Gender,Development,and Empower ment in Qinghai Province

A report on the initiatives of Shem, a Qinghai-based Tibetan women's group dedicated to empowering Tibetan women and their communities through grassroots development.

"Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women and the incorporation of women's perspectives in all levels of decision making, the goals of development [...] cannot be achieved"

--Beijing Platform for Action, 1995

More than a decade ago, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, six thousand delegates from 189 different countries gathered in Beijing to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity (Beijing 1995). The participants in the Beijing Platform for Action declared it "Essential to design, implement and monitor, with the full participation of women, effective, efficient and mutually reinforcing gender-sensitive policies and programs, including development policies and programs, at all levels that will foster the empowerment and advancement of women" (Beijing 1995). Since this groundbreaking conference, China has seen a rise in activism on behalf of women.

Women's right activists, with the help of the Women's Federation, have galvanized support and funding for the fight against domestic violence. In addition, several universities around the country have established Gender Studies centers dedicated to research and teaching (China Development Brief 2005). But the majority of this vibrant activity on behalf of women has occuredin the easternmost parts of the country. This begs the question: "What advancements for women have been made in the rest of China?" This article focuses on development work being done by Tibetans in Qinghai Province and how this work reflects the goals stated more than ten years ago in Beijing.

A main goal stated at the Beijing conference was to create a people-centered sustainable development. There it was noted that, "Non-governmental organizations have [...] become catalysts for new approaches to development."(Beijing 1995) This statement clearlyapplies to Qinghai Province, where locally driven grassroots development is now thriving. Since the late 1990's, NGOs such asthe Jinpa Foundation and the Snowland Service Group in Yushu Prefecture; the Sanchuan Development Association in Haidong Region ; and the Gendun Chompol Fund in Tongren County have been successful in implementing efficient, effective, and sustainable small-scale development projects in nearly every corner of the province (Young 2003). Together, these locally led NGOs have successfully raised millions of yuan to implement projects that improve local education, health care, and the local economy. In line with the goals of the Beijing platform, many of these NGOs are particularly concerned with the health, education, and welfare of women. But despite their innovative and effective approaches to people-centered development, these NGOs have fallen one step short of meeting the goals voiced in Beijing--they are all led by men. Hence, an additionalis needed in Qinghai to meet the Beijing goal of involving women in every level of decision-making, including the important role of leadership.

In an attempt to address this issue, Shem, a Tibetan Women's group formed in March of 2005, has focused on the empowerment of Tibetan women and their communities.Shem trains young, educated Tibetan women from rural areas to design, implement and monitor their own grassroots development projects.In their first year of operation, with the help of their American teacher Michelle Kleisath, the members of Shem raised nearly 40,000 USD and successfully implemented six development projects in impoverished Tibetan communities. These projects were funded by private donors and international funding organizations, including the British Embassy, the Canada Fund, the German Embassy, and the Royal Netherlands Embassy.

The number of projects completed is significant; before this group's existence, no Tibetan woman in Qinghai had fully designed, implemented, and monitored her own grassroots development project.By providing educated Tibetan women with the skills and resources necessary to complete small-scale development projects, Shem Women's Group addresses the need for female leadership at the village level where the young female managers work with locals and village leaders to implement projects. In addition, the group endeavors to foster female leadership within Qinghai's NGO community. Now in its second year, Shem is run by two full-time staff, Chugpi Lhamo of Aba County, Sichuan and Lhamotso of Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai. Currently, these core staff are running a development workshop for 13 Tibetan women students of Qinghai Normal University and fielding more development project proposals. Shem's goal for itssecond year is to double the number of projects successfully completed. Enthusiastic about their early success, Shem hopes to contribute to the realization of the Beijing commitment.

