News

The Sambhota Schools Publishing Project is now complete!

All 20 books of the classical Tibetan Tokjoe stories have been published, and 1,000 copies of each book have been distributed between 70 Tibetan schools and institutes in India, Nepal and Bhutan. The books are appealing, with charming, colourful illustrations, and teachers are already reporting that they are popular with the children.  The Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society thanks TRAS members for their kind financial assistance for this project, stating that their two goals of encouraging the children to read Tibetan books and to learn the message of developing compassion for others are being met.  The books are also published online, for the Tibetan diaspora, at http://sambhota.org/book_web/1.html

Press Release: Dalai Lama Congratulates TRAS

Dalai Lama congratulates Vancouver’s Trans-Himalayan Aid Society on 50th Anniversary

Little known piece of Vancouver history

October 15, 2012, Vancouver: Vancouver-based charity, the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) is celebrating 50 years—a huge accomplishment for a local charity run by volunteers. TRAS supports health and education projects for children and youth in northern India, Nepal and Tibet. 

In a personal letter of congratulations to TRAS, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote:  

“I am happy to learn that the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Since the Society was founded in 1962, it has given significant support to Tibetan refugees… I would like to express my appreciation of the good work TRAS has done over the last 50 years with my prayers for their continued success in the future.” 

A relatively unknown part of Vancouver history, TRAS was founded in 1962 by George Woodcock, one of Canada’s most prolific and honoured writers, and his wife, Inge. The Woodcocks, on a trip to India in 1961, met His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After witnessing the plight of Tibetan refugees, and at the request of the Dalai Lama, the Woodcocks returned to Vancouver and founded TRAS. Now, five decades later, and with an expanded mandate to support Indian and Nepali communities in the Himalayas as well, TRAS is still going strong. 

Over the past 50 years TRAS has given millions of dollars to a range of projects in the Himalayas. Using an empowering, grass-roots approach to development, TRAS raises funds for Himalayan partner organizations who implement projects in their own communities. TRAS has no overseas staff and does not send volunteers abroad, preferring to work with local partners in the Himalayas, using local expertise and materials to address some of the social, economic, medical and environmental needs of the region. 

“TRAS is extremely proud to be celebrating 50 years of supporting communities in the Himalayas,” says TRAS President, Jennifer Hales. “TRAS has a rich history and continues to evolve as it responds to the changing needs of the region. Over the years, some of us have had the honour of meeting people who have been positively impacted by TRAS. These successes show what a difference a dedicated group of volunteers can make.”

 

 

 

Honouring the Centenary of George Woodcock’s birth – May 8, 2012

George and inge Woodcock with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the 1960s

TRAS is well into the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of its founding by George Woodcock – and now we honour the 100th anniversary of George’s birth!

One hundred years ago, on May 8, 1912, George Woodcock was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  He was soon taken back to England by his parents to a rather austere life – and who would have thought that 100 years later we would be honouring the memory of a man who became one of Canada’s most celebrated men of letters and the founder of not one but three charities which have helped thousands of people at home and abroad!

Alan Twigg, author and publisher of BC Book World, recently wrote Tibetans in Exile about the Woodcocks, their extraordinary lives and the impact they had on so many people through their charitable work.

We at TRAS are well aware of the story of how one couple from Vancouver quietly made such a difference, but for the sake of newer TRAS members, allow us to introduce you to George Woodcock and his wife, Inge.

George became Canada’s most prolific and remarkable man of letters. He returned from England in 1949 to build a cabin in Sooke, British Columbia, with his German-born wife Ingeborg.  They struggled in those early days, but eventually George went on to write and edit over 150 books.  He taught English literature at UBC, and some of his students are still members of the charities he founded.

In 1961, George went to India to do research for a book. And that’s when the coincidences – or karma  – began.  Inge had always been fascinated by Tibet, and seeing the word on a door at All India Radio in Delhi, she knocked and went in.  The meeting with the Tibetan couple working there (broadcasting world news into an occupied Tibet) led to the Woodcocks going to the hill station of Mussoorie, where a Tibetan noblewoman, Mrs. Rinchen Taring, and her husband Jigme  had started an orphanage and school.  The Woodcocks  were moved by the plight of the children in ragged clothes and no shoes, sleeping five to a mattress with one thin blanket in the Himalayan winter  and surviving on thin soup and momos, steamed wheat dumplings.  Lessons were held outside on the ground, because there was no building large enough to hold the hundreds of children recently arrived from Tibet. The incidence of sickness and death was high. When George and Inge expressed their dismay and wondered how to help, a young Tibetan girl, Khando, told them that they “must absolutely come and see Uncle!” Khando was the Dalai Lama’s niece.

A long journey to Dharamsala led to the meeting which changed the Woodcocks’ lives forever, and through them, the lives of countless Tibetan refugees. They discovered a similar scene of dire need at the nursery run by the Dalai Lama’s sister. Their 20 minute meeting with the young Dalai Lama stretched to two hours, ranging over Buddhism, the future of Tibet, the plight of the refugees and the plans that had been growing in the Woodcocks’ minds to found some kind of organisation in Canada for aiding the Tibetans.

