Russil Wvong

5th Nepali Film Festival a success!

Vancouver’s 5th Nepali Film Festival, presented by TRAS and Langara College Continuing Studies on Sunday April 3, was a success! Eight Nepali films, screened twice each during the day, drew a crowd of film buffs and Nepal enthusiasts from around the Metro Vancouver region and Vancouver Island.

After seeing “Sherpas: The True Heroes of Mount Everest,” one audience member commented that he was glad to see a film about Everest told from the perspective of the Nepali Sherpas, while another said that the theatre was so crowded, he almost didn’t get a seat!

“The Rat Hunters” by Vancouver Nepali filmmaker, Pradeep Sharma, was so beautifully shot that Bobbie Morrison in the audience felt like she was actually on the cart with the traders. The film was a highlight for many who enjoyed the opportunity to meet Pradeep after the screening. Also a highlight was Dr. Ramjee Parajulee’s informative talk on Nepal which helped contextualize the films politically, socially and culturally.

Between films, festival attendees filled the vibrant Himalayan Market, browsing tables of beautiful Himalayan crafts, sampling Himalayan treats, meeting old friends and making new ones, and learning about great work being done in the Himalayas by Vancouver-based non-profits.

This was the first time Heather Turnbull had attended a Nepali Film Festival:

It’s always an incredible treat to transport yourself into another world on a Sunday morning in Vancouver. The Nepali Film Festival provided an incredible line up of films, and I had to spend the first few minutes deciding whether we should travel with the Sherpas up the Himalayan mountains or dive into the ritual and religion of a family in Kathmandu. Tough choice!

“Mukundo” was a beautiful cinematographic journey into the world of a family in Kathmandu. The story line, plot, characters and ending had me enthralled and moved. The gift of a great movie is that it stays with you for many days.

Walking into the Himalayan Market, I was struck by the colourful tables and delicious smells of food. I lost my friend a few times as he engaged in rich, and meaningful conversations with vendors passionate about their many connections to Nepal. Friends have always raved about momos and now I’m converted, looking forward to discovering more Nepali food and friends in Vancouver.

Evan Zaleschuk, with Zuru Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre, a vendor in the Himalayan Market, wrote:

Thanks for running a great festival. I thought it was very well organized and laid out. I enjoyed seeing many people I hadn’t seen in a long time and meeting new people as well. It was worth it for us to be there as well as support a worthy cause.

For festival volunteer Megha Shakya…

….it was a great event. I was happy to meet so many Nepal lovers there. TRAS has made an important showcase to the wider world about what it does and how it is helping people in the Himalayan regions. I just wish to express my appreciation to all who put in so much of their energies to make it a success. My son is also so grateful to have been given a chance to volunteer as a projectionist.

The Nepali Film Festival was a wonderful day! A huge thanks to the volunteers who organized and ran the event, our sponsors and to everyone for coming! If you missed it this year, don’t worry, there’s always next year….stay tuned.

Spring 2011 Newsletter

TRAS publishes a newsletter three times each year. Our Spring 2011 Newsletter, featuring information about the upcoming Nepali Film Festival on April 3, was recently mailed out. You can read it online in PDF format.

Buddha Academy Boarding School Vocational Training and Infirmary Maintenance Programs

Vocational Training

Buddha Academy Boarding School offers vocational training programs in tailoring, carpentry and electrical work to high-school students, fully funded by TRAS.

Tailoring Program

From its humble beginnings in the early 1990s, Buddha Academy Boarding School in Kathmandu has grown into a thriving institution, taking in and educating the poorest children: orphans, the disabled, street children and youth, and children of poverty-stricken villagers. The catalyst for this change was the Principal, the late Dorje Namgyal (who passed away in September, 2012).  Dorje was sponsored in his youth by a TRAS member and spent his adult life helping thousands of children and youth in need.

Carpentry Program

In the mid-1990s, TRAS paid for the vocational training classrooms to be built and has since been funding vocational training courses at the school. In the 1990s, these classes were the only way a student could be assured of a job. Now the academic excellence of Buddha Academy Boarding School is such that many students go to university or find office jobs. The vocational training courses are now given to all senior students as part of the regular school curriculum and are recognised by the Ministry of Education for the School Leaving Certificate. The vocational skills stand all the students in good stead in their own lives; and for those who want to continue studying in these fields, the vocational training courses offer a good foundation. Four recent graduates are studying engineering and surveying at university, thanks in part to the training they received in electrical work.

Electrician Training Program

Several students take the vocational training courses full time, and the spare places are offered to young people from outside the Academy who have had no chance for an education – often their families have come in desperation to Kathmandu looking for work, and there is nothing for their children. Again, the success rate is high, with carpentry students getting good jobs in the furniture making industry, and tailoring students finding work in clothing factories and fashion houses. Several graduates return to their original villages, where their skills will be useful.

Infirmary Maintenance

Infirmary at Buddha Academy
Infirmary at Buddha Academy

Buddha Academy Boarding School is also concerned with the health of the children in its care. When they first arrive at the school, many of the children are malnourished and ill.  More severe medical problems are dealt with at a hospital, but the well- equipped school clinic looks after the daily needs of the children and copes with all minor illnesses. The children are generally very healthy. Over 600 children and 70 staff use the clinic, with daily visits from 25 – 35 children..

Recently the growing school population has resulted in the hiring of a second full time nurse. The good news here is that the young lady hired was a student of Buddha Academy herself, and has now returned to help the institution which gave her such a good start in life.

In 2014, TRAS completed funding of the vocational training and infirmary maintenance.  We thank all the donors and volunteers who supported the children during our partnership for over 20 years and wish the school every success in the future.

Dekyiling Tibetan Handicraft Centre Crèche

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.