Machik is a U.S.-based
non-profit,
non-governmental organization whose mission is to grow a global community committed to a stronger future for
Tibet. Its work focuses primarily on civic engagement, gender equity and social innovation.
Background
Machik was co-founded by Tibetan sisters Losang and Tashi Rabgey, two Ph.D.s who were raised in Canada. The group came about after they and their parents built the Ruth Walter Chungba Primary School in the rural village of
Chungba, located in the mountains of the
Kham
Kham (; )
is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham ...
region of Tibet.
The bilingual school opened in 2002 and is now considered an exemplary school in the region. The organisation has also developed the Chungba Middle School and supports students through high school and university. It also created programs to offer educational opportunities for Tibetan girls and women in the Amdo region and created the summer enrichment program for students from across Tibet. Other service projects have included bringing green energy and clean drinking water to a rural town, building a library in a town with high literacy but low access to materials, creating a greenhouse, repairing roads and houses, and participating in health care initiatives.
Losang and Tashi Rabgey were born in a Tibetan refugee settlement in India and later moved to Canada where they both graduated from the University of Toronto. Losang was the first Commonwealth Scholar of Tibetan descent and has a Ph.D. from the
University of London's
School of Oriental and African Studies and was named an explorer by both ''National Geographic''
and the Explorers Club. Tashi was the first
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
of Tibetan descent Her LLB is from Oxford University, her LLM is from Cambridge University and she has a Ph.D. from
Harvard University. She is now a Research Professor of International Affairs at the
Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. She has published extensively on Tibet issues and continue to do research on the region.
Work
The work of Machik has grown from its first school to include much broader initiatives. It has centered on community-based approaches and direct interventions. Machik centers the innovative and impactful capacity of change-makers inside Tibet and is a bridge between Tibetans in Tibet and the global. Current programs include Machik Weekend, Machik Khabda and Machik Gender Summit.
Machik has been able to achieve success in its programs without the political pitfalls that organisations have faced. Machik's staff speak both
Mandarin Chinese and
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
, and its educational efforts in the U.S. emphasize an understanding of Tibet within the broader system of international affairs, including Chinese governance.
References
{{reflist
Charities based in Washington, D.C.
Health in Tibet
Foreign charities operating in Tibet
Education in Tibet
Kham