The result, on their return to Vancouver, was the founding of the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society, the humanitarian aid society that is still going strong under its current name, Trans-Himalayan Aid Society, with more than 300 projects completed in the Himalayas and southern India.

In fact, they did not wait to return home but wrote ahead to colleagues at the University of British Columbia to start collecting funds. John Conway, a founding member, remembers George’s facility at getting help: the first President was Dr. Norman MacKenzie, President of UBC; the UBC treasurer became the TRAS treasurer, and many professors sat on the board.  Their friends in the artistic community were put to work too, designing Christmas cards and donating paintings.  George and Inge led by example – no-one worked harder than they did. Once cajoled (or bullied!) into helping, their friends had no choice but to follow suit.  Dorothea Leach, now a Patron of TRAS, recalls that only a broken limb would be a good enough excuse to miss the weekly stints at garage sales and flea markets which were the early fundraisers for TRAS.

In the first year TRAS raised $11,436.61 from those weekly flea markets, book and outgrown children’s clothing sales (and the sale of 14,000 of the Christmas cards!) for the Tibetan children. In the years that followed, TRAS helped to fund the growth of the Tibetan Homes Foundation in Mussoorie and the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, building homes, classrooms, vocational training workshops, and housing for the elderly who had no ancestral village to return to. A sponsorship scheme was also started to cover the day-to-day costs of looking after the children.

Gradually TRAS helped with the establishment of small settlements in north India and the larger ones in the south. branching out to help Indian villagers and tribal people in the same regions. George was always ready to write about and work for the next urgent need, and he was instrumental in having the Canadian Government bring in the first planeload of Tibetans to settle in Canada in 1972.  This was followed by his vigorous support for the Vietnamese Boat People, with TRAS raising funds to resettle several families in BC.

The Woodcocks were an inspirational couple who affected millions of lives with their charities (their second charity is Canada-India Village Aid, the third being a fund for writers in need) and yet they avoided all publicity for their good works. Barry Leach wrote that, in founding TRAS, “this gentle, kindly man made three valuable contributions.  He provided a vehicle for many Canadians to express their concern for the plight of the Tibetan people in generous and tangible forms.  He contributed to the international effort to relieve and rehabilitate thousands of refugees.  In doing so, he shared in the preservation of an ancient culture that has already demonstrated its relevance and value to the modern world.  Through the person of the Dalai Lama, it has encouraged non-violence in politics, compassion for all sentient beings and concern for the environment.  Utopian as they may seem, these attitudes offer the only long-term hope for the resolution of the problems that beset mankind today. Furthermore, these themes echo the tenets of intellectual anarchism that underlay all of George’s thought and writing and explain the intuitive understanding that existed between him and the Dalai Lama from their very first meeting”.

George’s writing continues to influence Canadians today. A new friend of TRAS, Ryan Andrew Murphy, writes “George Woodcock’s thoughtful writings on politics and history have informed and profoundly shaped my thinking. His sensitivity and insights always make opening one of his books a rewarding and enriching experience. His enormous, seminal contributions to Canadian culture are indisputable, but much more broadly, I believe our country and our world are profoundly in his debt. He unassumingly assumed the role of public intellectual, and in so doing helped initiate the formation of a conscientiously intellectual public.”

The Woodcocks opted out of active TRAS work after George had a heart attack in the early 1970s, but he and Inge remained at the forefront of fundraising efforts for some years. TRAS has maintained their ideals and continued the work for 50 years and those of us who knew George continue to be inspired by his example.

George died in 1995, shortly after being given the Freedom of the City of Vancouver. Inge remained a Patron of TRAS, vitally interested in every aspect of our work, until she died in 2003.

The Tibetan community in BC remembers the Woodcocks with fondness. T.C. Tethong of Victoria, BC, wrote, at Inge’s passing, “Tibetans owe much to these two kind souls from Canada for their initiative and dedication in starting TRAS, the first Canadian aid organization for Tibetan refugees. These two Canadians and their friends helped the Tibetans in our hour of need and always remained our close friends.”

If you would like to learn more about the Woodcocks and the charities they founded, TRAS has Alan’s book for sale.  Call 604-224-5133 or email info@tras.ca.

(With thanks for excerpts from Alan Twigg, (Tibetans in Exile)  T.C. Tethong, and the late Barry Leach (TRAS newsletters) and conversations with Dorothea Leach, John Conway and Ryan Andrew Murphy)

Celebrate the centenary of George Woodcock’s birth at the annual award ceremony for the winner of the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for a BC writer.

Speeches and readings in honour of George. TRAS will have a table and display there.

Date: Thursday, June 28, 2012

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Vancouver Public Library, Alice MacKay Room

More info:  BC Bookworld (http://www.bcbookworld.com/) and George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award  (http://www.georgewoodcock.com/index.html)

 

READI Nepal Project Update

LATE FLASH March 29, 2011:

The boy in the centre came top of the school in recent exams! The other two came top of their classes.

