By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 13: The exhibition ‘The Last Mile’ showcasing the life of Tsering Wangmo, a Tibetan frontline healthcare worker serving in the remote Changthang plains of Ladakh by photographer Thinley Choedon was unveiled on Monday at the Tibet Museum’s McLeod Ganj branch. The photographer won the Women’s Empowerment Desk grant award under the Department of Finance of Central Tibetan Administration. Choedon followed the Tibetan nurse Wangmo for 15 days as she visited nomadic settlements as part of the CTA health program in November.
“I heard about a female nurse who goes around villages in Changthang for healthcare purposes. For this project, I approached her and asked for permission to follow her on a trip,” Choedon told Phayul. The RFA journalist based in Ladakh said that her immediate attention went toward young mothers who would come for vaccinations for their offspring at the health camp. “There are nomadic as well as farming families in Changthang. Some have houses, but some don’t, so it is all the more important to have such facilities on the ground for the latter. Essential vaccines like polio are also made readily available for both Tibetan and Ladakhi people,” she said.
The photographer noted that Tsering Wangmo’s work is invaluable in a region like Ladakh, where weather conditions make it hard for these services to reach. “I do not have a favourite picture, but photos of young mothers with their children at these camps are close to my heart. I think this work could also speak to the change of the traditional lifestyle in these nomadic communities, and as part of the generation moving away from this space, I feel like this is worth capturing,” she further said, adding that Indian Express photographer Tashi Topgyal had mentored her during the whole process.
The photo exhibition is part of the 16-day campaign conducted by WED, an all-women group under the exile government to spread awareness about equality among genders. The photographs will be displayed from Monday to Wednesday at the old Tibet Museum near the Dalai Lama Temple.
