TRAS Projects – An Overview

Since 1962, TRAS has funded an array of projects in India, Nepal and Tibet. These range from a large ten-year integrated rural development project amounting to nearly $1million, to ongoing multi-year educational and health-related projects of $30,000 to $60,000 each, to smaller projects needing annual or one-time donations of $2,000 or $5,000. TRAS has funded just over 300 projects in the region.

The early thrust of TRAS’s work was directed to supporting Tibetan refugees. Later TRAS funds contributed to the creation of the Tibetan settlements in northern and southern India. In the 1980s, TRAS reached out to Indian villages near and beyond the Tibetan settlements, and gradually was able to take on larger integrated rural development projects in Nepal as well. Current TRAS-supported projects continue to support our belief that communities thrive when their children are healthy and educated.

TRAS works in partnership with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India, Nepal and Tibet. We send no westerners abroad to manage or to work on projects. We value the fact that we are able to assist local NGOs in their efforts to help their own people.

The benefits of working through local NGOs include:

  • Local NGOs know the needs of their own communities
  • Their projects are culturally and economically viable
  • The local NGOs are strengthened in their ability to manage projects
  • Using local workers and supplies supports the local economy

The current projects are described below.  (Click on the link for more information).

Support future nursing students through the Nurses Vocational Training Project

Support Indian village children’s health and education through the Voice of Children Projects

Support the education of Nepalese village children through the READI Nepal Humla Education Project

Support promising young students in post secondary education through the TRAS Scholarship Fund (TSF)

Midwifery training through the Innovative Development Education Academy (IDEA)

Voice of Children Covid-19 Emergency Response

Personal Protection Equipment for Tibetan Healthcare Workers in Nepal

To see the regions where TRAS-funded projects are located, please see the map of currently funded projects.

READI Nepal November 2020 Report

Highlights of the April to October, 2020 reporting period

1. READI continuously offered quality education amidst Covid- These past months was the most difficult period in our history due to the threat of Covid. There were strict lockdowns in the district with irregular flights and no tourists. The people in Humla were confined to their homes and the schools were operating on and off. At the end of March 2020, with the threatening global Covid pandemic and the indefinite lockdown imposed by the government, we sent all the students home, not returning to the hostel until the beginning of July. Through different means we were in regular touch with the children and their families, providing them Covid kits (masks and sanitiser) and also with food support for some. Fortunately, it felt great that we all are safe and sound. Humla had a total of 75 (23 active case and 52 recovered) Covid cases.

During these difficult times, we tried to support our children in whatever way possible. The SEE exam was not conducted due to Covid but the government decided to evaluate the performance of children as per their internal performance and the schools were asked to send the scores. As our students were bright, all of the 5 students passed the exam. One of the students received a scholarship and was admitted in the Civil Engineering Diploma course, Karnali Technical School, Jumla.  Another student has been enrolled in an intermediate agriculture course; others are looking for similar opportunities and/or will join higher secondary course here in Humla. We will keep following up with them.

We have been supporting 15 children. In Simikot, they have been offered good hygienic food, a quality education and home care. Also during their stay at home, we supported them with food and Covid kits. Thanks to TRAS for longstanding support and considerations for healthy food, clean accommodation and tuition for our children and the additional 10 re-integrated children in earlier years.

2. Educational activities– Due to Covid, no extracurricular activities or exams were held. We have been helping the students to become doers – and future leaders for Humla. Over the years, we have built strong foundation for the students to learn and grow their skills. Due to no classes in the summer, it has been communicated to us that there will be no winter holidays for this year. So, we are prepared to keep our students warm and learning.

3. READI’s new school building– Due to the Covid lockdown, school construction work couldn’t proceed as planned. However, we hope to complete by March next year 2021. The donor Japanese Embassy is happy with the work we are doing despite Covid.  

This will be a milestone for READI. We are currently discussing within our board for our next initiative; whether to continue school education or focus in skills development for self employment of youths and marginalised. Few opportunities are coming to make READI’s work sustainable. We will keep you updated.

4. Health activities–Due to the Covid outbreak, we focussed our intervention in sanitation. Our children were supplied with surgical face masks, a set of handwashing soap and sanitiser. We also established a system to check their temperature once the hostel was re-opened. A thermal gun was used to measure the temperature of each student, staff and visitors.

5. Income generation activities– The Humla Cafe was closed for this year due to the Covid lockdown and no tourists were allowed into the district. The students who passed SEE level indicated that they wanted to focus in technical education. During lockdown, our children were able to help their families in farming, apple gardening, carpentry, plumbing, household work, helping first aid in their families. We kept nurturing, supporting and monitoring the parents and children in vocational and income generation activities even during the lockdown.

Miscellaneous

-with support from Maresia France, our advisors distributed food rations to 44 families in Changunarayan, Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu valley. This was a READI initiative.

