The orphanage itself is located in a very remote part of the Qinghai province, southeast of Kumbum Monastery called Zadou (14,500 feet above sea level!).

Zaduo

Zaduo County is located in the southwest of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, Peoples Republic of China, previously Tibet. It comprises the headwaters of the Mekong River. There is 1 town and 7 townships. The population of Zaduo County is 36,000, of which the majority is Tibetan. Zaduo County is entirely based on animal husbandry. Zaduo County is reputed to have some of the best caterpillar fungus in the entire Tibetan Plateau region.

In this area of China there are a number of semi orphans and orphans who are living on the very fringes of society without as much as a meal to eat. Nor do they have enough clothing or shelter to protect them from the extremely cold weather of Tibet. Since they do not have any means to support themselves, these children cannot afford to go to school. To complicate the issue, there were no schools – leave aside good or bad ones – that could supply education and training which would provide them a source of employment and sustenance when they become adults. With deep compassion churning in his heart, a Buddhist Lama decided to do something to help the children. He recruited orphans from all over Tibet and Aug 01, 2005 opened the Orphanage with 20 - 25 kids who have lost either one or both parents.

This compassionate Lama purchased a tract of land on the Za Qu River and obtained all the necessary building permits, built roads and bridge infrastructures and began construction on the first phase of the Orphanage Complex. In August 01, 2005, the Orphanage was opened with the teachers and staff were hired and 20 orphans from all over Tibet (Kham, Amdo and Utsang) were admitted.  The planned facility for the Orphanage will be completed in several phases in years to come and is expected to eventually house and educate approximately 500 or more orphans in Zadou County. The School complex could supply education and training which would provide them a source of employment and sustenance when they become adults. It also intent to serve as center for adult educational up-grading and community educational programs. 

Economy/Fauna/Flora

Yushu is one of the main animal husbandry areas in Qinghai Province. 85% herding with approximately 900,000 head. The agricultural (animal husbandry) output of the prefecture is about one-forth of the total provincial output. The main livestock in Yushu are Tibetan sheep, goats, domestic yak and Yushu horses. Mineral resources include gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminum, molybdenum, lithium and others. There are six gold mining areas in the prefecture. Wildlife resources include musk deer, wild yak, blue sheep, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan antelope, snow leopard, brown bear, lynx, otter and numerous birds such as  black-necked crane, white eared pheasant, Tibetan snowcock, etc. In addition, many medicinal plants from the prefecture are recognized globally. Special medicinal plants include caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis), tumeric, Rhizoma anemarrhenae, fritillaria, sallow thorn, rhubarb, snow lotus, etc. There are nearly 800 kinds of medicinal plants in the prefecture. For more information visit Plateau Perspectives.

The land on the Tibetan High Plateau supports only minimal agriculture. Because of the altitude the growing season is very short. On this High altitude, barley is grown and some turnips. The mountains used to be covered with trees but are now mostly barren resulting in erosion, mudslides which further isolate the remote communities.

Education on the High Plateau
Here as in all areas, education is the only answer. Yet, it is a very slow and a long-term process. With little to support, the townspeople in terms of its economy, the hardship suffered by the people can be very well imagined. In addition, there are no significant developmental works in or around this area to create an economy for its people.

Education is limited and unemployment increasing.  Only 13% of the populations have even some Primary School education and 83% of the Tibetan men and 95% of the Tibetan women in the region are classified as illiterate or non literate. 

Educational percentages emphasized
83% of Tibetans in Zadou are non-literate
95% of women in the same area are non-literate
13% of children attend/finish elementary school

Occupations

Zadou County with an average altitude of just over 4000 meters consists of 8 townships and 31 villages with a total population of 34, 898 with 98% ethnic Tibetans.  There are 6899 households 85% of the population are nomads and earn their living from herding and harvesting medicinal fungus known as Yartsa Gunbu in Tibetan (in Chinese, chong cao, and in Latin, Cordyceps sinensis), and the remaining 15% are engaged in other livelihoods.  Farming practices are essentially non-existent. 

Nutrition

So happy with their new winter apparel!

The diets consist of tsampa, meat, white flour noodles with poor availability or usage of vegetables and fruits.  There are many people with eye pain and vision loss possibly due to vitamin deficiencies, chronic “snow blindness”, constant high UV light intensity, severe conjunctivitis and untreated eye trauma were also found.  Eye protection, eyeglasses or medical care is outside of the range of affordability for the majority. At the temporary medical clinic while giving medical treatment, we came across many people with liver, kidney, lung problem, ulcer, blood, bone & joint diseases, jaundice, tuberculosis, high blood  pressure, heart diseases and so on,  One can wonder about the effects of potential vitamin/mineral deficiencies on blood, bone and joint disease, general life expectancy and children’s growth rates. 

Water Sources

Other factor would be contaminated water sources as drinking water comes from Open River where bathing and washing clothes or laundry are done as well and also unskilled hygienic practices were identified as possible causes of many diseases prevalent there. The people of Zadou have high incidence of death due to cancer, gastric and intestinal problems as well as infant and adult mortality resulting from untreated infectious diseases. 

