Since 1995, TRAS has supported the training of nurses in Dharamsala, Northern India. In partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government in exile), and with the full support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, TRAS’ longest-running project continues to transform the lives of bright young Tibetan women.
Each year, TRAS funds up to eight students pursuing their General Nursing (BSc Nursing) degrees. Throughout the three-year academic program and two-year internship, we remain in close contact with each student, monitoring progress and celebrating their achievements. Their training includes curative and preventative care, health education, midwifery, and traditional Tibetan medicine.
The Central Tibetan Administration, Dept of Education wrote in their July 2026 report “The scholarship support provided by TRAS Canada has played a vital role in enabling these students to continue their education, gain professional skills, and work towards their goal of becoming competent and compassionate professionals.”
TRAS is proud to report that nearly every student we have supported has successfully graduated. Many return to their home communities, where skilled health professionals are urgently needed. Today, almost all our graduates immediately find work in one of the seven hospitals, four health centres, or 43 clinics serving Tibetan communities across India and Nepal. Through their new profession, they enrich their own lives while giving back to the communities that raised them.
Every year, students from Tibetan settlements apply for the scholarship. As each young woman graduates, she is replaced by another promising student eager to serve her community.
As an ongoing project, TRAS has contributed $132,525 CAD to the CTA Department of Education and supported 74 students. Of these, 8 are still in school and 58 successfully completed their BSc Nursing degrees. The remaining 8 withdrew due to changes in academic direction, health challenges, or emigration.
Lhakyi is currently studying in the second year of the GNM program. During this academic year, she has attended theoretical classes and actively participated in clinical postings, which form an essential part of nursing education.
Her clinical duties from 8:00 am to 4:00 om provide her with practical exposure to patient care, musing procedures, patient communication, medical documentation, and assisting senior healthcare professionals.
Her studies include Medical-Surgical Nursing 1 and 2, Child Health Nursing, and Mental Health Nursing. The combination of academic learning and clinical experience continue to strengthen her knowledge, skills and confidence as a future nurse.
Your donations will help us sustain the CTA Nurses Training Project and ensure more young Tibetan women can train as nurses.
Click here for ways to donate
Read their annual reports below
CTA Tibetan Nurses Training Report May 2021
CTA Tibetan Nurses Training Report May 2022
CTA Tibetan Nurses Training Report April 2023
CTA Tibetan Nurses Training Report May 2024
CTA Tibetan Nurses Training Project May 2025
Sonam Y. wrote “I would like to thank my TRAS Canada and DOE (Tibetan Department of Education) for the scholarship provided during my three-year General Nursing course. I am grateful for this scholarship.”