My Gakidh Village (MGV) provides an interesting opportunity for visitors to experience Bhutanese rural life and explore serene, pristine villages through community-based eco-tourism initiatives and programs.
'Gakidh' literally means 'happiness' in Bhutan. To assure the repository values of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH), even in remote villages, My Gakidh Village was conceptualised by Bhutan Youth Development Fund (YDF) and Aide et Action International (AEAI). The project values that the accomplishment of happiness in villages can be achieved through empowering youth and the communities by promoting socio-economic well-being, ensuring ethics of conservation and encouraging various youth-led businesses.
This joint initiative of YDF & AEAI aims at a common goal to curb rural-urban youth migration by providing livelihood skills and opportunities to unemployed youth within the community. Several issues, such as youth unemployment, rural-urban youth migration, and youth and age-old cultures, are the main areas of focus by encouraging youth to play an important role in protecting the pristine environment and taking ownership of the project.
Thus, the main objective of the My Gadikh Village project is:
The Capacity Building initiative is working towards:
