Voices from the Tibetan Exile Community
For more than fifty years, IM worked side by side with the Central Tibetan Administration to support Tibetan refugees in India. From agricultural innovations and education to women’s empowerment and career counselling, IM’s contributions left a lasting mark. Here, three Tibetans share their memories of how IM’s support helped shape their communities and their futures.
Tsering Dhondup / Secretary General, Ministry of Finance
“We came as refugees from Tibet to India in 1959, and ten years later IM began to engage with our cause. During the first five to seven years, we tried to rebuild our lives from scratch. We cut down trees and cleared the jungle so that we could build settlements*. There was nothing there then – only jungle and wild animals. We struggled to make the land cultivable. When IM came, our fields were ready to be farmed. IM brought innovations and ideas for agricultural solutions. Most Tibetans were farmers, but they came from a completely different landscape and climate, and they knew nothing about how to live in Dharamshala in India.
IM also provided scholarships for children, which ensured that they had access to education at a time when resources were extremely limited. IM stepped in when people’s main focus was survival and helped them regain their footing.”
Tenzin Tsetan / Women Empowerment Desk
“IM’s support for the first conference on women’s empowerment was crucial in laying the foundation for leadership training for women, raising awareness around gender issues, and advocacy work. The conference became a catalyst for integrating a gender perspective into all CTA** programmes and strengthened institutional support for the Women Empowerment Desk.
The conference was also key to revising our women’s empowerment policy, which now includes leadership training, education on menstrual health, and campaigns for gender equality.”
Jamyang Wangyal / Career Counsellor
“IM played a pioneering role in introducing career counselling in our schools. IM saw the value of this work and chose to partner with us as a funder when we established a counselling department focused on career support. Their backing during the early years was essential in shaping the programme into what it is today.
Between 2005 and 2015, IM funded and encouraged counselling initiatives in many schools. It made a big difference. Students were helped to make thoughtful decisions about their future, instead of just following friends into jobs they were unsure about. More students went on to university – many even completed master’s degrees or doctorates.”
* The Indian government allocated land where exiled Tibetans could establish refugee settlements.
** The Women Empowerment Desk (part of the CTA) was founded in 2008 with support from IM to increase awareness of women’s rights and gender equality.
*** CTA = Central Tibetan Administration
Text: Isha Banerjee
Main photo: The town Dharamshala that hosts the Tibetan government-in-exile. Photo: Erik Törner
By: Malin Kihlström