Tibetan language is under severe pressure in Tibet, where increasing numbers of young children are being separated from their parents and compelled to undergo education at Chinese-medium boarding schools. We believe the acceleration of repressive policies in Tibet makes the vitality of Tibetan language in exile more critical than ever, and work with multiple partners to ensure the next generation of Tibetans sustains its linguistic and cultural identity.

To promote Tibetan language learning at all age levels, we support production of animation videos for children, living culture videos, and audiobooks on historical figures.  We also support development of Tibetan language apps and online learning tools. Current projects include a children’s dictionary, a spelling and grammar check app, and AI models for machine translation, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and optimal character recognition.  Language learning is also the primary focus of our Tibetan Early Grade Reading Program, which distributes high quality Tibetan language children’s books to schools and parents.  

We work with multiple partners in India to organize immersive language and culture programs for Tibetan youth. Programs range from two months to three years, with the longest covering Tibetan history, philosophy, poetry, and literature, giving students the opportunity to learn these subjects at an advanced level. A six-month course gives college students the opportunity to study Tibetan grammar, religious history, dialectics, and philosophy, and shorter courses focus more intensively on language learning. A summer program brings Tibetan college students from the U.S. and Canada to India to study Tibetan language, history, philosophy, and meditation during their summer vacation.

In Nepal, we support adult literacy classes in the remote border regions of Monjor, Namche, Rasuwa, Solukhumbu and Walung, where there are large Tibetan-origin Himalayan communities. Hundreds of participants, mostly female, attended these classes, where they learn to read and recite Tibetan texts.