For me, its the the absoulte perfect mix of passions. And who said they contradict each other? (Well, I can re-call certain people saying that, but that’s fine. Opinions are opinions). Anyway, last year, I had the wonderful oppurunity of closely working with a Tibetan girl who we’ll call Dragon. Her & I were both members of the Executive team for UNICEF. Throughout the year, we ran into each other a few times outside of meetings/events, and this gave us a wonderful oppurtunity to talk about non-UNICEF topics. I quickly discovered one of Dragon’s biggest concerns; the recent violent invasion of the Peoples Liberation Army of China into Tibet. Along with the loss of many innocent lives, the Chinese government has begun to systamatically eradicate any and all Tibetan culture, displacing thousands of people in the process. Not only does this deny people of Tibet basic human rights, but breaks the Natural Law of Be and Let Be. The situation in Tibet, which very few people know about, is in stark disagreement with the United Nations Declartion of Human Rights, which is technically applied to all nations within the clause, of which China is one of the main officiators.
As one of the few Tibetan students on Campus, Dragon decided to leave UNICEF this year and persue a different cause, one that hit more close to home for her; literally. Free Tibet is an NGO based in London who “campaign for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of Tibetans to be respected”, and for whom Dragon acts as a Campus Representative for the University of Calgary.
Awarness is slowly, but surely, being created around the issues in Tibet, and people are quickly jumping on board, via Free Tibet, or on their own. Working for the advocacy of childrens right through UNICEF has taught me an integral concept in the realm of the non-government organizations; no one cause is greater then another, and it’s only via collaboration that we can finally begin to see systemic change in the world. That being said, the Dhonden Foundation is another NGO that supports Tibetan refugees, and with the help of FXDXV, a designer label based in Berlin, the pair are raising loads of funds to support and empower the child-monks in the Ganden Monastery in Karnataka, Tibet. 50% of all proceeds from the sale of just 14 fashion-forward tee-shirts with Pro-Tibet slogans on them designed by FXDXV, cover the annual cost of one child’s living and educational costs.
Discover the joys of Fashion & Philantrophy.
