READI Nepal Report for April 2020 to March 2021
Read about their challenges, achievements and highlights – April 2020 to March 2021
Visit our website at http://tras.ca/urgent/readi-nepal-2/ to read more about READI Nepal
Personal Protection Equipment for Tibetan Clinics in Nepal Update
In December, TRAS responded to a request from the Central Tibetan Administration and Snow Lion Foundation (SLF) to fund PPE supplies for healthcare workers in the 12 clinics in the Tibetan settlements in Nepal. With your generosity, we have sent the first instalment of $7,000 which has been used to purchase much needed supplies including face masks, gloves, PPE suits, face shields, and boots. With the pandemic situation evolving, the needs are also changing. In late 2020, lock down was eased and cases became stable. Supplies became more accessible with more reasonable transport and shipping expenses.
Currently, however, with cases once again rising each day, SLF requested for the funds to be used not only for personal protection gear but also for disinfection and sanitation supplies. As a grassroots organization founded on the mantra of listening to our partners and supporting their needs, TRAS agreed. Overall, SLF plans to distribute these disinfection supplies to the Tibetan settlements to support 9 schools, 7 settlements, 5 elders homes, and 12 clinics. As the situation continues to evolve, we will continue to be in close communication with SLF, receiving regular updates on their needs and use of funding.
CTA Emergency COVID funding for Tibetans in India
Project #335 – 2021
Tibetans in India urgently needed oxygen and essential medical supplies to treat the growing numbers of COVID-19 patients. We’ve promised to help!
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.
TRAS had promised to raise $10,000 right away 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?
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.
Read more about this project on page 4 in our 2021 Fall Newsletter
Amount sent $10,000
Thank you to all our donors who made this possible!
Ray Yee Memorial Fund
The Ray Yee Memorial Fund was established in March 2021 in memory of our dear friend, Ray Yee (May 16, 1960 – March 15, 2021).
Ever since Ray and his wife Janet returned home to Vancouver from their trip to China, Tibet, India and Nepal in the early 1990s, they became great advocates for the Tibetan cause. Ray dedicated the rest of his life to the cause and worked tirelessly towards this end, along with Janet and their children, Connor, Hannah and Walker.
When Canada agreed to take in 1,000 Tibetans in 2012, His Holiness the Dalai Lama specifically asked that they come from extremely remote underserved Tibetan settlements in Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. Ray was instrumental in ensuring that the Vancouver portion of the Tibetan Resettlement Project for Tibetans coming from Arunachal Pradesh was a success.
Along the way Ray touched many lives and left a lasting impression on all those who had the honour of working with him. The compassion and love that he demonstrated through his work and friendships helped Tibetans who were new to Canada feel welcome and safe.
The family hopes that, through the Ray Yee Memorial Fund, some of his work and impact may continue. The money will be earmarked for projects to support the education of Tibetan children still in Arunachal Pradesh. There are small primary and middle schools in these Tibetan settlements for young children. Many older children attend the Sambhota Tibetan Schools in West and South India, thousands of kilometers away, a distance that makes the journey long and expensive; some travel home only once every few years.
Given Ray’s ties to the people of this region through his work on the Resettlement Project, it is a fitting match that his Memorial Fund should help the children who are still living there.
If you would like to donate to the Ray Yee Memorial Fund to support Tibetan children in Arunachal Pradesh, you can do so by:
- Credit card online via CanadaHelps
(CanadaHelps is a registered charity that supports Canadian charities by providing a platform for online donations; it charges TRAS a 4% fee to cover the cost of credit card transactions and other operating costs.)
- Bank e-transfer to email address: info@tras.ca and add reference “Ray Yee Memorial Fund”
- Credit card by phoning the TRAS office at 604-224-5133 (the phone line is monitored regularly)
- Cheque made out to TRAS. Please note “Ray Yee Memorial Fund” on the bottom of the cheque, and mail it to:
TRAS
1183 Melville St
Vancouver, BC, V6E 2X5
Thank you for helping to continue Ray’s legacy of generosity and compassion.
Munsel-ling School Rocket Stoves
Project 332 – 2021
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 neighboring 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.
