Where
We Work
Qinghai Province (Amdo) is located in the western part of the
People’s Republic of China (P.R.China) on the Qinghai-Tibetan
Plateau at an average altitude of over 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).
The Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) borders Qinghai Province to
the west, Xinjiang Province to the northwest, Gansu Province to
the northeast, and Sichuan Province to the south. Historically,
Tibet was divided into the three cultural areas of Amdo, Kham
and U-Tsang. Today, Amdo is primarily located in Qinghai Province.
Summers in Qinghai are short and dry, while winters
are long and cold. The headwaters of the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong
Rivers are all located in Qinghai. According to one study conducted
by the World Food Programme, Qinghai is the second poorest province
in P.R.China.
Currently, Tibetan Healing Fund is working in villages
that are either nomadic and/or farming and herding communities in
Qinghai Province. Economic opportunities are limited to growing
crops such as spring wheat, highland barley and grapeseed and raising
livestock such as yak, sheep and goat. The per capita income in
many Tibetan villages in Shar-lung Township (ch:Dong Gou) is 1,000
RMB (approximately US$125). Most villages (like the one shown above)
do not have access to potable drinking water or enough water for
agricultural irrigation and dung is used to heat the house. The
illiteracy rate is estimated to be over 90%, including both Tibetan
and Chinese languages.
Approximately 20% of children under 5 are estimated
to be malnourished and/or suffer from a micronutrient deficiency.
Mothers typically give birth at home (estimates range from 85%-95%),
conditions are often unsanitary and if complications arise there
is little hope for the mother or child. This village is typical
of many rural Tibetan villages and clearly illustrates the importance
of Tibetan Healing Fund’s work.
Rebkong
County, Location of the Birth Center
Rebkong County is part of Malho Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture, Qinghai Province (Amdo). The county has 12 townships
and 75 villages. Among these, 3 townships and 17 villages are nomadic
areas. The total population is over 80,000 and the majority of the
population is Tibetan. Rebkong County is one of the major counties
and is located in the center of the prefecture; therefore it plays
a major role in education, health care and economics for the entire
prefecture. The Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of which it
is a part has four counties and total population is over 200,000
of which 75 percent of the people are ethnically Tibetan.
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