It inspires people that achieve amazing results and reach new heights. Inspiration is contagious, and once enough people in our communities are infected, they continue to inspire each other to achieve even better results.
Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program is a repurposed Drukair educational outreach initiative of the erstwhile ‘Tongsa Penlop Rolling Trophy Annual golf tournament. It aims to provide enriching experiences for the less privileged students and teachers identified from remote schools across Bhutan and to inspire them through sponsored excursion to a select Drukair destination during their school holidays.
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“ An opportunity to travel abroad and to get to see the world differently will inspire less privileged students for life. This simple yet powerful belief is what drives the Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program. ” – Yab Dasho Dhondup Gyaltshen, Founder |
How can you help? Simply by agreeing to donate an amount, you can make a lasting difference in the lives of the less privileged students and teachers from remote schools across Bhutan. And for every dollar donated, Drukair will match it on a dollar-for-dollar basis. |
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How to make a donation? You can get in touch with your intention to donate with the Program Secretary and you will be guided through the process of making a donation into the account of Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program. Drukair will also provide you with written confirmation detailing the amount you have donated. |
For further details please contact the Program Secretary
Phone: +975 77454495
Email: tpip@drukair.com.bt
Forty-four students from less privileged families, including four special needs students, recently visited Bangkok, Thailand, through the ‘Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program’ powered by DrukairDrukair’s 4 pm flight KB 152 to Bangkok on December 22, 2018, had onboard a group of special passengers. And most of them were stepping onto a plane for the first time in their lives.
Dressed in orange jackets, white polo T-shirts and black tracksuits, 44 students, including four special needs students, were bound for Bangkok, Thailand. This was their maiden flight as well as their first visit to a foreign destination.
There was muffled nervousness as the students boarded the aircraft, walked through the aisle to their respective seats, tossed their hand luggage in the overhead bin and sat down and buckled the seat belts. Patiently waiting for the plane to take off into the skies, the students were quiet in personal thoughts.
These 44 students from less privileged families, along with four teachers, were making their first trip abroad as part of Drukair’s educational outreach programme under the banner of ‘Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program’.
The first batch comprised 20 girls and 20 boys from 20 dzongkhags with two escort teachers. In addition, four special needs students (two boys and two girls) along with a male and a female teacher were also selected from Wangsel Institute of Drukgyal Central School in Paro. The Gyalpoi Zimpon’s Office selected the participants and also sent Gyalpoi Zimpon Wom Chitem Tenzin as a facilitator and guide.
A part of Drukair’s Corporate Social Responsibility, the ‘Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program’ aims to provide enriching experiences to less privileged students and teachers identified from schools across Bhutan. This programme includes a fully sponsored excursion to a selected Drukair destination, offering the students and the teachers the opportunity to learn about new places and cultures.
Drukair believes that such exposure would inspire the students to strive and reach for new heights through academic and personal excellence.
This program will be an annual affair.
GETTING STUDENTS READY
Even before the students boarded the plane to Bangkok, they were thoroughly briefed and oriented. The beneficiary students arrived in Thimphu on December 20. They were put up at the Youth Hostel. The orientation programme included a grooming session by Drukair cabin attendants and detailed briefing on the tour itinerary.
Drukair also hosted a dinner for the students at Le Meridian, Thimphu, to provide them an opportunity to experience five-star luxury dining.
Hon’ble Yab Dhondup Gyaltshen graced the dinner. The senior management of Drukair and the Board of Directors also attended the dinner. Merchandise and gifts, which formed a part of their travelling kit, were distributed to the students at the dinner.
A GLIMPSE OF DRUKAIR PREMISES
On the third day, the students were given a tour to Drukair’s inflight catering premises followed by a tour to the engineering and aircraft maintenance area to provide exposure on the background services of the airline.
The students also visited the Royal Bhutan Helicopter Service premises followed by a quick visit to the flight operations office.
The students were also given a dry run of the departure procedures in order to allow them to check in by themselves and to experience the entire airport facilities.
OFF TO BANGKOK
The students took the 4 pm flight to Bangkok on December 22. Their initial edginess gave way to excitement as the aircraft flew over the mountains, offering an aerial view of Paro’s diminishing landscape and entered the cruising altitude. In Bangkok, the students stayed at the Grand Mercure Bangkok Fortune, a four-star hotel, pampering them with high-end luxury experience of a metropolitan hotel right in the heart of Bangkok city.
For the Bhutanese students who have lived in the mountains their entire lives, the attraction of the sea was a little too much to resist. On the following day, they packed their swimsuits and trunks and took a two-hour drive to the popular Pattaya Beach to experience the sea. The students made the best of their time by the beach.
