Shem Women's Group

Empower and support Tibetan women’s leadership

Shem USA was formed in response to a critical lack of Tibetan women’s leadership within Tibetan areas of the People’s Republic of China. In recent years, many international organizations have been formed to alleviate poverty and improve standards of living in Tibetan areas of China, some of which focus specifically on women and children’s health. However, almost none of the current development initiatives in Tibetan areas of China are led and directed by Tibetan women. Given the critical role that Tibetan women play in the rural economy, cultural preservation, and the Tibetan home, we at Shem USA feel that Tibetan women’s leadership is crucial to the successful development of Tibetan areas of China.

1. We trust and respect the opinions, ideas, experience and abilities of Tibetan women and their communities,

2. We believe in generating leadership by empowering women to implement the projects that they feel are necessary rather than determining what they need

3. We focus on women and believe that women working together can achieve greater gender equality