In the heart of the old Tibetan quarter in Lhasa, just a ten minute walk from the Jokhang temple, is the Dropenling Handicraft Center. The Tibetan word “Dropenling” means “giving back for the betterment of all sentient beings, ” and Dropenling has achieved its purpose by giving back to hundreds of Tibetan craftspeople all over the Tibet Autonomous Region. Because it sells crafts made only by Tibetans, Dropenling has been popular with tourists who want to purchase authentic Tibetan crafts such as textiles, painted wood boxes and trays, stone carving, leather bags, jewelry, carpets and dolls and toys. In 2007, Dropenling became a self-sustaining business whose profits are re-invested into further support of the Tibetan artisan community.
Although many products in Lhasa and internationally are marketed as Tibetan, most are actually manufactured outside the TAR by non-Tibetan peoples. Moreover, Chinese artisans and business people are settling within Tibet to produce and sell jewelry, statues, prayer wheels and other traditional Tibetan Buddhist items for which there is a steady local demand. Less familiar with enterprise development and marketing, Tibetan artisans are facing difficulty earning income from their crafts skills. The Dropenling store is the brainchild of the Tibet Artisan Initiative (TAI), a p a project of the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund (TPAF), a U.S.-based 501(c) 3 non-profit NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) founded in 1997. In addition to providing a steady market to Tibetan artisans through the Dropenling store, TAI has developed a number of programs that address problems and issues faced by the artisans today.
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