“It was such an overwhelming experience to see the vast body of water and to swim in it. We have studied about seas and oceans but never seen one. To be there physically was simply wonderful,” one of them said.
On their way back, they visited the famous Khao Keow Open Zoo along with a treat of local Thai cuisine.
A little departure from the fun and frolic, on the fifth day of the tour, the students visited Dhammajairine Wittaya School in Ratchaburi Province, Bangkok. The school had organised a complete set of events for the day with cultural dances performed by both Bhutanese and Thai students, video presentation of the school, kindergarten activities and vocational training programmes, among others.
This educational tour enabled the exchange of cultures between the students of the two friendly Kingdoms. The school also hosted a lunch for the visiting students.
A teacher accompanying the students said that the educational tour to the Thai school was indeed an eye- opening experience for all of them. “The visit was a great learning experience. We learnt about the Thai education system, their schools and unique culture, among many others,” she said. “We came back so much richer in both knowledge and experience.”
In the afternoon, the students watched a 3D movie at the SFX cinema. The Royal Bhutan Embassy in Thailand assisted by the students of Trongsa Penlop Scholarship hosted a dinner for the group that night.
The visit to Dream World Play Arena in Bangkok on the following day was one of the most looked forward events on the itinerary. And why not? Dream World is one of the most popular theme parks in Bangkok with plenty of fun-filled attractions and entertainment for children. No wonder, the students spent the entire day there until they were totally exhausted.
The students visited the ‘Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World’, the famous marine zoo in Bangkok, on the final day. The students were stunned to see some of the rare animals found at sea.
Well, a trip to Bangkok is incomplete without a shopping expedition. The students visited one of the best shopping malls in Bangkok before retiring for the night.
“I had never even dreamt of flying on a plane, let alone travelling to a big city like Bangkok and staying in beautiful, luxurious hotels. I am grateful for this opportunity,” said a girl student. “I will remember this trip for a long time!”
“This trip has inspired all of us to work harder. It has shown us the limitless boundary of opportunities in life,” said a male student.
BACK HOME
On December 27, 2018, the students checked in on their own, going through the entire airport facilities in Bangkok’s busy airport and flew back home. The flight landed in Paro at around 8 am. The students were escorted to the Youth Hostel in Thimphu.
Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen and Hon’ble Yab Dhondup Gyaltshen granted an audience to the students that evening.
Her Majesty expressed her deep appreciation to Drukair for initiating this programme. The students received mementos granted by His Majesty The King.
Most of the students left for their homes on the following day except for 13 students from the eastern dzongkhags, whose flight to Yonphula was scheduled on December 30. To keep them engaged, a day tour, which included hike to Cheri Lhakhang, a sightseeing tour to Buddha Dordenma and a visit to a local bookstore, was organised. Later in the evening, they were treated to a Bhutanese movie.
They boarded the domestic flight to Yonphula the next day.
Kinley Tshering
He is the Editor of Drukair In-flight magazine (Tashi Delek) and Creative Director of Zoom Out Productions (Publisher).
Keeping with the tradition, the second edition of Trongsa Penlop Inspire Program powered by Drukair sponsored forty-four less privileged students from across the country on a six-day education tour to Thailand.
By Kinley Tshering
At the reception dinner for beneficiaries of the second edition of Trongsa Penlop Inspire Program at the posh Le Meridien in the capital Thimphu, forty-four students (22 girls and 22 boys) from across the country, including four differently abled students, sat huddled around tables primed with shiny cutlery – a little timid, a little nervous, and certainly excited.
This was their first dinning experience at a five-star luxury hotel. And their ostensibly mixed emotional reaction was a bit too obvious. And why not? Many of them were visiting Thimphu for the first time, leaving behind their rural homes and families, let alone a five star hotel.
The reception dinner organized for the students on 22nd December was a culmination of the three-day grooming, orientation and culture and sightseeing program in Thimphu that started on 20th December 2019. Drukair’s staff organized the sessions, conscientiously providing care to every individual student, making sure that each one of them was absolutely ready to travel and the see the world.
The students would fly to Bangkok, Thailand, for a six-day educational tour the following day. Sumchu Dema, a 19-year-old student from Zangthi in Samdrup Jongkhar, took her maiden domestic flight to attend this program. Students from the eastern, central and southern dzongkhags, closer to the domestic airports, were brought to Paro in domestic flights and transported to Thimphu while others were picked up in buses from around the country.
