Tibet Relief Fund is delighted to be a co-funder of the second Strengthening Tibetan Civil Society conference with The Tibet Fund and SOIR-IM that’s taking place at Sarah College near Dharamsala. The inaugural conference, back in 2016, was the first time Tibetan Civil Society organisations had got together and exchanged ideas. It is really encouraging to hear this has led to greater collaboration and networking. Even more motivating is to see so many new organisations taking part this time.
Congratulations to Lha for organising this conference!
Lha Charitable Trust organised three days 2nd Tibetan Civil Society Strengthening Conference at Sarah College, Dharamsala from 30th September to 2nd October 2019. The conference aimed at providing a platform to network, exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from the experts. The Conference was co-sponsored by Tibet Relief Fund, Tibet Fund and Swedish Organisation for Individual Relief (SOIR-IM).
36 representatives from 29 Tibetan Civil Society based in India and Nepal participated in the conference. These Tibetan civil society organisations are all run and led by Tibetans who are implementing development projects within the areas of education, health, livelihood, community development, gender issues etc.
Three Days of Conference comprises of Project Needs Assessment, Optimising Fund Raising – Corporate Social Responsibility, Legal Compliance and Case stories telling/writing. The format of the conference was experts presentation/talk, activities, participatory with group assignments.
2nd Tibetan Civil Society Strengthening Conference Opening Message
Tashi Delek! Good Morning.
Tibet Relief Fund is delighted to be collaborating and co-funding the Second Strengthening Tibetan Civil Society conference with The Tibet Fund and SOIR-IM. When we worked together on the first conference back in 2016 we were hoping it would start conversations and collaboration amongst Tibetan Civil Society organisations to strengthen and build the necessary capacity for addressing common issues within the Tibetan Community. Now, three and a half years later, it is really encouraging to know there has been greater collaboration and networking and, even more motivating, is to see so many new organisations.
Tibet Relief Fund takes great pleasure in sending our congratulations and gratitude to Lha for all the wonderful hard work in organising this conference. We hope all of you enjoy your three days here; it is a great opportunity to hear from experts in their fields, discuss challenges and solutions and share and benefit from each other’s knowledge.
We also wish to commend the large number of organisations represented here for your dedication and hard work towards addressing fundamental problems faced by the Tibetan community in exile.
This year marks Tibet Relief Fund’s 60th year of working with Tibetans. We were established in 1959 to address the urgent needs and bring relief to newly-arrived Tibetans in India. Our work has changed and adapted over the years as has the situation of Tibetans living in exile and inside Tibet. Having commissioned a research field trip last year, we are refocusing our work to meet the new landscape of both living in exile and inside Tibet. We hope this will give us opportunities to work with Tibetan civil society both in capacity building and delivering programmes that address the needs within your communities.
We very much look forward to continuing to collaborate with The Tibet Fund and SOIR-IM in the coming years to continue to strengthen Tibetan civil society. We also hope this conference goes a long way in creating a platform for all of us to collaborate and learn from each other’s experiences and expertise.
Thank You!