A Philosophy of Empowerment

Empowerment has always been a primary focus of Shem Women's Group. Before understanding Shem's work, it is important to understand the definition of this keyconcept.Since the early 1990's, the term "empowerment" has been embraced by many international NGO's, especially those focused on women. According to Marilee Karl (1995), empowerment is a collective process whereby people gain control over resources and participate more fully in decision-making that affects their lives. Karl's definition of empowerment involves four key steps:

1. Awareness building about women's situation, discrimination, rights and opportunities as a step towards gender equity. Collective awareness building provides a sense of group identity and reveals the power of working as a group.

2. Capacity building and skills development, especially the ability to plan, make decisions, organize, manage and carry out activities to deal with people and institutions.

3. Participation, and greater control over decision-making power at home and within the local community.

4. Action to bring about greater equality between men and women.

In summary, empowerment is a process of building awareness and capacity so as to cultivate greater participation and transformative action. In her report Empowering Women, Muraleedharan adds an important component to this definition, asserting that, in addition to helping one gain control over resources, empowerment is a process that enhances self-esteem (2005).

Using these definitions of empowerment as a basis, Shem Group's aim to address the need for female leadership within Qinghai's NGO community can be better understood.

All of Shem's current members are currently students or graduates of the English Training Program in the Qinghai Nationalities Teacher's College,

Qinghai Normal University.This program, started in 1997, recruits top Tibetan students from across the Tibetan Plateau to participate in English major programs. Competency in English provides students of the ETP with an important link to the outside world. The philosophy behind the English Training Program is not only to learn English, but to put it to practical use. It is from this pool of talented students that Shem began.

From Ideas to Action

Students of the English Training Program are fluent in Tibetan, Chinese, and English, which opens up a world of opportunities that would not otherwise exist. It is here that the work of Shem began, in October of 2003, as an English-medium gender studies course taught by Michelle Kleisath, a teacher in the English Training Program. This course has been crucial to the group's success, and has grounded it in Karl's first step of empowerment: awareness building about women's situation, discrimination, rights and opportunities.

The main goal of this gender studies course was to raise awareness about women's position around the world, and create a supportive environment where women could discuss gender-specific concerns. After two semesters of class, student evaluations reflected their views on the new course:"I liked it because we learned how to bring together ideas and discuss things that we barely talked about before. Now we feel connected to all the women in the world. [We learned] to be conscious of the reality lying before us, and face problems rather than hide from them" (Class Evaluation 2004).

Another student commented: "I've learned many different theories which made me think and gave me free space to have my own ideas and share with other people" (2004).

After one year of study, participants suggesteda more action-oriented approach, reflecting a need to move towards Karl's second step in empowerment: capacity building and increased participation within the community."I think we should do more than discuss ideas," said one student, "After all, we have to prove that we are capable of doing things that others think we can't"(class evaluation 2004).Another reported, "I think it is important to carry out these [ideas] in real life" (2004).

The group's next step was to decide what action to take. A pivotal moment for the group was their decision to channel their desire to help women into grassroots development. "We decided that if we could do small-scale development, that would be the most effective way to help the women in our communities," said Chugpilhamo, from Aba, adding, "But we didn't know how to do it" (2006).

At the request of the women, their teacher Michelle Kleisath designed a grassroots development skills training class where students learned how to plan, organize, manage, and implement development projects. At a recent Shem Group meeting, Chugpilhamo commented on the challenges she faced while carrying out her project:

My villagers asked me to design a bridge. At first, I had no idea how to do this. I didn't know the price of concrete, how to find a contractor, or how to write up a contract with skilled construction workers. On the one hand, I needed to fulfill the donor's requirements, and on the other hand, I needed to get permission from the local government, and please everyone else involved in the project. It was a slow and difficult process, but I figured it out, and when my project was funded, I knew what to do (2006).

With the tools gained in the development course, Chugpilhamo and her peers became adept at navigating institutions around them--both at the local and international level.

Women's empowerment: a dual approach

In implementing their small-scale development projects, the women of Shem fulfill steps three and four of Karl's definition of empowerment: They take direct action to bring about greater gender equality by becoming key players in the development of their communities. Their projects not only directly benefit local women, but also their role as female project managers works to change negative stereotypes about women's capabilities.

