Indigenous communities around the world are creating programs of significant value to cultural preservation and indigenous women’s empowerment. The Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) is one organization that focuses upon improving the lives of Tibetan women living in exile in Dharamsala, India. As a representative of the Center for Indigenous Cultural Survival at the University of Oregon, I was fortunate enough to work with these women during an internship from December 2006-March 2007.

TWA accepts ten Tibetan women into a 12 to 18 month program called Stitches of Tibet (SOT), which empowers women to become economically self-reliant by learning tailoring skills, English and written Tibetan. Most of the women come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and find life as a refugee in India very difficult. Tibetan women in Tibet are subjected to many forms of gender specific discrimination and suffer the consequences of being alienated within their own homeland. Indigenous women around the world face cultural, social and economic discrimination. Tibetan women lack opportunities for education in Tibet due to fees, language barriers, cultural barriers, and government propaganda within the school systems. As a newly arrived refugee in Dharamsala, India only Tibetan children have access to free education through the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV). This gap leaves many women uneducated and lacking employable skills, causing severe economic strain and low self appreciation.

SOT provides not only a powerful opportunity for women to become self-reliant, but also provides a space for women to come together, giving the women a chance to strengthen together as a group. Many of the women have husbands who work in other towns in order to help provide for their families. Most of the women have children and by being involved in SOT, they are positive examples to their children as educated women. The opportunity to be involved in SOT is taken very seriously, with daily required attendance and regular quizzes from the tailoring instructor.

Much of the time spent with SOT taught me the unique power of women gathering together in a shared space to work towards a common goal. If you were to walk by the SOT building, you would surely hear laughter or singing that can only occur in the most comfortable of places. They are so focused on learning that they actually ask for more homework and value opportunities to discuss the Western world. The women are not only tailors, but also sell items to foreigners who frequent the shop. All of the proceeds are used to finance SOT and provides the financial grounding to keep the program running for future women.

These types of programs offer indigenous women a chance to really excel in their lives and take their future into their own hands. Their strength is apparent from the moment you meet them and with the help of generous people around the world, SOT can continue to provide valuable training to these women. Indigenous women are the most marginalized group of people in the world, but community strength, indigenous women’s empowerment and education provide a brighter future. The program offers a small stipend for the women, but funding is limited. Enrollment for the program is competitive and always at capacity, proving the success of SOT within the Tibetan refugee community.

If you would like to sponsor a woman in the SOT program or would like to make a donation to TWA, please contact either: http://www.tibetanwomen.org/contact/ or email directly to: twa@tibetanwomen.org. You can also visit the TWA’s website at: www.tibetanwomen.org. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.