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Tibetan Women's Association Italy gets best achievement award

By Lobsang Wangyal | Tibet Sun

B. Tsering (left), Tibetan Women’s Association President; Rinchen Khando (centre), a former minister; and and Gyari Dolma, the deputy speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, during the opening session of the IXth general body meeting of the Tibetan Women’s Association in Dharamshala, India, on 10 April 2009.Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal/India

The regional Tibetan Women’s Association Italy was presented the ‘Best Achievement Award 2008’ by the Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) during its general body meeting.

Rajpur chapter, near Dehra Dun in northern India, and Bhandara chapter in central India, were awarded second and third places respectively during the meeting at Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamshala.

The six-day 9th general body meeting of the TWA started today with about 170 women from all over India, and some from Nepal and the US. The meeting will elect the new executive members for the next three-year tenure from April 2009 to March 2012.

B Tsering, the outgoing president, said that TWA has contributed in all possible ways to the Tibetan freedom struggle, and the empowerment of the Tibetan women through various activities.

“TWA has participated in various international forums to promote the Tibetan issue,” she said.

Some other achievements in the last three years includes new staff quarters, an increase in publications, and an increase in funds, which has been raised almost up to 200,000 USD from about 150,000 USD.

Rinchen Khando, a former minister in the Tibetan government-in-exile, and the first president of TWA since its re-establishment in exile in 1984, was the guest of honour on the occasion. She spoke at length about the past of the organisation, and how the future plans had been laid then.

She exhorted the Tibetan women to uphold the essence that would make them proud. “A Tibetan woman could feel proud if she understands and upholds Tibetan culture and Buddhism.”

Speaking about gender equality, she said women must prove their worth. “If women are capable and could prove their worth, then there will be no ground to discriminate on the basis of gender.”

“Even Geshe-ma (equivalent to Geshe degree or doctorate in Buddhist philosophy, currently conferred only to monks) could become a possibility, if nuns could prove with excellence.”

Gyari Dolma, the deputy speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, who was the chief guest, while commending the achievements of TWA said there’s more to be done.

Dolma paid rich tribute to the martyrs of last year’s protests in Tibet, and condemned the death sentences given to four Tibetans and another with life imprisonment recently.

TWA is the second largest non-government organisation in the exile Tibetan community. The organisation was first started in Tibet in 1959, but it was re-established in exile in 1984.

Bringing awareness about the Tibetan issue is the organisation’s top priority. TWA support the Dalai Lama’s middle-way policy, which seeks autonomy for Tibetan people within China.

Copyright © 2009 Tibet Sun

Published in Tibet Sun