The majority of the projects that Shem group members implement are designed to directly benefit women. Women shoulder much of the burden caused by limited access to clean water, electricity, basic health care, and basic education, and no one knows better how to lighten this burden than the women themselves. Shem group members have first hand knowledge of what is needed to improve the lives of women in local communities.They design their projects to give village women more free time, better health, and safer access to fuel and water.

In addition, by serving as project managers Shem members are the links to the resources needed to bring development initiatives into their communities. Thus, they positively influence the perception of women in the larger Tibetan community. In skillfully designing, securing funding for, implementing, and monitoring much needed small-scale projects, group members help dispel myths about women's intellectual inferiority in their communities. They also serve as positive examples of the outstanding results that educated women can produce, encouraging families to send more of their girls to school, and give greater opportunities to local women.

Wendedrolma, who completed a potable water project in her nativeYushu, witnessed firsthand this transformation of perspective:

After the project was completed, five new families said that they are going to send their girls to school. These families have begun to appreciate women's increased abilities as a result of being educated, because the project manager was a woman. In addition, the local people realized the use of education and said that they were convinced that education is a way to get rid of poverty (Survey 2006).

Tseyangtso, who completed a solar electricity generating panel project in Hainan Prefecture, echoed this sentiment, "[My] project is not only providing people something in their daily lives, but also teaching them the importance of education. They have started to think about men and women from a new perspective" (Survey 2006).

Samtsogye, who plans to build a paved footpath for an impoverished group of nuns in her native Labrang, had this to add: "The people in my community respect me and say that I am a good example for their children. After I began collecting information for my proposal, I heard one neighbor say 'she is better than a man, because she is doing a [development] project, but no man has ever done anything like this in our community!" (Survey 2006). Hence, Shem member's efforts begin a new cycle of empowerment within each of their respective communities. They raise awareness about women's abilities, and by encouraging the education of girls, build local women's capacity. This in turn creates an environment more receptive to the perspectives and decision-making power of local women.

Empowerment and self-esteem

According to a survey of Shem's members completed in 2006, participation in the group has had a significant effect on their self-confidence. Out of eight group members who responded to the survey, all reported an increase in self-confidence as a result of completing their project. Samtsogye commented, "After I did the project, I felt I could do something very important for my people, my community, and my village sisters. I became more confident and full of energy; wanting to participate in every event" (Survey 2006).

Wendedrolma added,"I have foundthat it is not the nature of women that hinders us from a bright future. What matters is our confidence and devotion along the way. As an result of completing my project, I believe that I can do a lot for those who need help, and I have confidence in myself" (Survey 2006).

For many members, this reported increase in self-confidence and the pride of their community combined to create a truly transformative experience. "When I went back to Jemda, everyone was waiting for me, and they all stood up and cheered," says Sonamjid, who implemented a yak loan project in Golok Prefecture, Qinghai, "They were so happy, and they couldn't stop thanking me for what I had done" (2006).

Chugpilhamo expressed a similar sentiment: "After I did my project, not only was I proud, but my parents and relatives were also proud of me. This gave me courage to do more projects and decide my own future because my parents and relatives believe in my strength" (Survey 2006).

Using their philosophy of empowerment, the members of Shem Women's Group have successfully begun to incorporate women's perspectives and participation in all levels of NGO work. In addition to adding a new voice and crucial dimension to Qinghai's burgeoning group of NGOs, the women of Shem hope to help western China take one step further towards "A transformed partnership based on equality between women and men, [an essential] condition for people-centered sustainable development," a goal voiced over ten years ago at the Beijing Platform for Action. With an eye to the future and an enthusiastic appetite for women's empowerment, Shem group members are confident that their work has only just begun.

Michelle Kleisath was born in California, USA, in 1981. She graduated from the University of California, Davis, in 2003 with a BA degree in Spanish and Women and Gender Studies. In 2003, she moved to Xining, Qinghai where she now teaches Sociology, and Gender Studies and assists in managing Shem Women's Group.