Pseudo-NGOs funding projects for Tibet groups [plus comments]

The US National Endowment for Democracy funds a number of Tibetan NGOs with a variety of agendas. Canada's own government non-governmental organization, Rights and Democracy, published "Tibet-China Negotiations: A Case for Canadian Leadership," on
April 23, 2004.

NED Funding

China (Tibet)

Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet
$40,000*
To document the situation of political prisoners in Tibet and provide support for political prisoners in Tibet and former political prisoners in exile. Gu-Chu-Sum will organize lectures and workshops, publish a magazine, maintain a human rights research desk, and support former political prisoners in exile through various activities ranging from job training to adult education.

International Campaign for Tibet
$53,000
To increase understanding between Tibetans and Chinese by providing greater access to information about Tibet. The organization will facilitate interaction between Tibetan and Chinese officials, academics, and the public through meetings, conferences, and the publication of a Chinese-language newsletter and website.

Richard Gere, Chairman

Khawa Karpo Tibet Cultural Centre Charitable Trust
$20,000
To provide news and analysis to the Tibetan public and promote greater discussion and debate on current issues related to Tibet and Tibetans. Khawa Karpo will publish the Tibetan-language newspaper, Bo-Kyi-Bang-Chen (Tibet Express), three times per month, establish two branch offices to facilitate news collection and distribution, maintain a trilingual website, and organize a three-day workshop on the role of media.

Longsho Youth Movement of Tibet
$15,000
To build leadership skills, promote cultural and political awareness of Tibet, and encourage greater civic engagement among Tibetan youth. Longsho will establish a branch office in Northeast India, conduct a training-of-trainers workshop, and organize leadership camps to strengthen awareness of Tibetan culture and religion and foster democratic values among Tibetan youth.

The Tibet Society and Tibet Relief Fund of the UK describe the Longsho Youth movement:

“Longsho is a Tibetan youth movement that was established in 2001 by four young Tibetans, inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s acknowledgement that Tibetans can learn a great deal from the Jewish Diaspora about survival in exile. Seed funding was provided by Tibet Relief Fund. The Tibetan Jewish Youth Exchange provides Longsho with a link to Jewish youth movements in the UK who offer opportunities for Tibetan youths to broaden their experiences by participating in overseas volunteering projects.
“Each year approximately 200 young Tibetans aged between ten and twenty-three years participate in annual Longsho summer and winter camps that provide workshops on education, leadership training, organisational development and fundraising. Tibet Relief Fund is currently trying to raise funds to cover one year's expenses, which includes the cost of a winter camp for 100 children, a summer camp for 120, salaries for two full-time staff and office overheads.”

Tibet Museum
$15,500*
To preserve and present material related to modern Tibetan history and to educate visitors about the Tibetan culture and people. The Tibet Museum will continue to maintain and operate its Dharamsala-based museum, "Demton Khang," promote a touring exhibition, organize seminars and lectures, and maintain a website.

Tibetan Literacy Society
$28,500*
To provide the Tibetan public independent and accurate information on developments in Tibet and in the exile community, and to promote open discussion among intellectuals and a general readership on civic issues, including human rights and democracy. The Tibetan Literacy Society will publish and distribute throughout the Tibetan community in exile and in Tibet Bod-Kyi-Dus-Bab (Tibet Times), a Tibetan-language newspaper published three times a month.

[Literacy—and leadership--is also an important project of both the Rigdzin Society and the Tibetan Women's Association (below). -jlt]

Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre
$20,000*
To strengthen local Tibetan assemblies, the first level government of the Tibetan government-in-exile. The organization will conduct a workshop for members of the local assemblies, facilitate their attendance during a session of the national parliament, and encourage discussion of the functions and procedures of the parliament among local assembly members.

[This is the government-in-waiting. -jlt]

Tibetan Review
$26,000*
To promote freedom of press and understanding of democratic concepts in the Tibetan exile community. Tibetan Review, a monthly English-language news magazine, will provide Tibetans in exile and the international community with Tibet-related news and insightful opinion pieces and editorials, featuring articles written by prominent journalists, academics, and others interested in Tibetan issues.

Tibetan Women's Association
$30,000*
To promote the social, political, and economic empowerment of Tibetan refugee women and raise awareness of human rights violations against women in Tibet. TWA will publish a bi-weekly newsletter, an annual magazine, and a memoir by one of Tibet's most famous female former political prisoners. TWA will also expand outreach efforts internationally and to regional chapters and strengthen its organizational capacity through trainings and workshops.[Link is to the Government of Tibet in Exile website.

Tibetan Writers Abroad PEN Center
$10,000*
To preserve Tibetan literature and culture and protect and support Tibetan writers in Tibet. The Tibetan PEN Center will translate essays and other written materials into Tibetan, much of it originally published in Chinese; publish a collection of writings by its members; and conduct an extensive research project on Tibetan writers imprisoned in Tibet.

Voice of Tibet
$35,000*
To encourage and sustain independent public opinion inside Tibet and to familiarize Tibetans with the ideals of democracy and human rights. The Voice of Tibet, an independent, Tibetan-language shortwave radio station, will continue to broadcast regular news about Tibet, the Tibetan exile community, and the Tibetan government-in-exile to listeners in Tibet and in exile in neighboring countries.

China (Xinjiang)

[There is a line of wishful thinking that believes, “Xinjiang is the fuse which could collapse the PRC” (China's other Tibet March 9 08). -jlt]

International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation (IUHRDF)
$90,000*
To advance the human rights of ethnic Uyghur women and children. IUHRDF will maintain an English and Uyghur language website on the human rights situation of Uyghur women and children, conduct a civic education seminar for Uyghur women, and publish a booklet containing personal accounts of the impact of population control policies on ethnic minority women.

Uyghur American Association
$215,000*
To carry out the Uyghur Human Rights Project, a program documenting and reporting on human rights violations affecting the Turkic-speaking, traditionally Muslim, indigenous populations of northwest China. This program will research, document, and bring to the attention of the international community independent, accurate information about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

World Uyghur Congress
$90,000
To promote democratic leadership among Uyghurs living in exile. The World Uyghur Congress will conduct an intensive advocacy training course for leaders of Uyghur community organizations dedicated to advancing human rights and democracy.

tibetRecommend this Post

Sphere: Related Content