Boulder-Lhasa Sister City Project (BLSCP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity formed in 1986 in Boulder, Colorado, which develops non-political exchanges of mutual benefit with Lhasa, Tibet, including surrounding areas, in health care, education, environment, technology, and culture. Boulder is Tibet's only sister city in the United States. Lhasa is one of Boulder's six official sister cities, authorized by the Boulder City Council.

President Eisenhower promoted a people-to-people initiative in 1956 to involve individuals in citizen diplomacy, with the hope that personal relationships, fostered through sister city, county, and state affiliations, would lessen the chance of future world conflicts. Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between U.S. and international communities. SCI promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation. SCI currently represents over 2,500 communities in 134 countries around the world. Boulder is a member of SCI.

We invite you to explore our Web site and contact us for further information. BLSCP is helping Tibetans in Tibet through programs in Solar Electricity, Health Care, and Education. They will deeply appreciate your support through donations for our programs or for general use. If you are qualified, interested, and available, you may be able to participate directly in the development, fundraising, and implementation of our programs.

In March-April 1987, Linda Jourgensen, then Mayor of Boulder, led a delegation of about thirty Boulder citizens to Lhasa to establish the sister city relationship. An affiliation agreement was signed by Mayor Jourgensen and Luo Ga, then Mayor of Lhasa. As a gift from the people of Lhasa to the people of Boulder, Mayor Luo Ga presented a thangka (scroll painting) of the Potala Palace to the Boulder delegation. In this photo, Mayor Luo Ga (third from left) presents the thangka to Mayor Jourgensen (second from left) and Tania Leontov (first from left), then BLSCP President. In September-October 1987, BLSCP hosted Mayor Luo Ga and twelve other Lhasa delegates in Boulder.

In October 1990, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, visited Lhasa for two weeks to develop several topics for sister city exchanges. As a gift from BLSCP, he presented Lhasa City Hospital with a Gamow Bag, which is a portable hyperbaric chamber for treating Acute Mountain Sickness, a common form of altitude illness. The altitude of Lhasa is 3,650 meters (12,000 feet). Narayan Shrestha, a Boulder area resident, joined Bill in Lhasa to demonstrate the Gamow Bag to the hospital medical staff. In this photo, Narayan is using a foot pump to inflate the Gamow Bag.

In June 1991, Bill Warnock and Susie Bell, BLSCP members, led a health care delegation to Lhasa City Hospital for an 11-day skill exchange with the medical staff. The other participants were Dr. Leonard Schwartzman, internist from Los Angeles; Dr. Ross Brechner, ophthalmologist from Atlanta; and Dr. Howard Hoffman, dentist from Los Angeles. They consulted on the most common diseases in their specialties and also examined several patients. In this photo, Dr. Schwartzman (second from right) examines a Tibetan man (third from right) with severe hypertension.

In August 1992, Bill Warnock, Susie Bell, and JoAnn Dufty, BLSCP members, led a health care delegation to Lhasa City Hospital for a one-week skill exchange with the medical staff. The other participants were seven physicians, two nurses, and a public health specialist. They formed teams for exchanges in ophthalmology, obstetrics/pediatrics, and hypertension. Also representing ORBIS, the ophthalmology team successfully performed the first artificial-lens-implant cataract surgery in Tibet. The surgeon was Dr. Ross Brechner. In this photo, Dr. Brechner examines another Tibetan patient.

In September 1993, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, led a health care delegation to Lhasa City Hospital for a two-week skill exchange with the medical staff. The other participants were Dr. Nancy Harris, internal medicine, from California; and Dr. John Rosenberg, emergency medicine, from California. They consulted on diseases in their specialties, including hypertension, heart disease, abdominal cancer, and leukemia; and heart attacks and trauma. In this photo, Dr. Harris (left) lectures on HIV/AIDS at the regular Tuesday afternoon seminar.

In July 1994, BLSCP became a sponsor for Namling County Schools Project, which was founded in 1991 by Tashi Tsering, project director, to fight illiteracy in his home county in Tibet. The project has built 53 simple primary schools in rural Tibetan villages. In this photo, students gather at one of the schools. The project is now completing a vocational training school for young adults. Click here for more information on Namling County Schools Project.

