How to communicate effectively has not been easy for everyone, especially development professionals. With an aim to help project staff in the field, ICIMOD held a 4-day workshop titled “Knowledge Sharing in Asia,” with support by IFAD and FAO from April 3-6, 2011 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The Pendeba Society’s Tsering Norbu and LIU Rongkun were glad to be invited to attend this workshop where other 30 participants across 10 counties in Hindu Kush-Himalayan region also partook to hone their English writing skills and facilitate knowledge sharing between and among various intended audiences and stakeholders.
Bathed under spring breezes in Kathmandu valley, our participants got together and shared the challenges that they faced from their past writing experiences. This workshop provided participants with basic skills and tools required to ensure that knowledge, development experience, and lessons learned from them were adequately captured and shared through proper writing. Divided into small groups, participants took a closer look at and investigated various writing types such as newsletters, web contents, case studies, reports, and policy briefs.
On March 18, 2011, led by Mr. Tsering Norbu, 12 of outstanding trainees from the Pendeba Society’s hospitality and eco-tourism English trainings officially set off for a 10-day study tour to Lhasa and Shannan, where they were exposed to various aspects of Tibetan culture and was able to practice their learnt knowledge during the tour. This tour is expected to bring the participants with inspiring perspectives towards their future and their roles in sustainable rural development in their respective communities, which is also what the Pendeba Society has been striving for: cultivating more Pendebas, i.e., volunteer community-service workers, to enhance the community’s capacity to participate in nature reserve management, and promote sustainable development within these communities.
On the evening of March 16, 2011, the Pendeba Society hosted a farewell dinner for the participants of the Ecotourism English Training and hospitality trainings. In addition to the Pendeba Society staff, the dinner was also attended by several officials and other concerned people from local government departments and QNNP Management Bureau, including Deputy Party Secretary of Tingri County, Mr. Lu Peihua, Director of Tingri County Party Commission, Mr. Qian, Deputy Director of Tingri Tourism Bureau, Mr. Suolang, and Deputy QNNP Management Bureau Tingri Branch, Mr. Ci’Ou.
Mr. Tsering Norbu first on behalf of the Pendeba Society expressed his appreciation of the trainee’s active involvement in this three-month training. He was also thankful for the support from the local government that helped much allow this training program to happen. In the meantime, Mr. Lu and Mr. Qian both acknowledged the importance of carrying out such training programs in Tingri County, which could considerably improve vocational skills for local Tibetans and enable them to better make advantage of the tourism resources in QNNP. Our trainees also showed their gratitude of being part of this training program. A participant said: “Before this training, I knew very little about English and barely wrote any English words. But now I can communicate in basic conversational English. This will be of great help for his future life.”
On February 15, 2011, the Pendeba Society launched its third hospitality training. 12 participants from Tingri County were invited to the training program, among whom 8 are local Tibetan women.We are glad to have Mr. Badun once again to be our trainer to deliver this training program. Mr. Badun is currently the Chief Chef of the Mt. Everest Hotel in Tingri County and he is specialized in both Tibetan and Chinese cuisines, as well as Western foods.
Through this 10-day hospitality training with the guidance of Mr. Badun, our trainees will have chances to learn various aspects of cooking including basic knife skills as well as how to prepare different styles of foods. Additionally, the trainees will also gain other knowledge in the field of hospitality manners.
On January 24, 2011, the Pendeba Society launched its second hospitality training for another cohort of 14 local villagers from across Tingri County, among whom 12 are female participants.
Mr. Badun, who possesses an almost 20-year culinary career within China and is now the Chief Chef of Mt. Everest Hotel in Tingri County, is invited to be our trainer of this training program. He is a seasoned cook who specializes in both Tibetan and Chinese cuisines, as well as Western bakeries.
During this 10-day training program, with the help of Chef Badun, our trainees will be extensively exposed to various dimensions of cookery from basics of knife skills and knowledge of raw materials to preparing delicious dishes in practice. In addition to cooking skills, our trainees will also have chances to learn other aspects of hospitality industry. This will include knowledge and tips on hotel management and hospitality service manners.
With an aim to better introduce local environment and other sustainability issues to our trainees of the three-month Nature Guide Ecotourism English Training program, the Pendeba Society took a local study tour to the heartland of Mt. Everest region in Gangga Town on January 20, 2011. 25 participants went on this one-day tour, among whom 10 were women.
Before the study tour began, Mr. Tsering Norbu, Executive Director of the Pendeba Society, gave a vivid introduction of local geographical settings and environmental conservation to all the trainees in the exhibition hall of the Pendeba Society Training Center. By observing topographical sand modes, the trainees gained a visual idea and due knowledge of what their living surroundings were and became familiarized with the visiting site of the next day’s study tour.
After three hours’ driving, we stopped at the Snow Leopard Guest House where our trainees were introduced with some general hospitality manners. The manager of the guest house first led us to a meeting room to give a brief introduction of their guest house and then further developed some knowledge that a good attendant working in a guest house was supposed to have. Then we were guided to a standard double room where the manager introduced to our trainees some basic work and skills in room service.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/18/2010 - 04:26
On December 16, the QNNP Pendeba Society launched its Ecotourism English Training Program for local villagers in the QNNP. The opening ceremony for this three-month intensive English training program was attended by Mr. Tsering Zhandui, Deputy Governor of Tingri County, Mr. Gama, Director of Tingri County Tourism Bureau, Mr. Badun, Director of Tingri County Labor Bureau.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/11/2010 - 00:56
[img_assist|nid=76|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=400|height=372]From November 19th to 29th 2010, the QNNP Pendeba Society organized a study tour for both local government officials and villagers to the Shangri-La area in Yunnan Province and other parts of inland China. This ten-day study tour aimed to expose concerned participants to and learn locally-based knowledge and best practices of ecological tourism development and management, and how to raise local income by way of participating and experiencing in eco-tourism activities. Led by the director of the Pendeba Society, Tesring Norbu, the tour was grouped by a total of nine participants from Tingri County Government and local village representatives who will be joining the upcoming Nature Guide Training Program in December.
During the tour, the participants had very productive and informative conversations with government officials from Shanri-La County and County Tourism Bureau as well as local villagers who have been actively involved in eco-tourism development and management activities. Escorted and guided by local government officials and villagers, the group had the chance to visit a number of different places and project sites that portray a vivid sustainable tourism picture in the region.
How to communicate effectively has not been easy for everyone, especially development professionals. With an aim to help project staff in the field, ICIMOD held a 4-day workshop titled “Knowledge Sharing in Asia,” with support by IFAD and FAO from April 3-6, 2011 in Kathmandu, Nepal. 
On March 18, 2011, led by Mr. Tsering Norbu, 12 of outstanding trainees from the Pendeba Society’s hospitality and eco-tourism English trainings officially set off for a 10-day study tour to Lhasa and Shannan, where they were exposed to various aspects of Tibetan culture and was able to practice their learnt knowledge during the tour. This tour is expected to bring the participants with inspiring perspectives towards their future and their roles in sustainable rural development in their respective communities, which is also what the Pendeba Society has been striving for: cultivating more Pendebas, i.e., volunteer community-service workers, to enhance the community’s capacity to participate in nature reserve management, and promote sustainable development within these communities.
On December 16, the QNNP Pendeba Society launched its Ecotourism English Training Program for local villagers in the QNNP. The opening ceremony for this three-month intensive English training program was attended by Mr. Tsering Zhandui, Deputy Governor of Tingri County, Mr. Gama, Director of Tingri County Tourism Bureau, Mr. Badun, Director of Tingri County Labor Bureau.