bears, the Golden Languor, and the rare and revered Black Necked Cranes. As well as abundant flora including rhododendron forests and the elusive Blue Poppy, Bhutan’s national flower. I will be one of twenty certified Canadian and American teachers heading into the field in 2012. We will be developing curriculum and teaching lessons in rural Bhutan. The need for teachers in Bhutan is real. The Ministry of Education estimates a shortage of 1,000 teachers in the country. The money you donate will go directly to my flight to Paro, Visa, travel insurance, and teaching supplies. My contract begins in January 2012 and I hope to work in Bhutan for two years.

I am asking for your kind financial support and also inviting you to drop by my blog so I can share my adventures with you. Please keep up to date with all the happenings as I prepare for the adventure of a lifetime! Even small donations are greatly appreciated as I will be sending this out to many people, so don’t feel obligated to contribute large amounts. If you can’t contribute money or “green energy” as I like to call it, than please follow me on my blog anyway! I know this economy is difficult but every hand makes a difference in making my dream a reality.

Thanks for lending a hand!

P.S. By lending me a hand I can help a child achieve a better life in this amazing and underprivileged kingdom. God Bless!

Hands Across the Himalayas: Donation Guide. $1 buys you one hand! My goal is 3,500 helping hands by December 15^th!

Here’s how to donate!

1.     By Mail. Please make checks payable to

    The Bhutan Canada Foundation, Attn Kristen Scott,

     720 Bathurst Street, Suite 411

Toronto, ON M5S2R4 (and include my ID #31203 on the check)

     2.  Online donations can be made at the BCF website at bhutancanada

           Foundation.org. Put my teacher ID # 31203 in the comments section.

Thanks everybody for checking out my blog. Please consider donating if you havent already. Happy Holidays!

Tim