www.BhutanCanada.

org

Our Vision
A vibrant and thoughtful democracy for the people of Bhutan, supported by strong educational practices and effective social services.

Our Values

We support cooperation and partnership within the Foundation and with our external partners. We promote honesty and transparent dialogue. We are passionate about encouraging learning at all levels. We are devoted to fostering best practices across the organization. We are committed to our duciary responsibility and to our stakeholders both in Canada and in Bhutan.

Our Mission
The Bhutan Canada Foundation (BCF) works to further the development of Bhutan and its people through programs that impact its educational and social institutions. We achieve our goals through partnerships with the people of Bhutan, carrying on a long-standing tradition of Canadian and Bhutanese knowledge exchange, cooperation and goodwill.

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From the Chair

When I rst visited Bhutan in 1988 I could not have imagined that 25 years later I would have developed such an enduring tie to the country or to its people. Now, after many visits to Bhutan and four years since the founding of The Bhutan Canada Foundation, my connection to Bhutan is stronger than ever. Since 2009, The Bhutan Canada Foundation has played an important role in furthering ongoing cooperation and goodwill between Bhutan and Canada, primarily through our work in education. As an emerging democracy, Bhutans goals are to develop thoughtfully, reduce poverty and cultivate an educated populous who can meaningfully participate in both national and local affairs. To this end education is crucial; according to a 2004 Poverty Analysis Report, the attainment of at least a mid-secondary level of education is enough to raise a person out of poverty. By providing of teachers, supplies and scholarships BCF is helping the Royal Government of Bhutan to achieve these goals. With support from generous donors and committed global partners, we continue to increase the number of qualied English-speaking teachers on the ground in Bhutan. The impact these teachers have on their students and local Bhutanese teachers is undeniable; creative collaboration blossoms, cultural awareness evolves and English language skills improve. Each year our program continues to grow, reaching new communities across Bhutan. I was once told that Bhutan is a small kingdom that works its way into your heart. I hope you will open your heart to the kingdom and join The Bhutan Canada Foundation in our support of Bhutans efforts to build a sustainable and vibrant democracy. Tashi delek,

Sam Blyth

Volunteer Directors of the Board

Chair of the Board Sam Blyth Ian Aitken Kathy Allan Gerry Clarke Charles Finlay Alan Gill Lauren Hitchman Guy Pemberton Rosemary Phelan His Excellency, Lhatu Wangchuk Jamie Zeppa

Staff
Executive Director Nancy Strickland BHUTAN OFFICE Education Manager Meena Subba

Ofce & Liaison Manager Karma Tshering Transportation & Ofce Assistant Nima Dorji Chief of Hospitality Pushpa Chertrie

TORONTO OFFICE Managing Director, North America Kristen Scott Program Associate Jenna Therrien

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Our Programs
Educational Advisement
BCF provides advisory services to Bhutanese students pursuing studies at Canadian post-secondary institutions, as well as Bhutanese professionals attending study tours and conferences in Canada.

Resource Supply
BCF works with global partners and individual donors to send educational supplies and books to schools in rural Bhutan.

Teach in Bhutan
BCF works in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Bhutan to recruit highly qualied native-Englishspeaking teachers to work in public schools across the country, where they help to address a teacher shortage of nearly 1,000. BCF teachers have an incredible impact in the classroom where they encourage English language literacy and comprehension and bring problem solving, critical thinking, and innovation to the forefront of educational practice. www.teachinbhutan.org

School Development Projects

Outside the classroom, BCF teachers champion school development projects that support the unique needs of their school community. In 2012 school development projects included: initiating a waste management and recycling program, renovating a library, beautifying a school campus, producing a student newspaper, and creating a music program.

Bhutan Dental Mission

BCF partners with the Bhutan Dental Mission to provide dental health services to communities in eastern Bhutan through an annual dental camp. www.bhutandentalmission.org

Student Scholars
BCF works in partnership with Blyth Academy to provide full scholarships to high-achieving Bhutanese youth to complete secondary education in Canada.

Honorary Consul of Bhutan to Canada

As Honorary Consul, BCFs Founder & Chair, Sam Blyth, works to support continued cultural understanding and friendship between the two countries.

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Teach in Bhutan | Stories from the Field

FROM THE FIRST DAY, I began the routine of taking a walk after school. An athlete at home, I needed a way to keep my body moving and wind down after teaching. Since Rukubji is a small village surrounded by mountains and forest, there are beautiful paths to walk. Yet the best walks have been on the road with my students. Many students at my primary school walk for up to an hour to reach school each day. Walking them home has become a favorite activity. At rst, the students were a bit shy to talk and ask questions, but that quickly faded. They began torrential questioning, asking me about all the things I know and dont know. They began to open up, to talk about their lives, to share jokes, songs, and stories. I can hear the improvement in their English too, as they try to make me understand searching for words, asking for meanings. They now ask me, Where are you walking today, Miss?, eager that Ill say the name of their village. I have developed relationships with my students that would not be possible without these walks. I have learned who they are beyond the classroom, something that is far more difcult to do in an American school. Knowing who they are has helped me teach them. I can draw on my experiences with them and contextualize and connect what we are learning. One of my favorite walks began with teaching the words to Doe, a deer from The Sound of Music. By the time we had reached the road from the path out of Rukubji, I had the whole crew of Chazam-bound students chanting at the top of their voices. We sang the entire 3-kilometer walk, entering the village of Chazam as if we were the musical itself. These walks will forever be in my heart because of the students who made them so memorable. Iman, teacher at Rukubji Primary School, 2012

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Our Impact | Since 2010

B H U TA N

52 teachers sent to 35 communities

Dental Mission. In 2012, 6 dentists saw over 300 patients, completed 101 llings and extracted 249 teeth. They also offered oral hygiene instruction to hundreds of students.

directly impacted

7,800 students

1,200 patients treated through the annual

1 international symposium
on Educating for Sustainable Happiness held

sent to school libraries

2,000 books

4 scholarships

awarded to Bhutanese students to study in Canada

9 school development projects funded Projects funded in 2012 include: Creating a beautifying a school music school campus program
Developing a

renovating a school library

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waste management & recycling program

producing a student newspaper

How Your Gift Helps

goes directly to program development, implementation and support

$0.76 of every dollar

of every dollar goes to fundraising

$0.07 $0.17

of every dollar goes to operations and governance

The Bhutan Canada Foundation is funded through the generous support of individuals, foundations and organizations. Your donation will make an immediate impact in the lives of Bhutanese youth.

Donate online at www.BhutanCanada.org

720 Bathurst Street, Suite 411, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4 Phone: (416) 572 3767 Email: info@bhutancanada.org Post Box 201, Thimphu, Bhutan Phone: 975 2 32210 Charitable Organization Number: 817719891RR0001

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Donate online at www.BhutanCanada.org

www.BhutanCanada.org