2019-2020 Project # 327
Munsel-ling School requested support in a much needed roof repair. This project was successfully completed.
Read about this project in our October 2019 newsletter.
A wonderful report was sent to TRAS from the school, read here on their achievements.
2021 Project # 338
Dekyiling submitted a request for assistance in replacing their outdated office computers.
“Today, I am here to make a special request for the administration section that we are running our office works mostly from the desk of the Manager and the Accountant/Secretary for the daily administrative and welfare work of the Society. Dekyiling Tibetan Handicraft Society was established in the year 1982 in the northern Indian town of Dehradun with the aims and objective to promote Tibetan traditional Arts & Crafts and its preservation. The society has been successful to live up to the expectations of the people with very kind support from our donors/supporters without which it had not been at this stage now. So we express our sincere gratitude to all those who have extended their valuable support for children’s education, grannies, welfare and projects at the time of need.
Coming to the proposal, the administrative working computer set (desktop) of both the Manager and the Accountant/Secretary are quite outdated models of 2012 which often creates problems causing loss of saved data/documents resulting in administrative obstacles and disturbances. Hence, we request you for funding of 2 desktop computers which are costing around Rs.46,100 X 2 sets= INRs.92,200 as of today if the cost does not fluctuate. We are sure that your good office will look into our proposal favourably and help us for a better working of our office.”
The CTA is no longer funding admin costs for the small settlements in India. As you can imagine handicraft sales are a way down due to the COVID pandemic so they did not have the available funds for this purchase.
TRAS was able to fund this project – $1,626
Dekyiling reported in December 2021 the successful installation of two computers.
2020-2021 Project # 329
TRAS is a long-time supporter of the Munsel-ling School in the Spiti Valley, in northern India, since it opened in 1996.
In 2018 the School constructed 12 dry toilets with urinals for the boys. The toilets were very useful during the winter but during the summer they created a dreadful smell around the school and campus.
Early in 2020 Munsel-ling School approached TRAS for help with building a permanent block of flush toilets for girls and boys. The Indian Government is now very active in working towards the health and sanitation of the students in the schools. So with TRAS promising half the needed funds , Munsel-ling was able to obtain the other half from the government, and construction started when the road to the Valley opened in the early spring. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic all construction has been stopped, and the project was on hold until at least later in the spring of 2021.
Construction restarted in 2021 and a large block of toilets were built incorporating the flush toilets for use in milder weather and the dry latrine toilets for use in the freeze of winter.
TRAS raised $5,000 to cover the funds sent in 2020 and an additional $3,970 when the building restarted. The project was completed in 2021.
Tibetans in India urgently need oxygen and essential medical supplies to treat the growing numbers of COVID-19 patients. We’ve promised to help!
TRAS has promised to raise $10,000 right away and a further $10,000 as soon as possible to supply the Tibetan hospitals with lifesaving oxygen supplies and to help the COVID-19 Care Centres with medical supplies and care. They are supporting themselves as much as they can – can we reach out to give them a helping hand?
$1,000 will buy a lifesaving oxygen concentrator.
$500 will help supply a Care Centre.
COVID-19 has now struck the Tibetan communities in India in spite of their early precautions and careful plans for keeping safe. Dharamsala and Dehradun/Dekyiling settlements have been particularly hard hit. The Tibetan hospitals in those two communities are looking after the severe cases and desperately need help to supply lifesaving oxygen. Oxygen concentrators will be extremely useful during the pandemic to give a continuous supply of oxygen to the critically ill patients and can be re-used for years.
Eight of the small Tibetan health facilities in India have been designated COVID-19 Care Centres for the mild and moderate cases. Funds are urgently needed to help these health facilities to procure essential medicines, food for patients in isolation, testing kits, PPE kits, additional emergency staff.
Let’s provide our Tibetan friends with all we can to help them save lives!
Thank you!
For more than 20 years, TRAS has supported the 500 students and staff at Munsel-ling School, located in the Spiti Valley region of northern India. Residents of Spiti Valley experience harsh winter conditions — with temperatures often plunging to -30°C and below — which results in annual road closures between neighbouring towns for up to eight months of the year. The remoteness of Munsel-ling School means that self-sufficiency is of the utmost importance.
This year, TRAS is fundraising to support the purchase and installation of 68 rocket stoves, which will replace all of the iron stoves at Munsel-ling School. These rocket stoves are made locally in Himachel Pradesh and installed by a merchant from the nearby town of Kaza. The iron stoves that are currently installed will be sold for recycling.
The need to fund these rocket stoves is twofold. First, the rocket stoves will decrease the amount of smoke within the school, which will have a positive influence on the respiratory health of students, staff, and volunteers. Second, the rocket stoves are more efficient than their iron counterparts, which means that fewer resources, like wood and cow dung, need to be expended in order to heat the classrooms, dormitories, and staff quarters at Munsel-ling School.
Health
Woodsmoke pollution has been shown to increase the risk of respiratory disorders and genetic defects in children. In mountain deserts like the Spiti Valley, communities often burn cow dung because wood is a scarce resource. This also affects lung health, as up to 25% of the arsenic found within cow dung can be absorbed into human respiratory tracks when it is burned. All of this may increase susceptibility to serious respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
The rocket stoves that TRAS is fundraising for are 90% smokeless. As it uses 50% less materials to produce the same amount of heat, less cow dung can be used to fuel Munsel-ling School during the frigid winter months. This means healthier lungs and happier kids.
Sustainability
Spiti Valley is located in a mountain desert with little forest cover and sparse vegetation. As a result, the region is not conducive to lumber production or cattle raising, meaning that firewood is expensive and cow dung is hard to come by.
The rocket stoves TRAS is fundraising for consume 50% less materials than the iron stoves currently installed at Munsel-ling School, while producing the same amount of heat. Because the stoves contain a secondary combustion chamber, less energy and heat are lost, making it a far more efficient alternative. The replacement of these stoves therefore promotes both environmental sustainability and economic efficiency.
Total donations needed: $20,322
