I want to tell you a little about what your presence here tonight means. Six years ago I traveled from Normandy Beach to the far north of India to a small Himalayan town called Dharamsala. Dharamsala is home to the Dalai Lama and thousands of other refugees from Tibet. In 1950 Mao Zedong & the Chinese Communist forces invaded the peaceful, sovereign nation of Tibet in order to take advantage of its wealth of natural resources & strategic border with India. In the process, they stripped Tibetans, a people strongly devoted to their Buddhist religion and peaceful way or life, of their right to practice their religion and live their lives freely. In 1959, the Dalai Lama, who was then both spiritual and political leader of Tibet, was forced to escape to India due to word that the Chinese planned to have him assassinated. He has never returned.
Today, the situation in Tibet continues to grow worse. The Chinese government has banned the teaching of Tibetan language and history in Tibetan schools. A forced migration of millions of Han Chinese into the region has taken place in order to drown out Tibetans, and Tibetans found with even a photograph of the Dalai Lama can be killed or brutally tortured. In response, following the Dalai Lama, every day for the past 52 years a steady stream of Tibetan refugees has been entering India, on foot over the highest mountains in the world, escaping the violence & genocide of their homeland.
I initially went to Dharamsala to volunteer as an English teacher for a few months. There I met Tomer, my husband, and together our love & respect for Tibetan culture and our resolve to help them in their ongoing plight grew. Last summer I was back in Dharamsala, and it happened to be during the time of the men’s World Cup of Soccer. The town was in a frenzy. Soccer fever had hit the refugee community. We’d stay up all night watching games, cheering for our favorite teams, and pickup soccer games sprung up on every open patch of grass. Towards the end of it, I realized that at most of these events & viewings, I was the only female in attendance. Suddenly, the idea hit me: Tibetan girls & women should be playing soccer. I played soccer all my life, and now as a coach, I really understand how sports improved my self-confidence & provided a way for me to express myself that nothing else could. Could soccer serve as a vehicle to improve the lives of Tibetan refugee women? I posed this question to the President of the Tibetan National Sports Association. He said yes. So long story short, an amazing chain of events ensued that led to the formation of Tibet Women’s Soccer. The program has been approved by the Tibetan government-in-exile, and we will be working in partnership with the Tibetan National Sports Association and Tibetan schools to introduce a formal soccer training program for every girl who wants to participate.
Being refugees, the Tibetans don’t possess the money or the manpower to make this happen on their own. So, Tomer & I – and YOU- are going to make it happen for them. Every penny of the money raised here tonight will go towards purchasing gear, training coaches and providing transportation to and from games. There are no administrative costs and no salaries. Every penny to the girls. The hope is for Tibet Women’s Soccer to grow and grow, and for major corporate funding to latch on once we’re up and running. But for this first year, the support has come from our own community of friends & family. It has been unbelievable. Our dream, and the dreams of hundreds of Tibetan girls, are becoming a reality due to the incredible, unwavering generosity of people like you. Remember, you are just as much a part of this as Tomer and me. We could not even fathom taking on a project like this without you. Thanks to our parents, for supporting this rather unconventional career move. Thanks to Pita & Emily, for reminding me that anything is possible. Thanks to all our friends & family members who made tonight’s benefit possible, especially The Pilot House Restaurant, The Chapter House Restaurant & BBQ Bob & The Spareribs. Thanks to everyone who made a donation, whether it was online, in person or here tonight. We promise to do our absolute best work to make this program a success, in honor of all of you. Now, have fun, dance the night away, be free, and do it in the spirit of the Tibetan people, who value their freedom above of all else.
