Tsering Norzom Thonsur
Advisor, RAN Canada; Manager, Settlement Program, Parkdale Intercultural Association
Tsering Norzom Thonsur was born in India to Tibetan parents who fled their home following China’s occupation of Tibet in 1959. Her journey from India to Canada as a stateless refugee and her lived experience of grassroots advocacy for advancing the rights, freedom, and participation of Tibetan women at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and NGO Forum at the United Nations in New York, and the UN Fourth World Conference on Women 1995 has shaped the voices of Tibetan women at the international, national and local level in exile in India. In addition, Tsering advocated for Tibetan women’s rights in Tibet with many government leaders and NGOs during her tenure as president of the Central Tibetan Women’s Association, India, and the Ontario Chapter.
She is a social worker and manager of the Settlement Program at Parkdale Intercultural Association, which serves refugees and new immigrants. Tsering was instrumental in establishing the Settlement Program and the Tibetan Seniors Program. In her role, she oversees the programs by providing resettlement support, settlement planning, counseling, and advocating for accessible services to refugees and newcomers.
Tsering received her Master of Political Science from India, and Master of Social Work from the University of Windsor, and a Diploma in Refugee and Migrant Issues from York University. She is an Advisor of the Refugee Advisory Network of Canada and an activist in exile profiled on VOICES, an agent for Change.
Tsering is a role model in her community and continues to amplify support for global refugee rights and finding equitable and meaningful solutions.