–  several discussions ongoing with local municipality for sustainable operation of school education.

Financial Report (April- October 2020)

PPE for Tibetan Health Workers in Nepal

PPE for Tibetan Health Workers in Nepal

 
You are half way to protecting the Tibetan doctors and nurses in Nepal during the time of this COVID-19 pandemic!
The Tibetan health centres in Nepal asked the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society for help in providing the all-important personal protective equipment (PPE) for their medical staff for one year.

You have ensured that for six months they will have the protection they need to keep themselves and their patients safe in the Tibetan settlements and communities in Nepal.  $7,000 out of the requested $14,000 has arrived.

A huge thank you for your generosity!

TRAS has immediately sent these funds to cover the 12 Tibetan health centres in Nepal from January to June.  Now can we find the will and the generosity to cover July to December?
Let’s keep them safe!
.
$40 will purchase all the PPE needed in the clinics for one day

$280 will cover one week’s supply

$1,200 will cover one month’s supply

Click here to donate

Wishing you and yours a safe, careful festive season,
from all of us at TRAS.

Munsel-ling School – Spiti

Munsel-ling School Education Update during COVID -19 Pandemic

September 2020

This year there is lots of distraction due to COVID but in Spiti we are lucky enough that the virus has not entered in Spiti and we are safe, however beside Govt. Lockdown and restrictions the local community is taking effective preventive measures towards entry of this virus in the valley.

With respect to schooling the Government schools are teaching their students at some empty houses or spaces as officially schools are not allowed to open beside they are also teaching online at some places.

In this direction at Munsel-ling in the beginning we tried with running online classes with help our friend, Dr Rana. This was also not fruitful as many villages are not connected with internet.  Beside it was not manageable for a teacher to show videos of different subjects and different classes at meantime. Beside the parents are not that much well versed in this technology so they could help their children’s in their houses with the videos. So Upon the requests of the parents and the students, we have started classes in the different villages of Spiti valley and Kinnaur for our students   .

In this initiative of starting classes in different villages our Munsel-ling former students who are now college passed out or college goers are playing a major role as they are teachers or instructors for our students in their respective villages. The colleges students are back to their homes due to COVID and besides just sitting in their homes they also got an opportunity to give something back to Spiti and our Munsel-ling school and themselves will also retain some experiences and will keep touch will their studies.

In the case of Grade 10th (Age 17) and +1 (17) and  +2 (18)  we have started backdoor schooling in our hostel block with help of our teachers who are back to our school. As inside school it is not allowed so we are using some of hostel blocks for classes and in addition to teaching online through internet our teachers are also teaching as the normal schooling.

In some way we are trying best to continue teaching our students during this hard time of COVID-19. We keep on trying the other methods to deliver best to our students.

This is a short Report we would like to share with the TRAS board members.

TRAS SPONSORED GIRLS UNDER the TRAS Scholarship Fund:-

In this initiative we would be happy to share that under TSF students are paying their voluntarily service by teaching our students at their villages.

  1. Tashi Tsomo :-

Who did her Bachelors in Mathematics from Mirinda House Delhi is now teaching our students in her village Rangrik. She is taking keen interest in teaching and expressed her gratitude to TRAS for helping with her education.

  • Tenzin Angmo :-

Tenzin Angmo under TSF completed her Bachelors in arts and Bachelors in education is now a full trained teacher. She is now teaching our students at Munsel-ling School.

  • Tenzin Yangzom :-

Tenzin Yangzom also sponsored by TRAS under TSF is also teaching Munsel-ling students in her village Chicham.

We are trying our best to educate our students during this hard time of COVID-19 .

Tashi Tsomo teaching students in Rangrik
Tashi Tsomo teaching students in Rangrik
Tenzin Angmo teaching students at Munsel-ling

Sponsorship

The sponsorship program began more than 50 years ago. When George and Inge Woodcock (TRAS’s founders) met the Dalai Lama in exile in 1962, his main concern was the children, many orphaned or semi-orphaned, who arrived in India with the flood of refugees from Tibet. “These are our future,” he said, “without them there will be no future; they need a secure place to live, food and education.” He asked his elder sister to set up an orphanage and school to care for them; thus the Tibetan Children’s Village schools were started. His request to George and Inge was to help the children.

TRAS began sponsoring children as a means of raising funds to care for them. Our first sponsored children are now older, many having become successful professionals who in turn are now helping those who follow.

Since then TRAS has helped sponsor more than 750 children. Currently we have sponsors for 129 children and 21 waiting for a sponsor, 4 of which have had previous sponsors but due to various reasons have had to drop out of the sponsorship program.

For as little as $40.00 a month would you like to start sponsoring a child today?

Please click Sponsorship to read the history and information about our Sponsorship Program.  Click on FAQS about Sponsorship to see the profiles of the children in need of a sponsor.

Thank you for your support!