TRAS received this letter from Raj  Hamal  of READI Nepal, about the original 20 students:

“It is my pleasure to share with you that out of 200 children who are studying at Himali Boarding School in Simikot, one whom TRAS supported in READI’s hostel topped the whole school in final examination held recently. 4 others scored first in first class and the 15 other students were passed with good marks. This was also disseminated by local radio FM last night. We will share you the detail in our final report.

This is something that we are really glad about at this moment which was not possible without the valuable support of TRAS.”

These children are certainly proving our trust in them was well placed!  TRAS congratulates them and their teachers. We HAVE to keep supporting them!

 Click here to read more about the READI Nepal project.

1962-2012: TRAS Turns 50! Help us Support Our Himalayan Partners through PROJECT 50!

1962 – 2012: TRAS TURNS 50!

HELP US TO SUPPORT OUR HIMALAYAN PARTNERS THROUGH

PROJECT 50!

2012 marks TRAS’s 50th anniversary! Wow!

To honour and celebrate 50 incredible and successful years of funding grassroots projects that support children and youth in the Himalayas, TRAS is launching PROJECT 50!

Join us in making the world a better place for Himalayan children and youth!

Together we can:

  • Raise $50,000 in honour of 50 years of service!
  • Create a list of 50 different ways to raise $50 for TRAS projects – and then do them!
  • Inspire 50 new people to join TRAS!

PROJECT 50! GOAL 1: RAISE $50,000

A generous anonymous donor will match donations dollar for dollar up to $25,000!

So your donation will immediately DOUBLE!

Deadline for YOUR donation: January 31, 2012

HELP US REACH $50,000 AND DONATE NOW!

Note: Individual sponsorships are not included in this offer, but are, of course, vital for the wellbeing of children.

PROJECT 50! GOAL 2: 50 WAYS TO RAISE $50 FOR TRAS!

A little goes a long way. You don’t need to raise a lot to make a difference.

What can YOU do to raise $50 for TRAS? Create a new idea, or do one from our list (see below). Help us come up with “50 Ways to Raise $50 for TRAS!” and help us do them!

Cheryl Sullivan, our Fundraising Director, held a garage sale in the summer. Ably helped by family and friends, she cleared out a lot of ‘stuff’ and made not just $50, but over $400 for TRAS! Way to go, Cheryl!

Cheryl's Garage Sale

Tell us what you did or are going to do so that all of us can be inspired!

Here are 9 ideas. Help us think of 41 more!

  • Hold a garage sale (see Cheryl Sullivan’s example above)
  • Ask your favourite restaurant to save bottles for you for two weeks, and take them to a bottle depot for the refunds
  • Hold a bottle collection at your place of work for a short period.  TRAS member Laura Kassama did this, and raised over $100 for TRAS! Read Laura’s story:
  • Host a Nepali film night in your home and ask for donations. TRAS can supply the film(s)! Write to Marina Guy at marina.guy@tras.ca. Read about TRAS’s Travelling Nepali Film Festival here
  • Host a TRAS handicraft sale in your home. Contact Armila at the TRAS office: info@tras.ca
  • Ask your book club members to make a donation to help stock a shelf with books for a remote village library
  • In lieu of gifts for birthdays, Christmas, retirement parties, etc, suggest a donation to TRAS – choose a particular project or make a general donation. You can set up a gift plan through CanadaHelps on this website. TRAS Directors Lynn and Frank Beck did this at Frank’s retirement party, and raised $600 for TRAS!
  • Hold an online garage sale by advertising and selling items on Craigslist. Read Laura Kassama’s inspiring story
  • Do something creative, like TRAS member Jessie Kaye’s “Loonie for a Loo” fundraiser to help TRAS pay for toilets to be built in India’s Kullu Valley. Jessie built a life-size outhouse out of cardboard. People donated $1 to stick a ‘brick’ on it. Jessie sold hundreds of ‘bricks’ and raised hundreds of dollars for TRAS!

What are YOU going to do?

PROJECT 50! GOAL 3: TALK TRAS! INSPIRE 50 NEW PEOPLE TO JOIN TRAS

Let’s all talk about the fantastic work TRAS does to alleviate poverty in the Himalayan region and inspire 50 people to join us in supporting this work!

  • Tell others about TRAS and why you support TRAS
  • Share the TRAS website with your friends and colleagues
  • Forward the TRAS newsletter to your contacts
  • Invite your family, friends and others to attend a TRAS event
  • Ask your friends and family members if they would like to add their email addresses to the TRAS mailing list
  • Invite a TRAS Director to present to your organization or a group of your friends. For info, contact Armila at the TRAS office: info@tras.ca or 604-224-5133

More info on TRAS’s 50th anniversary is in TRAS’s Fall 2011 newsletter, available here:  http://tras.ca/newsletter/