The Trans Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS), helping Tibetans in exile since 1962, is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake in Tibet on January 7, and sends heartfelt condolences to those affected.
Rainbow School Library, Zanskar, Ladakh – support in establishing a well-furnished library.
The school president wrote in November 2024
“I am delighted to share that the library is now fully completed and actively serving our students. The new library has truly transformed the learning experience at Rainbow School. It is a spacious, welcoming, and well-organized space filled with a diverse range of children’s books, thoughtfully selected to cater to various age groups and interests. Observing our students immersed in reading in such an inspiring environment is indeed a pleasure. The library has had a profound impact on fostering a love for reading among our students. To make the most of this facility, we have introduced designated Library Days. Each class spends dedicated hours in the library, reading independently or participating in interactive sessions where the librarian explains books and teaches library etiquette. These initiatives have significantly contributed to developing reading habits and expanding our students’ knowledge horizons.
Life in Ladakh during winter is challenging. Although this season has been relatively dry with little snowfall so far, we anticipate the closure of roads connecting Ladakh to the rest of the country once heavy snowfall begins. These roads typically remain closed for five months. Despite these challenges, the library provides a warm haven for intellectual growth, particularly during the academic season.
Today marks the last working day of our school before the winter holidays. Rainbow School will remain closed from December 1, 2024, until the end of February 2025 due to extreme cold and restricted mobility caused by snowfall. While the school building is not equipped with heating facilities, our office will remain operational to ensure uninterrupted communication.”
Once again, thank you for your invaluable contribution. Your support has made a lasting impact on our school and students.
Tibetan Homes Foundation Mussoorie Supplementary Diet Project
Currently TRAS has agreed to allocate donations from Tibetans in Canada to a food supplement program at the THF.
The Tibetan Homes Foundation (THF) was established by the Dalai Lama in 1962. It takes care of the overall development and cultural upbringing of orphan, semi-orphan and destitute Tibetan children inside and outside Tibet. THF runs four schools (three of them are boarding schools), with 1900 to 2000 children under its care. The Tibetan Homes Foundation in Mussoorie, north India, was one of the first two Tibetan children’s homes opened in India and has been supported by TRAS since 1962.
THF Home built by TRAS in 1962
TRAS was recently contacted by a Tibetan Canadian, Khechog, asking if he and his friends could sponsor some children at the Tibetan Homes Foundation (THF) in Mussoorie, north India. TRAS has arranged sponsorships at THF since the early 1960s, and sensing a story, TRAS asked Khechog how he came to hear of TRAS and THF.
Here’s what he told us: “I was born in Tibetan Homes Foundation where my parents served as foster parents in Home 13, one of the 25 homes, each holding 25 children, most of them orphans or semi orphans. As a teenager I was transferred to Home 8/18, a large Victorian building which housed two Homes. It had a plaque indicating it was funded by TRAS. The plaque explains that TRAS donated this home. In 1981, my family moved to Alberta and I graduated from high school and then from university with a degree in Electrical Engineering. There are around 25 THF alumni in Calgary, about twice that many in Toronto and a few in BC. This past April, THF organized an event to express gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala and I attended. On my return to Canada, I decided to help the current students at THF and organized the first fundraising event for THF in Alberta, raising $10,500 and finding sponsors for 16 students. One project we decided upon, during our visit to THF, was to improve nutrition for the THF children and we are very grateful that TRAS has agreed to endorse this project and also to look after the sponsorships.”
It’s wonderful to see the circle completed, as Khechog gives back to help today’s children at THF. Thank you, Khechog, for your generous donation and for entrusting TRAS to carry out your wishes.
By donating to this project, you will help with providing nutritious food to the children – fruit, eggs, meat, cheese – for better growth, better body metabolism, and better health, preventing nutrient deficiencies.
Thanks to the Yosef Wosk Family Foundation and Dr Wosk’s determination to spread the joy of reading and learning far and wide, TRAS is helping hundreds of children with a supply of new books and library furniture!
Hope for Children has been able to set up 7 remote village library centers in the Almora and Naintal regions in the Himalayas. Read their November 2024 report
Sundrawati Basic School, Dolakar, Nepal – A new project to provide books and furniture (tables, chairs, and bookshelves) to Sundrawati Basic School (nursery to Grade 8) in Dolakha, Nepal. 100 boys and girls aged 5 to 15 (girls outnumber the boys) will benefit from a collection of stories, biographies, poetry, essays, Nepali and English grammar, and dictionaries. Most of the children in this school are from the Thami community, one of the most deprived communities in the region. Read their November 2024 report
Tibetan Children’s Village – Lower Chauntra school library – The support of new books for their library will benefit 454 students – report pending
Tibetan Children’s Village – Suja, Bir school library – The purchase of new books for their library will benefit 427 students of all ages. – report pending
Sambhota Tibetan Schools– the purchase of new books will benefit 282 students in Miao, 203 students in Tenzingang and 66 students in Tezu. Their report is due in December.
There’s an upcoming change to the Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations. Previously some organizations (like TRAS) recorded designated donations (e.g. towards a specific project) as restricted funds with revenues recognized on receipt of donations; others recorded them as deferred revenue (it’s not added to revenue until the donation is actually distributed to support the project). Under the new standards, all not-for-profit organizations should record them as deferred revenue. For more information, see this post by Grant Thornton. Accordingly, our auditors recommended that we use the deferred revenue method starting from 2023-2024, and we’ve done so. See “Deferred contributions” on page 3, and the note regarding “Revenue Recognition” on page 6. We still keep track of TRAS’ plans to meet future commitments (projects and scholarships), whether designated donations towards those commitments have been made or not, as shown in note 7.