Rinchen Zangpo Newsletter 2013 Thank you to all TRAS donors supporting students at Munsel-Ling School and the Scholarship program in the Spiti Valley. The Rinchen Zangpo newsletter provides a nice update on the latest news and the Society’s progress.
Raj Hamal of READI Nepal is proud to announce that TRAS-supported students at Himali Boarding School in Nepal’s remote Humla District received top final marks on completing the 2012/2013 school year! Student Lok Raj Shahi secured 1st position in the school, while others placed 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th – amazing achievements, particularly given the social and economic hardships these students face. We send all the students our heartfelt congratulations, and wish them continued success in the next academic year! Thank you to TRAS donors for helping to make it possible for these children to go to school.
Thanks to funding from TRAS and the UBC Global Health Initiative, seven boarding homes at Munsel-ling School now have their own solar hot water heating systems, each unit consisting of a cold water tank, solar panels and an insulated hot water tank. Click to Read more from the Rinchen Zangpo Society newsletter…
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/
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.”