Health & Welfare Issues

Children are rarely vaccinated as cost is prohibitive.  Childbirth is accomplished with the attendance of untrained family members serving as midwife.  As a result, home birth/delivery complications are high and death is common.  Cigarette smoking is extremely common in the adult male sector, among boys as young as 8 or 10 years.  Smoking and second hand smoke likely accounts for significant rates of illness and death.  Active Tuberculosis is present in the community often spreading to entire families as there is little understanding of the disease and its’ infectiousness.  Once again, treatment or vaccination is not an affordable option for the majority of the Tibetan people as every medicine has to be paid from your own pocket. Motor bikes and vehicle accidents (especially of Yartsa Gunbu harvestors) are among the primary causes of death and chronic injury in this region and account for the frequent loss of fathers and/or parent’s support or functioning. See this accident report: Yushu Truck Overturned These accidents contribute to both high incidence of orphaned children and general loss of financial providers to families.  Worries seemed specifically related to issues of physical survival, poverty, lack of employment, education and opportunity.

Modernization

The impact of modernization and 21st century globalization will be accelerated.  The stress of change is very evident as residents try to keep the pace.  The rise of capital economy has increased the need for a monetary base as compared to older trade and barter economic systems.  Education is a necessity of business and commerce and older pragmatic herding and survival skills are not readily marketable without Chinese and/or English language skills. Settlement is becoming more of a way of life as are vehicles, financial demands, business competition, air land and water pollution. Limited health care, education and social services that are present are only available at ever rapidly inflating prices. Many of the nomadic families simply cannot find the funds to access such services. 

Social Stratification A social stratification is emerging of which the uneducated and nomadic groups are becoming the poorest of the poor.  Unemployment increases within these classes of nomadic people as herds are liquidated to pay debt and new employment cannot be found, especially without Chinese and/or English language skills.  Within the streets loitering is more common as is the potential for increase in the social ills associated with such hopeless and impoverished conditions, i.e. increased crime (organized and otherwise).  Pressure is placed on the extended families for financial and social support and frequently there is a compression of the generational lines where the old and feeble are being required to care for the young and weak.  Grandparents must assume more and more responsibility for rearing children whose parents are either unemployed, absent or deceased.  While the situation for most residents in Zadou County looks grim, the community demonstrates some remarkable resources that make projects like the Lama's timely and worthwhile.

Join us in helping these needy children in the 'Land of the Snow Lion'. Visit our Volunteer page, sponsor a child or donate money for renting trucks or buying gas. Anything you can do will help the children in a profound way. Thank you!

FYI - Tourism in Yushu Prefecture

Yushu

The total population of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is about 258,000 people. Besides Tibetans, other groups include the Han, Hui, Tu and Mongolian.

Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the southern portion of Qinghai Province. It  consists of six counties: Yushu, Chengduo, Nangqian, Zaduo, Zhiduo and Qumalai. The government seat is in Jiegu (Jyekundo), which is located in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham. Xining is the closest city to Jyekundo, but Xining is over 825km / 515 miles away Jyekundo sits in a valley at 3700m / 12,136 feet above sea level with 4000+ meter mountains all around. Jyekundo is a good place to go to see authentic Tibetan culture, with over 85% of the population being Tibetan  For more on Jyekundo visit Life On the Tibetan Plateau.

Yushu has its own unique character of natural and cultural landscapes. Yushu's folk songs and dances are extremely well known all over the Tibetan world, and the Old Road of the Tang and Tubo dynasties is known worldwide. The famous temple of Princess Wencheng and colorful Tibetan monasteries are often visited. Here's a great link for you, so you can plan your visit to Yushu. Visit Yushu

Check out the beautiful surroundings. Warithang is set right in the middle of the grasslands of roaming yaks and snow covered mountains. Lovely!

Our friend Losang from Tibetan Connections has this to say:

“There are many interesting things to see in Jyekundo. There are 3 large monasteries within 10km / 6 miles of town. The most famous is the hilltop monastery of Jyekundo Dondrubling. Jyekundo Dondrubling monastery is built on a mountain overlooking town. This Sakya sect monastery was built in 1398 and has over 500 monks. Trangu and Domkar monasteries are also close to town. The Gyanak (Jiana) Mani prayer stone temple is located just east of town. It is the largest collection of hand carved prayer stones in Tibet with more than 2 billion prayer stones piled up in a 1 square kilometer area. Pilgrims can be found walking around the site everyday. The famous Tibetan King Songsten Gampo and his wife Princess Wencheng of China passed through the Jyekundo area on their way to Lhasa in the 7th century. A temple was built in their honor. Tens of thousands of prayer flags can be seen flying in this area. The grasslands of Batang, 20km south of Jyekundo, are beautiful in the late spring and summer. A sky burial site is located near these grasslands.” Visit Tibetan Connections website for more information on Tibetan cities and culture.

Jyekundo is home to the annual Yushu Horse Festival which begins each year on July 25th. This horse festival is one of the largest in all of Tibet. The population of the town swells during this time. If you can only see one horse festival in Tibet, this is the one to see. Besides seeing horse races, the horse festival features a lot of dancing. The Tibetans from Yushu are considered to be some of the best dancers in all of Tibet. So come join us for adventure, fun and compassionate service in the 'Land of the Snows'! Hope to see you there soon!