Machik is a U.S.-based

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

whose mission is to grow a global community committed to a stronger future for

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. 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 Tibet, Tibetan regions, the others being Domey also known as Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The official name of this Tibetan region/province is Dotoe (). The original residents of ...

region of Tibet. The bilingual school opened in 2002. 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 The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

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 education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

of Tibetan descent Her LLB is from Oxford University, her LLM is from Cambridge University and she has a Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. She is now a Research Professor of International Affairs at the

Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...

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 Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

and Tibetan, 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