Russil Wvong

Bob Walker Memorial Fund

Dr. Bob Walker of Victoria, BC passed away peacefully on the 30th of April, 2022.

Bob was born on the 15th of May, 1936, in Nottingham, England. He attended Lancaster Royal Grammar school, then Newcastle Medical School. After graduation, his first job was working in Bedford, England. In 1965 he emigrated to Canada, along with his wife Dorothy (nee Cowan) and two young children – Liz and Al. They settled in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Bob practiced medicine for ten years at the Port Arthur clinic. During that time, a second son, Dave, was born. In 1974, Bob and his family moved to Vernon, BC, where he practiced as a GP. While they were living in Vernon, Dorothy passed away in 1977, and Bob became a widower.

Bob then met his future wife Janice (nee Mann), whom he married in 1980. They welcomed a new addition to the family, a daughter – Szu. After retirement, Bob and Janice moved to Vancouver, BC and later relocated to Victoria, BC.

Bob was a kind, gentle, compassionate and courageous man in his own humble way. He was an avid bird-watcher, enjoyed playing guitar and going for walks in the countryside, and loved British antique sports cars and car racing. He and Janice had the privilege of traveling to many parts of the world, such as East Africa, the Galapagos islands, and India. Bob was a practicing Buddhist and was ordained by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012 with the Dharma name True Profound Achievement.

Bob and Janice sponsored the education of children in the Himalayas through the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) for many years. If you would like to make a donation to TRAS to honour and celebrate Bob’s life, you can do so by:

  • E-transfer to email address: info@tras.ca and add reference “Bob Walker Memorial Fund”
  • Credit card online via CanadaHelps
  • Credit card by phoning the TRAS office at 604-224-5133 (the phone line is monitored regularly)
  • Cheque made out to TRAS. Please note “Bob Walker Memorial Fund” on the bottom of the cheque, and mail it to:

    TRAS
    1183 Melville St
    Vancouver, BC, V6E 2X5

Thank you for honouring Bob’s memory.

TRAS Projects – An Overview

Since 1962, TRAS has funded an array of projects in India, Nepal and Tibet. These range from a large ten-year integrated rural development project amounting to nearly $1million, to ongoing multi-year educational and health-related projects of $30,000 to $60,000 each, to smaller projects needing annual or one-time donations of $2,000 or $5,000. TRAS has funded just over 300 projects in the region.

The early thrust of TRAS’s work was directed to supporting Tibetan refugees. Later TRAS funds contributed to the creation of the Tibetan settlements in northern and southern India. In the 1980s, TRAS reached out to Indian villages near and beyond the Tibetan settlements, and gradually was able to take on larger integrated rural development projects in Nepal as well. Current TRAS-supported projects continue to support our belief that communities thrive when their children are healthy and educated.

TRAS works in partnership with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India, Nepal and Tibet. We send no westerners abroad to manage or to work on projects. We value the fact that we are able to assist local NGOs in their efforts to help their own people.

The benefits of working through local NGOs include:

  • Local NGOs know the needs of their own communities
  • Their projects are culturally and economically viable
  • The local NGOs are strengthened in their ability to manage projects
  • Using local workers and supplies supports the local economy

The current projects are described below.  (Click on the link for more information).

Support future nursing students through the Nurses Vocational Training Project

Support Indian village children’s health and education through the Voice of Children Projects

Support the education of Nepalese village children through the READI Nepal Humla Education Project

Support promising young students in post secondary education through the TRAS Scholarship Fund (TSF)

Midwifery training through the Innovative Development Education Academy (IDEA)

Voice of Children Covid-19 Emergency Response

Personal Protection Equipment for Tibetan Healthcare Workers in Nepal

To see the regions where TRAS-funded projects are located, please see the map of currently funded projects.

Voice of Children Library Maintenance Project

Library Maintenance Project:

Signing out a book
Signing out a book

Libraries have been opened in 20 villages bringing books, periodicals and newspapers to villagers for the first time. Children and youth are making good use of these, many adults are showing a keen interest in learning to read, and the libraries are becoming a hub for village meetings and discussions. Children’s ‘book clubs’ have started, and school attendance has improved. Government school teachers are using the library books for teaching their classes.

The good news is that registered card holder numbers have increased, and now 1,252 children and adults are using the libraries. Some of the increase is attributed to word of mouth advertising and also to the relocation of two libraries within their villages, making them accessible to nearby villages as well. TRAS promised to support the libraries for three years, to pay for new books, newspaper subscriptions and the librarian honorarium. Already some libraries are run by the villages, it is hoped more will soon be independent, and a scheme to collect gently used books from nearby towns is in hand.

Dekyiling Tibetan Handicraft Centre Crèche

Project #284 – 2009-2016

While their parents work, babies, toddlers and young children are well cared for in the Dekyiling Tibetan Handicraft Centre Crèche, fully funded by TRAS.

History of the Dekyiling Tibetan Settlement

The Dekyiling Tibetan Settlement was created in 1980 for the Tibetan refugees from Bhutan. The Government of India and the Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC) of the Dalai Lama’s Government-in-Exile together set up a small settlement outside Dehra Dun, in the foothills of the Himalayas. The CTRC purchased 33 acres of land, and within days, the typical tent city of a refugee camp started changing into a permanent little town. One of the objectives from the start was to preserve the traditional Tibetan art of weaving their vibrant carpets and sturdy fabrics.
Dekyiling 1980s

Handicraft Centre

A workshop was built, paid for by TRAS, where skilled artisans could work and train newly arrived refugees. Today TRAS sells beautiful handicrafts made at Dekyiling. These can be purchased at our office or at one of our events. 

Weavers at the handicraft centre

Crèche

At the same time, a crèche (or day care centre) was built for the babies and toddlers of the young women in training. Today, their weaving and tailoring continue to be the main source of income in the community. The crèche allows the women to work full-time, while two ayas (care-givers) provide the toddlers with an early education, loving care, and good nutrition. Kindergarten children come to the crèche after school.  Boiled milk, fruit and vitamin supplements give these children the extras needed for good health.
Crèche children with their two ayas

At present there are 30 children in the crèche: babies, toddlers and kindergarten-aged children. Although the weavers are paid for what they produce, their incomes are not sufficient to pay for costs of the crèche. Very few of these young parents from Bhutan and Tibet have older family members to care for their children, so TRAS has stepped in to help.

Supporting the crèche gives a good start to the children, training and self-respect to their mothers, and an income for their families.

Watch the Three TRAS Projects video that includes the story of Dekyiling Handicraft Centre and Crèche.