Why a Tibetan nomad should learn to 'play' computer...
June 20, 2011 by Bert Verbeeke
On an elevation of 12,000 feet (3675 meters) there are few resources for financial income available. The Zeku grasslands provide just enough for yaks and sheep to live on. Husbandry is the main occupation for the indigenous Tibetan nomads. But what if you are a young nomad that studied at a university and would like to use your skills in a job other that looking after yak and sheep?
Green Resource Development
Global Nomad is developing a new resource for nomads on the Qinghai Tibetan plateau. We use information technology. One can wonder if that is really useful. Would local people really benefit from it and does it not change local behavior? I also discovered that some people think it's better to leave those least developed cultures on themselves; paddling along as they have always done.
But if I would apply that for the nomads of Zeku nowadays, it would mean they have no proper access to medical care, they would only eat very basic foods and the majority would not be able to write or read. They would not be able to communicate by telephone and would ride a horse rather than a motorbike. Tibetans in general are, as we all do, very thankful for modern technology.
From horse to car
It is plain that cultures will change - no matter what. It is also plain that people of primitive cultures really enjoy the gadgets innovated in the west. They like mobile phones, motorbikes and television. Twenty years ago people here in Zeku primarily rode their horses as main means of transportation. After that they had a season where they used bicycles but now 99% of the nomads has a motorbike. And the movement is going on: more and more nomadic people start driving their own cars.
Young nomads all know how to use mobile phones and when they have been to school they can use computers. And they like it too! It is for that target group that Global Nomad operates on the roof of the world. Tibetan nomads have developed lots of websites for different kind of businesses and organizations from all over the world. And our workers are proud to do so!
Win – Win
When you use Global Nomad as a outsource partner or business to develop your complete website, you are sure your money is benefiting local communities as well! Want to try? Please contact us for a quote!