“It was both intimidating and exciting to fly in an airplane for the first time. My parents, who have never been on an airplane, were also both happy and worried as well,” says Sumchu Dema. “I am very curious and excited to go to Bangkok to learn and experience new things, new places and cultures.”
Drukair Corporation initiated the Trongsa Penlop Inspire Program as part of its corporate social responsibility in 2018, replacing the erstwhile Trongsa Penlop Rolling Trophy – an annual golf tournament organized by Drukair. The program, the brainchild of Honorable Yab Dondup Gyaltshen, was started with the vision to provide an opportunity to the less privileged students to travel abroad and see the world differently. Through this program, Drukair hopes to reciprocate more meaningfully the goodwill of the community towards the development of Drukair as an airline and as the national flag carrier of Bhutan.
The Gyalpoi Zimpon’s Kidu Office and the Ministry of Education selected the students – one female and one male student from each dzongkhag and four from Wangsel Institute in Drukgyel, Paro. The students were selected based on their academic performance and economic backgrounds.
Drukair provided the students with travel bags, tracksuits, shoes, ghos and kiras, including US$400 for them to do shopping in Bangkok.
“It is more than befitting for us
to give back to the community through what we do best, travel.”
– Tandi Wangchuk, CEO, Drukair
Tshering Choden, a class nine student of Wangsel Institute, was among the 44 students who left for Bangkok, along with four teachers and three Drukair staff on 23rd December 2019. Tshering is a hearing impaired student and this was her first time visiting a foreign country. “Although I am physically challenged, I am happy to get this opportunity just as other students. I am looking forward to learning a lot from this exposure trip,” she says.
In Thailand, the students took part in cultural program and interactive session at Dhammajairine Wittaya School. The students visited the Khao Keow Open Zoo, aquatic life areas, and entertainment centers, Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World at Siam Paragon and the Royal Bhutan Embassy. The students also visited shopping malls in Bangkok on the final day.
It was an eye opening experience, describes a beneficiary student. “I was awed by the people, traffic, and huge, tall buildings. I was like the proverbial frog from a small pond,” she laughs, “I really felt that there is so much more to learn and explore. I am motivated to study harder so that one day I can take my parents abroad.”
Jamyang Dorji, 19-year-old student from Dechentshemo Central School in Thinleygang, says that the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he was fortunate to have received the opportunity to travel abroad, interact with Thai students and gain new experiences. “Especially for a student like me from a poor family, this opportunity has meant a lot. In the six days we were in Thailand, I felt as if I have seen the entire world,” he says. “I am more determined now to work harder to fulfill my dreams and serve my country.”
The students returned on 28th December back to Bhutan. More confident and determined. All of them were safely returned to their respective homes, just as they were brought to Thimphu.
“This is one of the closest programs to Drukair and we have been deeply touched by the profound impacts of the program. And we would want to continue this,” says Drukair’s CEO, Tandi Wangchuk.
Kinley Tshering
He is the Editor of Drukair In-flight magazine (Tashi Delek) and Creative Director of Zoom Out Productions (Publisher).
Dressed in matching orange T-shirts and black tracksuits, the students stood in neat rows at Paro International Airport, their boarding passes clutched like passports to a new life.
For most of them, airports were places seen only in television and on social media clips shared by friends living in towns.
But on that winter morning, the airport was real – its check-in counters, the rolling suitcases, the roar of engines somewhere beyond the runway.
They were 47 students (23 boys and 24 girls) drawn from 20 dzongkhags across Bhutan.
Among them were three students with special needs, and alongside them seven teachers who looked equal parts proud and anxious, like parents on a first day of school.
Many students came from remote schools where the road ends in mud and the day begins with long walks across fields, suspension bridges, or mountain tracks.
They were selected because they were academically strong, from disadvantaged backgrounds, and had never travelled abroad before.
The journey was part of the Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program (TPIP), an educational outreach initiative run by Drukair.
Conceived by its founder, Yab Dasho Dhondup Gyaltshen, the program was designed with an idea so simple it feels radical: that inspiration, when offered at the right moment, can permanently reshape a young person’s horizon.
“An opportunity to travel abroad and to see the world differently will inspire less privileged students for life,” Yab Dasho Dhondup Gyaltshen said.
TPIP had already been held successfully in 2018 and 2019.
Its third edition, launched in December 2025, brought together students and teachers for a carefully designed itinerary that mixed cultural grounding at home with international exposure abroad.
The program began even before the students boarded an international flight.
The first group arrived in Paro on December 18, with others joining the next day.
They were hosted at Druk Gyalpo’s Institute, an environment that itself felt like a different universe to students from small village schools.