In February 1995, BLSCP became a sponsor for Lhasa Kungshon Language School, which was established in 1988 by Lhobsang Pandan, school principal. The school provides young adults, mostly Tibetans, with language and computer classes, as shown in this photo. Students learn skills which help them to qualify for better jobs. Click here for more information on Lhasa Kungshon Language School. Scholarships for training in language, computer, and vocational skills would be especially helpful at this time.

In October 1996, Bill Warnock and Carol Delker, BLSCP members, led a delegation to Lhasa for a one-week exchange with the Ministry of Health of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The other participants were Dr. Peter Schantz, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; and Dr. Liu Feng Jie, National Hydatid Disease Centre of China, Urumqi, Xinjiang. The delegation discussed potential collaboration on echinococcosis, a deadly parasite disease. In this photo at Lhasa City Hospital, Dr. Schantz examines a boy infected with the parasite. Click here for current information on the BLSCP Parasite Medical Program.

In Summer 1997, Carol Delker, BLSCP member, assisted a renowned research team for several weeks in remote Tibetan villages on the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was the lead institution. They conducted a systematic survey of echinococcosis, a deadly parasite disease, in human and animal populations. A total of 7,702 Tibetans were tested for the disease. The average infection rate was measured to be 5.6%. Click here for a report on this research. In this photo, a woman gives a blood sample for testing.

In July 1998, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, led a delegation to Lhasa for a one-week exchange with Lhasa Science and Technology Commission. The other participants were Andre van Rest, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC; and Dr. David Renne, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado. The delegation visited many rural areas and discussed collaboration. In this photo, monks at Kangmar Monastery in Damshung County greet the delegation with droma, a root vegetable, and Tibetan tea, made with butter from dri, the female yak. Click here for current information on the BLSCP Solar Electricity Program.

In June-July 1999, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, led a delegation to Lhasa for a one-week solar electricity exchange with Lhasa Science and Technology Commission. The other participants were Dr. David Renne, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Heshey Phunjok, Wisdom Light Group; Jeevan Goff, Lotus Energy; Simon Tan, Siemens Showa Solar; and Cliff Grassmick, BLSCP member. They installed three small solar electric systems in rural areas, including one at the Drongkar Community Center, shown in this photo. They also negotiated a workplan for future home installations.

In April 2000, Wisdom Light Group installed solar electric systems for 100 families in Drongkar village, Damshung County. In May 2000, Lotus Energy installed solar electric systems for 50 families in Nyari Kuk village, Lhundrup County, and 50 families in Lhenpa village, Lhundrup County. In this photo, a woman in Nyari Kuk village uses solar electricity to weave products to sell for additional family income. In July 2000, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, visited Lhasa for two weeks to assess the 200 home installations and gather data for future solar electricity installations.

In November 2000, Colette Smith, BLSCP member, visited Lhasa for two weeks to assess the current needs of two school programs, for which BLSCP has been a sponsor for several years. Namling County Schools Project has built rural schools for primary students, as shown in this photo, and a rural vocational training school for young adults. Click here for a list of items currently needed by Namling County Schools Project. Lhasa Kungshon Language School provides young adults with language and computer classes. Click here for a list of items currently needed by Lhasa Kungshon Language School.

In September 2002, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, led a one-week information exchange with Lhasa City Hospital on echinococcosis, a deadly parasite disease. The other delegate was Prof. Philip S. Craig, University of Salford, United Kingdom, a renowned expert on the disease. They discussed the disease with many health care personnel in Lhasa Prefecture. In this photo, the delegation meets with a local patriarch (right) and the veterinarian (left) in a village in Damshung County. Click here for more information on the BLSCP Parasite Medical Program.

In September 2002, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, conducted an exchange with Lhasa Science and Technology Commission on solar electricity installations in Drongkar village, Damshung County. They delivered photovoltaic equipment and lighting to a medical clinic, four primary schools, four community activity centers, a monastery, and 13 homes. In this photo, a primary school receives solar-powered lighting. Click here for more information on the BLSCP Solar Electricity Program.

In May 2006, Bill Warnock, BLSCP member, attended an International Workshop on "Treatment, Prevention and Control of Echinococcosis" in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The workshop participants, shown in this photo, included parasitologists, epidemiologists, physicians, community health specialists, veterinarians, ecologists, socio-economists, public health experts, administrators, and other researchers from China and eight foreign countries. Bill presented a 30-minute talk on BLSCP and its work on echinococcosis.