Tibetan Women's Association

FRANCHISE WITH FREEDOM; The first ever 'Kalon Tripa Mass Mock Election' successfully organized TWA's exclusive event furthers the democratic process of franchise with freedom July 6, 2010, Dharamsala: for the first time in 50 years of Tibetan democracy, exiled Tibetans participated in the Kalon Tripa Mass Mock Election. With the final election of the Kalon Tripa only nine months away, the mock election served to prepare the Tibetan people to exercise their franchise. An undertaking by the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) and its regional chapters spread across the globe, the Kalon Tripa Mass Mock Election is being held in 40 regions spread throughout 6 countries; India, Nepal, Switzerland, England, USA and Canada.

TWA Fellowship Porgram, 2010 The TWA Fellowship for Women for Specialized studies was inspired by H. H the Dalai Lama who seeks to encourage Tibetan women to excel in their field of study and contribute the Tibetan populace as a whole.In honor of the 51st National Tibetan Women's Uprising Day, TWA launched the 'Fellowship program' on March 12, 2010. For the first year, TWA proposed three domestic 'graduate studies' degrees (two for Master's Degree and one for a PhD program). But the applications recieved for Master's Degree Porgram didnot qualify for the Fellowship Program. This year's fellowshop for PhD program is bagged by Lobsang Yangtso, currently enrolled into JNU for PhD in Chinese Studies.TWA will announce the inclusion of graduate studies fellowship (Masters Program and a PhD program) to overseas Universities for the next year (2011).

Rare Footage of Runggye Adak, Tibetan Nomad's Protest inside Tibet on 3rd Anniversary of his Arrest' Dharamsala, August 1, 2010: Footage of Runggye Adak, a Tibetan nomad now serving an eight-year prison sentence for peacefully denouncing Chinese policies in Tibet and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, was released today as Tibetans and their supporters intensify the global campaign for his release [1]. The footage obtained by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) and translated by the International Tibet Support Network (ITSN) shows an excerpt of Runggye Adak's speech onstage at the popular Lithang Horse Racing Festival on 1 August 2007 in Lithang, Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in eastern Tibet (Ch: Sichuan) [2]. He was arrested by Chinese police minutes after taking the stage.

Tibetan Environmentalist brothers sentenced to 15 years in prison; International environmental organization/ environmentalist to call for their immediate release. TWA gets Vandana Shiva and Belinda Wright to sign the appeal letter Dharamsala, June 24, 2010: Karma Samdrup (aged 42), is a prominent Tibetan, a philanthropist and an environmentalist. Karma, along with his brothers Rinchen Samdrup (aged 44) and Chime Namgyal (aged 38) founded the 'Snowlands Three Rivers Environmental Protection Group' that received numerous awards including the 'Earth Prize' from the Friends of Earth, Hongkong, Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Protection Grants, Model Project Grant from the One Foundation founded by Chinese film star Jet Li. All the three brothers are now jailed in the Chinese prisons in Tibet.

Tibetan Women's Advanced Leadership Training; Advancing high level women leadership and promoting women representation in the Tibetan community' Dharamsala, June 7, 2010: Statistics say the Central Tibetan Administration is comprised of a 46% female and 54% male workforce, but this does not demonstrate the true situation. There is a shocking discrepancy of a low 3% of women at top level positions, in stark contrast to the 97% of males at high level positions. The same picture also fits in many other frames of Tibetan exile Diaspora. The Tibetan Women's Advanced Leadership Training (June 7 to June 17), an undertaking of the TWA, seeks to not only address this issue, but to tackle it by enabling women's representation in the higher realms of representation and ranks of governance. Additionally, this training sought to accentuate the implementation of the Kashag's eight point policy on women's empowerment launched in October 2008.

Remembering Gyalyum Chemo, the Great Mother on International Mother's Day' May 09, 2010; Sunday; It is a mother who strives, seeks and never yields. The origin of Mother's day traces back to 1870's when Social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War intended to observe the day as a call to unite women against war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament. Therefore Mother's day signifies a day of peace. In 1950s Tibet, the old adage that 'the mother is the precious jewel at home, the father the external fencing' still held true. But in the decades that followed, Tibetan women found a collective voice which saw them increase their influence outside the domestic arena. The rise and rise of Tibetan women is palpable, as well as their establishment as a social and political power to be reckoned with.

Hero moved to tears after welcome by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the children of Tibet; TWA's report on the most remarkable event in Human History' May 05, 2010; His Holiness the Dalai Lama took to the stage in front of a packed auditorium at the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala this morning (Wednesday, May 5). On either side of him were two men with a remarkable history. To his right sat Richard Moore, who was blinded by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier when he was 10 years old in war-torn Northern Ireland. To his left was that soldier, Charles, who robbed him of his eyesight 38 years ago. Incredibly, there is no animosity between Richard and Charles, who have become close friends since meeting for the first time in 2007. His Holiness clutched each of their hands as Richard addressed the audience on the benefits of forgiveness, and encouraged students to turn any anger they might feel into positive action.

TWA launches 'Women's Environment and Development Desk' May 01, 2010; The mission of the Environment Desk at TWA is to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change upon Tibet's unique ecosystem and upon the plight of Tibetan women The TWA environment desk is committed to disseminating timely and useful information that highlights to the international community the critical issue of climate change in Tibet and engaging in proactive measures and campaigns to combat the policies and the destructive impact that the policies hinges on the social lives of the Tibetan people. The environment desk believes that it is imperative to draw on the Chinese environmental policies that are denying the human rights of Tibetans living inside Tibet.

Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) sends its largest ever donation to survivors of the Kyegudo earthquake. April 28, 2010; In the wake of the disastrous earthquake that struck Kyegudo in eastern Tibet on April 14 this year, leaving more than 2,000 dead, 10,000 injured and hundreds of thousands homeless, the Tibetan Women's Association and its 52 regional chapters have raised one million rupees (Rs. 1,000,000) for the quake survivors. Today, on the auspicious occasion of the 15th day of the month, the money has been dispatched via Yushu Earthquake Relief Fund of Tibet Foundation, UK. The donation is the largest TWA has ever made in its 51-year history. The executive members and staff of Central TWA are foregoing 20 percent of their April salary.

Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) launches New Art Campaign to mark the 21st birthday of the Panchen Lama April 25, 2010, Dharamsala, India; Tibetans across the globe today observed the 21st birthday of Gedun Choekyi Nyima, who the Chinese authorities have been holding in custody since he was six years old. He and his family were abducted shortly after H.H the Dalai Lama declared him to be the reincarnated 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet in May 1995. Now 21 years old, the safety and whereabouts of H.H the Panchen Lama have yet to be confirmed by the Chinese authorities, who continue to deny access to him, despite repeated calls from UN bodies to allow independent fact-finding delegations to assess his health and general wellbeing.