The Bhutanese Children’s Forum

One of my previous blogs was about a European-based charity called PhotoVoice that has been active in the Bhutanese refugee camps for many years. While reading through the website that PhotoVoice created to educate the public about the Bhutanese refugee situation, I stumbled upon a unique and promising project. The Bhutanese Children’s Forum was established in the refugee camps in 1996 by the organization, Save the Children to serve as a child rights program. In 1998, PhotoVoice began funding activities for the Forum in the camps, and all of the activities were and are still geared towards the arts. Some of the more recent projects and activities funded by PhotoVoice in the refugee camps are as follows: creation of a monthly newspaper, art courses, writing and journalism workshops, and a photography vocational training. All of the work produced by the children in the camps through these activities has been used by PhotoVoice to increase awareness all over the world about the Bhutanese refugees and the conflict that has caused the forced exile of over one hundred thousand individuals from Bhutan.

PhotoVoice has been involved with Children’s Forum for over ten years and their goals for funded activities are as follows:
• “To maximize the potential of young Bhutanese refugees to enhance their own lives and livelihoods.”
• “To assist in the effort to repatriate the Bhutanese refugees with dignity and honor.”
The creation of these goals marks the beginning of invaluable opportunities for development and growth among the population of Bhutanese children in the refugee camps, and the hope is that one day the children will be able to use the newly acquired skills and interests in the world outside of the refugee camps. The following statement was made by a young person who participated in activities organized by PhotoVoice through the forum, and her words are a testament to the life-altering experiences that she has because of the relationship between the forum and PhotoVoice:

‘I use my pictures to show Bhutanese people are kind, loyal and speak the truth. It is the only medium through which I can focus all my feelings about living a refugee life. Through this project I have come to understand the real objectives of taking photos. They can create awareness and co-operation amongst the refugee community and also with communities in other countries about our way of living and what it means to be a refugee.’

The Bhutanese Children’s Forum is now entirely funded by PhotoVoice and the UNHCR.

Please visit the following link to view a slideshow of Bhutanese children involved with the Children’s Forum and the work that has been produced through the various activities.

http://www.bhutaneserefugees.com/index1.php?id=13