Bhutan

Real lives

Safe motherhood now a national priority in Bhutan
Thimphu, Bhutan, 11 November 2004 – By 7 a.m., the basic health unit of the Thimphu General Hospital is overflowing with parents and children, who will wait two hours (until 9 a.m.) for the hospital to begin seeing patients. Medical staff in other countries would probably balk at the patient load, but here in Bhutan’s capital, Senior Doctor Obstetrics and Gynecology Duptho Wangmo and the obstetric unit welcome the influx.

Schoolgirls in Bhutan: Going to school, realizing their dreams
THIMPHU, Bhutan, 04 November, 2004 - It’s 7 a.m. in Thimphu, and the weekday rush has begun. At this hour it’s not vehicles that crowd the streets of the kingdom’s capital, but students. Scores of young children and teenagers - all in school uniforms - are heading to their classes in the city’s primary and secondary schools.

A determined young girl grows up to become a village’s success story
Girls have not traditionally been encouraged to go to school in the south Asian nation of Bhutan. So it takes tremendous determination to achieve what Deki, 22, has. She is the first woman in her village to have completed her education and has become a primary school teacher.

Disabled Children in Bhutan & access to basic education
Most disabled children in Bhutan are still looked after at home by their families, and do not attend school.

Motorcycles and the art of polio eradication
It isn't quite Robert Persig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." The motorbike journey that Jurgen Homann has undertaken is not about spiritual transformation but about campaigning to eradicate polio in the developing world.