What is Shem USA?
The mission of Shem Women’s Group USA is to empower and support Tibetan women’s leadership within the People’s Republic of China.
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.
From 2003-2007, Christina Michelle Kleisath, Shem USA’s founding president, lived and worked with Tibetans in Qinghai province, China.. She was instrumental in forming the first organization in China run by and for Tibetan women, Shem Women’s Group in Tibet (www.shemgroup.org), which works to empower Tibetan women and their communities through grassroots development. Shem Women’s Group in Tibet has been remarkably successful its mission to empower young Tibetan women. With the support of this women’s group, 15 young educated Tibetan women have designed, managed, and successfully implemented completed 17 small scale development projects, bringing running water, solar electricity, infrastructure, and income generation to their impoverished communities across the Tibetan plateau. Before this organization’s existence, projects designed and managed by Tibetan women were unheard of in Qinghai Province.
Since its formation in 2005, Shem Women’s Group in Tibet has gained support both locally and internationally. The women’s group has gained recognition from other local groups working in Qinghai province such as Khams Khampo Association, San Chuan Development Association, and Snowland Service group, and also won grants from well known international donors like the Global Fund for Women, the COMO Foundation, and Misereor in Germany. The group has thus successfully created a new model for women’s leadership in Tibetan areas of China.
Inspired by the remarkable success of Shem Women’s Group in Tibet, The vision of Shem USA is to further develop and expand Tibetan women’s leadership in Tibetan areas of China, supporting existing women’s groups like Shem Women’s Group in Tibet, and encouraging the formation of new female run initiatives. “Shem” means charity and compassion in Tibetan. These concepts are at the heart of our work.
