A region well known for Mount Everest and the Dalai Lama, the autonomous region of Tibet once had a poverty rate as high as 80%. Through various campaigns, it has significantly improved in recent years, but there is still a large amount of work that needs to be done. This journey is made possible by the following five charities operating in Tibet.

The Tibet Fund

Founded in 1981 under the patronage of the Dalai Lama, The Tibet Fund aims to preserve Tibet’s cultural identity, supporting communities’ education, health and livelihood. Its programs promote self-reliance among the Tibetan community and allow even the most vulnerable to have the chance to lead healthy, dignified lives.

Gender-based Violence

The organization also has specific initiatives for Tibetan women and girls. For example, it established an initiative that offers protection against gender-based violence, collaborating with partners such as the Central Tibetan Administration Women’s Empowerment Desk, Tibetan Women’s Association, and Drokmo. Workshops occurred on menstrual and reproductive health for youth as well as awareness sessions for other Tibetan organizations.

This also involved the establishment of gender focal persons, barefoot counselors and complaint committees in order to raise awareness on gender-based sexual violence (GBSV) and harassment; it also included the operation of a 24-hour helpline that acted as a safe space for survivors.

Another gender-based initiative is Every Mother and Child, which provides resources to breastfeeding mothers to support the nutrition, hygiene and healthy cognitive development of their child.

Education

The Tibet Fund has done a large amount of work regarding higher education. Through its various scholarship programs, it has allowed countless economically vulnerable Tibetans to be able to access post-secondary education, both domestically and in the U.S.

The Fund supported more than 50 Tibetan girls who were unable to afford the high costs of higher education, both at technical schools in the country and at universities in China. Additionally, it provided scholarships to two pursuing careers in medicine in Xining.

Furthermore, with funding from the U.S. Department of State and partnerships between Qinghai Tibetan Medical College and three American universities, the Fund was able to provide English language training courses for 20 students, with four top-performing students going on to continue their studies at various American academic institutes.

Its dedication to education and the future of Tibet was further exemplified through its Tibetan Women Microentrepreneurship Program, which assisted vulnerable women in growing their businesses and expanding their markets.

Earthquakes

It has also donated generously toward victims of earthquakes, including the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck in early 2010 that claimed the lives of nearly 2,700 people and injured more than 12,000. The Fund provided a total of $122,875 in grants for short-and long-term emergency and recovery efforts, assisting Tibetans in the reconstruction of a flour mill and school.

Machik

The second of these charities operating in Tibet is Machik, which translates to “one mother” in Tibetan. This organization works with Tibetans both in and outside the region, addressing social and environmental changes with a focus on social innovation, civic engagement and gender equity.

Its recent achievements include the provision of clean energy and safe drinking water; the establishment of an award winning school, a library and an organic greenhouse; the repair of roads and houses and much more.

In 2001, Machik established the Pende Clinic Project, which provides health care to a rural community and its surrounding villages; in total, the clinic supports 31 villages with approximately 2,000 households, a population of about 16,000.

Moreover, it has established education programs for women charting new pathways. Mother’s Wish, a program it initiated, now supports education for girls and women in Amdo, ranging from middle school-level education to PhDs.

One of these is its Women’s Writing Program. Machik has sponsored both the development and distribution of The Land of Snow Tibetan Women’s Journal, a quarterly magazine edited and produced by Tibetan women that offers a platform for Tibetan women writers to discuss countless compelling social issues. Since its conception in December 2004, it has produced 12 issues.

Karuna-Shechen

A nonprofit organization that reflects and emphasizes the ideals of altruism, Karuna-Shechen has promoted well-being in the Himalayan region, with their work spanning Tibet, India and Nepal.

The organization has provided shelter, safety, education, health care and opportunities to vulnerable communities, encompassing fields such as health and hygiene, education, food security, economic development and the environment. In 2023, it supported more than 494,130 people, including 555,000 indirect beneficiaries and 22,000 animals.

Karuna-Shechen has also been significantly involved in promoting food security. For instance, it has provided equipment to improve water management in agriculture, which has been vastly beneficial for farmers such as Indra Kumari Rai.

This improved not only crop production rate but also its quality, allowing for sustainable agriculture and creating a lasting positive impact for both nutrition and economy.

Finally, its unique Altruism in Action model allows for a more explicit and active partnership between Karuna-Shechen and the communities it serves. It can be boiled down to the creation and use of Better Future Councils (BFCs), elected representatives from each “cluster” of villages that work directly with Karuna-Shechen. The BFCs then play a central role in the:

• Co-identification of needs, issues, and available resources
• Co-design of projects
• Co-implementation of activities
• Co-monitoring and evaluation of the intervention and its impact

The American Himalayan Foundation (AHF)

Like Karuna-Shechen, another of these charities operating in Tibet, the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF) assists those living throughout the Himalayas, including Tibetans, Sherpas and Nepalis. Its projects have included trafficking prevention for women and girls, education, health care, cultural revival and environmental conservation.

The Foundation’s work spans multiple countries–in Nepal, it has been involved in disaster relief during events such as the Nepal earthquake, and have initiatives in the kingdom of Mustang and other areas that contribute to the preservation of culture. Additionally, it has an initiative titled STOP Girl Trafficking that aims to prevent girls from Nepal from being trafficked, or entering indentured servitude or child marriage. The program has grown significantly, supporting education that not only keeps girls safe but empowers them with the skills and confidence required for them to shape their own futures.

The Terma Foundation

The last of these charities operating in Tibet is The Terma Foundation, an international humanitarian medical organization that aims to provide innovative and sustainable health solutions, mainly for indigenous, marginalized and other excluded populations. Its work in Tibet, Mexico, Myanmar and Brazil has positively impacted and reached more than 1.5 million beneficiaries to date.

Malnutrition

Through the implementation of its various culturally-sensitive programs that work with local partners, The Terma Foundation has provided medical education, participated in research combining both traditional Tibetan and western knowledge and practices and provided diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation to Tibetans.

Its child feeding and indigenous food development program supports the supply and consumption of highly nutritious indigenous natural foods, which began after reports of malnutrition in children and their mothers due to insufficient protein and micronutrient intake.

Although the variety of processed food has grown exponentially, elders have stated that children have been shown to be stronger and healthier when eating locally cultivated food, which was previously a regular part of daily diets.

One such food is droma, a locally abundant, traditional root that is high in iron and vegetable protein, and combines to form a complete protein when mixed with barley.

The organization distributes droma in combination with multivitamin supplements, a well-received, low-cost practice that has led to visible, rapid improvement in children’s clinical status and growth. The harvesting process of these food sources is also being studied for its potential as a source of revenue for farmers, traditional doctors and herbalists.

Tibetan Medicine

On the topic of malnutrition, Terma has also emphasized the importance of traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) principles and practices as a form of advancement for cultural health care. Its health promotion team and TTM physicians work hand-in-hand, increasing credibility, trust and efficiency. The practices are adapted into schools and villages, offering a sense of comfort through the provision of clinical care that is culturally familiar to patients.

Terma’s other programs include health education and primary care delivery, tuberculosis prevention and control, pre- and postnatal care and rickets education and prevention.

Looking Ahead

Through these charities operating in Tibet, transformative work is being done in Tibet every day. Each act that these organizations implement have an impact. 

– Rune Pang

Rune is based in Markham, ON, Canada and focuses on World News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr