the king dom of bhutan, a landlocked area tucked away in the himalayans.

it's the only country in the world that designates tibetan buddhism as its state religion. most are believers and practice every day. a fundamental teaching of tibetan buddhism is reincarnation, a belief in which the soul begins a new life newed abou body after death.

in 2001, jigme opened the first training facility with people for disacts as a place to build theirself-esteem and self-reliance. having a child with disabilities in bhutan carries stigma, with parents often hiding them away at home. she hopes to reverse such negative attitudes. jigme also created a bakery for youngsters from the center to give them an opportunity for employment. this type of workplace dedicated to the disabled is still unusual in bhutan.

>> i call them little bhutan, not children, but little bhutan. because they make us feel very kind, make us feel compassionate. >> in this episode of asia insight, we follow jigme and her efforts to empower the disabled youth of bhutan. bhutan is a small kingdom of 700,000, sandwiched between china and india. the nation had literally no contact with the outside world until it became a member of the united nations in the early 1970s. gross national happiness, a phrase coined by the country's previous king in 1972 remains bu taupe's primary policy.

it was designed to measure quality of life or social progress in more holistic terms rather than economic growth. bhutan's first-ever vocational facility for people with disabilities is located on the outskirts of the capital. every morning, at 8:30, students arrive on buses that collect them from their homes. at present, 63 students attend the center. the day starts with prayer for a safe and fulfilling day. the facility assists students

that are intellectually challenged, hearing-impaired or disabled, aged 8 to their mid-30s. after morning prayer, classes get under way. subjects include math, the native language of bhutan and english. >> one. >> two. two. >> one. >> the aim was to give students the minimum skills required to get by in mainstream society. the 16 teachers here are all qualified with national teaching licenses. evaluation tests are given twice a year to measure the students' progress. afternoon classes are dedicated to vocational training.

seven courses are offered at the center, including traditional crafts, sufficient as embroidery, painting and basket weaving. it takes at least five years of training for students to reach a professional standard, depending on the severity of their disability. works created here are normally sold to tourists. evfounder of the center was born and raised in bhutan. in her early days she practiced tae kwon do. she married when she was 18 and has three children. in 1989, out of compassion, she

began working as a volunteer at the hospital, helping disabled children, all the while, raising her own family. several years later, when her eldest son pelden turned 8, she discovered he, too, was intellectually challenged. she started her own center. >> they have shared the dream with me. i wish i could do this. i wish i could go to school. i wish i could learn so many things and be independent. they have that dream, but they never taught that, these people can be independent. they have some desire and feelings, passions just like normal people. >> jigme decided she wants to build a facility to support such children and began seeking financial help.

she established the center in 2001, with assistance from her imagines at this the queen. it describes the height and depth of their aspirations. >> why are you wasting your life. i said no. i wanted to prove, you know, that these children can do something. >> jigme currently lives with her son pelden and daughter deki, they both help their mother at the center.

jigme has been running the center for more than tenniers. she believes helping parents understand their child's condition is important in helping the children learn to live an independent life. on this day, jigme visits a family who run a diner in the city. she is here to convince them to enroll their disabled daughter at the center.

>> prani is the youngest of their children. she wasn't able to form words until she was six. believing their daughter was incapable of doing anything by herself, her parents have done everything they could for her for the past 21 years. >> you can take care of yourself, you know?

you never thouknow. >> her parents promise jigme that they'll send their daughter to the center. it will be the first time for prani to be away from home.

phys. ed. cation classes are held once a week at the center. jigme's daughter, deki is the teacher. the object of the lessons is to instill a spirit of determination and resolve.

the classes have helped students display more physical skills than jigme ever imagined. one student who technically excels is darjay. he is hearing-impaired and also slightly intellectually challenged. when he came to the facility at the age of 12, he was so interverted he couldn't interact with anyone. running helped build his self-confidence and he's now the fastest runner at the center. he took part in the special olympics in athens. the team won gold thanks to darjay's determination. his next goal is the 2013 asia

pacific special olympics. according to recent national statistics. there are over 20,000 people with disabilities in bhutan. the government has been increasing its efforts to support them. children aged between 6 and 17 attend this public school. the school provides classes for children with special needs. eight such schools have been established around the country so far. >> show me your fingers. >> the government plans to increase the number of these types of schools in the future.

jigme established her second center in 2009 with her own savings. the center, located in the eastern mountainous region is a boarding school for young people currently attend. commute. jigme has plans to open other centers in the future. in 2009, a bakery, an unusual type of store for bhutan opened in the capital. the bakery sells 30 types of breads and pastries and is gaining popularity. >> very often i buy from here.

the bread, the pastries. >> seven graduates from the center work here. jigme built the bakery in order to give graduates opportunities for employment. the japanese government provided equipment and sent over specialists to teach baking skills. >> he cannot hear, and he cannot speak, but he's very good at making breads. he has mental retardation. but he, he picks up, you know, baking very fast. >> graduates can earn $120 a

month. that's lower than the average national wage but more than enough to get by. >> she can hear, i think slightly, she can hear, but her intelligence is very good. she makes all our birthday cakes. she can decorate very well, no? >> kencho has suffered from a hearing impairment since she was 4 and later enrolled at the center where she excelled at embroidery. jigme noticed her dexterity and suggested she work at the bakery. kencho now manages the store and is responsible for taking care of stock and accounts. in the afternoon she makes deliveries.

the bakery wholesales bread to several cafes, shops and supermarkets around town. because she's unable to speak, kencho confirms orders with clients using a notebook. this customer communicates with kencho using seen language.

>> after work, kencho buys some of the bread show baked herself. she's buying it for her family who she'll be visiting tomorrow on her day off. during the week she stays with her uncle's family, because her family home is so far away. kencho's home is located in a farming region, about an hour away by car. her youngest sister is excited to see her. kencho is the eldest of five girls. her sisters all live at home with their mother. the family always looks forward to the delicious bread kencho

bakes. >> it is very tasty. >> sister, you will teach me how to cook, okay? >> me too, okay? >> kencho can't conceal her joy when she sees her family appreciating the bread she baked. her mother used to be concerned about her daughter's future. but now she says kencho's enthusiasm and skills as a baker have reassured her.

kencho has been given the courage to have big dreams for the future. meanwhile, this father's way of caring for his daughter is

changing. to prepare her for the center, he's been trying to get her to do things unaided. at 8:30, a bus comes to bring her to the center. it's her first day at the center.

the bus arrives. jigme is there to welcome her. jigme chose tandin, a student with cerebral palsy, to take care of her.

tandin is left to take care of pran i ta. >> who is -- >> the sudden chang of

environme -- change of environment is a lot to take in for prani ta. after returning home, her father takes her shopping. they visit a fabric shop that makes traditional attire. in bhutan, students wear traditional clothing. she tries on a traditional outfit for women. it's the first time for prani ta's father to see his daughter wearing one.

it's prani ta's fourth day at the center. a teacher takes the morning roll call. prani ta is dressed in the kira that her father bought her. the first lesson of the day is english. she feels more relaxed now and is keen on learning the alphabet. prani ta is taking her first tentative steps to becoming self-reliant.

♪ during break time, students and teachers enjoy dancing together. jigme continues her compassionate work to set her little buddhas on a road to an independent and happy life.

♪

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, november 13th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the world health organization released an update on the ebola epidemic in west african countries and some other parts of the globe. it says the disease has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people. the w.h.o. says 14,098 people have been infected with the virus or are suspected to have been infected so far. of them, 5,160 people have died. the report shows the number of new cases is decreasing in the