There, they went through orientation sessions that included grooming and confidence-building sessions, travel etiquette briefings, and an introduction to how airports and airlines work.
On December 20, the students visited Dungkar Dzong for cultural reflection, a grounding moment that reminded them who they were even as their environment expanded.
On December 21, they traveled to Thimphu, visiting Buddha Point, the Takin Preserve, and Changyul Park.
That evening, Drukair hosted a warm reception dinner that became, for many students, one of the most unforgettable moments of the entire journey.
Each student was presented with a full set of travel merchandise, thoughtfully put together to ensure they lacked nothing on the trip.
The package was comprehensive: gho with lagey and kira with tego and wonju; formal shoes and sneakers; tracksuits; a thermal jacket; and a complete toiletry kit.
The students also received their passports, ID card, baggage tag, and water bottles.
On December 22, they visited Paro International Airport, not as travelers yet, but as learners.
For one student, the first shock came even earlier, from a domestic flight.
Dawa Tshomo, a student of Tshekharla Central School, flew for the first time from Yonphula Domestic Airport.
“When the aeroplane took off, I felt scared at first,” she recalled.
“But when I looked down and saw the mountains growing smaller, I realised how fortunate I was to get this opportunity.”
It is hard to overstate what that view means to a child raised in the mountains.
Another student, Jamyang Yoezer, captured the emotional weight of the experience in a single sentence.
“I never even dreamt of flying on Drukair, let alone staying in a big city like Bangkok,” he said.
When the group arrived in Thailand later that evening, Bangkok did what big cities always do. It overwhelmed.
Cars moved like rivers. Shopping malls looked like airports. Buildings rose into the sky as if they had no reason to stop.
At the centre of it all was their hotel – Grand Four Wings, a five-star property where the students stayed for five nights.
For Pema Samdrup, a Royal Academy student, the hotel experience was not simply about comfort. It was about access.
“I had never been inside a five-star hotel before,” he said.
“That night made me realise that such places are not only for rich people.”
On December 23, the students travelled to Dhammajairine Wittaya School in Ratchaburi Province.
There, they interacted with Thai students – sharing stories, observing classrooms, and discovering that education can look different while still serving the same purpose.
For Dawa Choden of Samtengang Higher Secondary School, the experience was deeply personal.
“We learnt about a different education system and saw how students are prepared for practical skills alongside academics,” she said.
A teacher escorting the students from eastern Bhutan noticed a particular spark in them as they encountered technology abroad.
On December 24, the students visited Khao Kheow Zoo and then Pattaya Beach.
For children raised among mountains, the sea feels like a myth made physical.
“We have read about oceans in our textbooks, but seeing the oceans with our own eyes was unbelievable,” said Karma Yuden.
Dream World amusement park on December 25 gave the students their first taste of a theme park: rides, lights, laughter and joy.
Ocean World on December 26 extended that wonder into marine ecosystems, sparking curiosity and awareness.
The day also included a lunch hosted by the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Thailand.
On December 27, the participants returned to Bhutan. But they did not return the same.
“They didn’t just return with photos. They returned with confidence, curiosity, and dreams that are now much bigger than before,” observed an escort teacher.
In Bhutan, conversations about inequality often focus on infrastructure – roads, internet, schools, facilities.
But there is another inequality, harder to measure: the inequality of exposure.
Some children grow up seeing airports, meeting professionals, hearing about universities abroad, imagining careers beyond their districts.
TPIP addresses that gap directly. It tells underprivileged students that their starting point does not have to define their destination.
Drukair sees TPIP as aligned with its broader CSR goals – youth empowerment, inclusive development, and nation-building beyond commercial aviation.
At the farewell event, the students were recognized with certifications.
But the most valuable souvenir was invisible.
It was the moment Dawa Tshomo looked down and saw the mountains grow smaller.
It was the moment Karma Yuden saw the sea and realised textbooks were only the beginning.
It was the moment Pema Samdrup walked into a luxury hotel and understood that ambition is not reserved for the wealthy.
For 47 students who once thought the world ended at the edge of their valley, TPIP offered a rare and powerful message:
“The world is wide, and they, too, have a place in it.”
Drukair invites you to partner with us for Tongsa Penlop Inspire Program, creating meaningful, long-term educational opportunities that make positive impacts in the lives of many.
To amplify your support, Drukair will match every contribution, dollar for dollar, effectively doubling the impact of your generosity.
Your vital role as a sponsor will be highlighted through a professionally documented journey, produced in partnership with Bhutan Broadcasting Service.
We warmly welcome you to be part of this transformative program.
To learn more or make a contribution, please contact us at:
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