Tibetan children living lives as refugees in India and Nepal away from their parents in an alien land have one hope -- to return home and live the rest of their lives and proud Tibetans allowed to follow their culture and traditions- an unreality in today's China occupied Tibet.

For many children who have faced daring and emotional escapes from their homeland, painting has come as a new and fulfilling medium to express their experiences of the past and hopes for a bright future. In 1992 two American women visiting India gave a colouring book and crayons to a young Tibetan boy, Tsering Choephel, just arrived after the arduous journey across the Himalayas from Tibet. Tsering became immediately absorbed in drawing a picture. It was the first time he had been able to play as a child in months.

From there, the Painting Club grew.

This lead to the development of the "Art Refuge" project initiated by the Friends of the Tibetan Women's Association and the Tibetan Homes Foundation School. The project aimed at providing a venue of creativity and healing for Tibetan refugee children. Paintings have ranged from children's reminiscences of their life in Tibet, their frightening journeys out of Tibet to their life in India.

These paintings are featured in a traveling exhibit and a book: The Art of Exile [http://www.fotwa.org/book/exile.html].

There is hope that Tibetan children will some day soon be able to go back to their homeland and live with their families in a free and respected country.

The Dalai Lama, the religious and State head of the Tibetan people has time and again pleaded with the Chinese government to declare Tibet an autonomous region ruled by Tibetans. Currently, not only are Tibetans not allowed to follow their own religion due to the Communist regime's atheistic philosophy, their children are also taught only Chinese and Mandarin curriculum that is developed in Beijing, not in Lhasa. Tibetan people have had to see everything that they treasure, tradition, religion, culture and freedom crushed by the Chinese Government.

Friends of Tibetan Women's Association (FOTWA) [www.fotwa.org]
Tibetan Homes Foundation School [http://www.tibetsociety.com/thf.asp]