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Through the TRAS sponsorship program, you can support the education of a child in the Himalayan region, one of the poorest in the world. TRAS members currently sponsor 200 children in Nepal and northern India. Children needing sponsorship may be orphans; or their parents may simply be too poor to send them to school, or even to support them.

TRAS started its sponsorship program more than 40 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 Woodcock (TRAS’s founders) was to help the children.

TRAS started the sponsorship program as a means of raising funds to care for them. Our first sponsored children are now middle aged, many having become successful professionals who in turn are now helping those who follow. Sadly, 50 years later, with the Tibetan situation unresolved, there are still many needy children. As the Tibetan refugees were settled throughout India and Nepal, TRAS began to help poor Indian and Nepali children as well.

Cost. The cost to sponsor a child is $440 each year. TRAS is a registered charity, and we will send you a charitable tax receipt. TRAS sends $400 to the settlement (in two disbursements, in February and June); we use the remaining 10% to cover administration costs.

Correspondence. The settlements send letters from the children at least once each year, which we forward to their sponsors. Often they will include photos, drawings, or report cards. If you’d like to send a letter to your sponsored child, we can send it with the next
semi-annual disbursement.

Monitoring. Besides the letters and photos from the children, we also periodically check with the settlements to confirm that all of the children being sponsored by TRAS members are still attending school and in need of sponsorship. A number of directors on our board also travel to the region regularly (on personal trips), and visit settlements while they’re in the area.

Becoming a sponsor. If you’d like to sponsor a child through TRAS, please e-mail sponsorship@tras.ca, or call our office at (604) 224-5133. We will help you to select a child, and we will send you the one-page case history for your child that we’ve received from the settlement.

You can pay the sponsorship fee online: Make a sponsorship donation through CanadaHelps. You can pay either annually or monthly ($37/month), whichever is more convenient for you. Please indicate the name of your sponsored child.

Or, if you prefer, you can send a cheque to our office, or give your credit card information by telephone. You can pay either annually or quarterly (in January, April, July, October), whichever is more convenient for you. Again, please indicate the name of your sponsored child.

After you begin sponsoring a child, we’ll ask if you can renew your commitment towards the end of each year (in November). If your circumstances have changed and you can’t continue, please let us know. We’ll do our best to find another sponsor to continue the sponsorship.

The sponsorship ends when the child either graduates from school (school ends at Grade 12) or has to leave the school for another reason (e.g. illness, family moves away, goes to work).

Thank you for making a contribution to the future of the Himalayas!

TRAS newsletters are sent out to our members three times each year. They contain valuable information including reports on the latest projects, events, and sponsorship updates.

The newsletters are in PDF format. To view them, you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Fall 2024	AGM highlights President’s report Himalaya Fest Oct 5!
Spring 2024	Hopes realized Hopes for help in Canada TRAS dinner date on June 27
Winter 2023	Message from the President TRAS Scholarship Fund Round up of Projects from 2023, and more!
Fall 2023	Scholarship fund update Education and health projects TRAS sponsorship program
Spring 2023	Education, education education!  Sponsorship report IDEA’s latest idea, and more!
Winter 2022	President’s Message Scholarship Fund Updates on long-term projects, and more!
Fall 2022	Five new projects! Update on long-established projects Other news
Spring 2022	60 years and Holding Fiscal year accomplishments New projects, and more!
Fall 2021	President’s Message Remembering Joan Ford 2021 Project Updates, and more!
Winter 2021	59th Annual General Meeting Scholarship Fund Update Update on Current Projects
Spring 2021	COVID-19 update in Nepal and India Rocket Stoves for Munsel-ling School Zoom Meeting with Voice of Children
Winter 2020	PPE need for Health Workers Good news updates from projects Year-end donations request
Fall 2020	Pandemic and project updates Introductions to TRAS family AGM Summary
Spring 2020	Update from TRAS partners in India and Nepal VOC Covid Relief Project
Winter 2019	Sponsorship update Scholarships Projects update Upcoming Social
Fall 2019	Climate Change in the Himalayas Maternal Health Care Voice of Children Project Update AGM Summary
Spring 2019	National Children Welfare Award Munsel-Ling School Update Margaret Ayer’s TRAS Contribution
Winter 2018	President’s Appeal Scholarship Report Update on Projects
Fall 2018	President’s Report Scholarship Fund Update Sponsorship Success Story
Spring 2018	Year End Summary Project Updates Upcoming AGM and Societies Act
Winter2017	President’s Appeal Scholarship Fund Sponsorship Report It’s All About the Children
Fall 2017	New Projects TRAS AGM TRAS Scholarship Report
Spring 2017	Lecture Series 2017 Sponsorship Schooling and Training
Winter 2016	TRAS AGM Child Brides The Scholarship Fund The Project Report: A Year in Review Sponsorship
Summer 2016 TRAS AGM	TRAS AGM Report from the Field
Winter 2015 President’s Message	Twin your toilet through TRAS… with a toilet in Nepal! Report from the Field The TRAS Scholarship Fund: A Challenge Have Computer, Will Travel TRAS Projects supported this year Sponsorship Report Kick off to Fall Dinner Hunt for special gifts at the TRAS Handicraft Open House!
Fall 2015 Socks, Serendipity, and Sikkim!	Tibetan Nurses Training Kick Off to Fall at Cafe Kathmandu UBC Students Help TRAS Welcome to Cynthia Bunbury The Most Important People: You! Reports from the Field: Munsel-ling 53rd Annual General Meeting Tibetan Resettlement Project
Summer 2015 Earthquake in Nepal	Nepal Rebuilding Fund Coming Events Annual General Meeting Sutherland School Reports from the Field Sara Shneiderman on Political Transformation in Nepal End of a Story Sponsorship Report
Winter 2014 A Letter from the President	Four New Projects In Memoriam Current TRAS Projects Spotlight on Humla Sponsorship Report
Fall 2014 Slow and Steady: Project Update	Scholarship Fund Farewell and Welcome Preparing for Disaster Sponsorship Opportunities Paul Horn
Spring 2014 Notes from Home and Abroad	Dalai Lama in Vancouver Sponsorship Report Tibetan Prime Minister Pays a Visit Reports from Projects Tibet Resettlement Coming Events In Memoriam
Winter 2013 TRAS Projects 2013-2014 President’s Appeal	Electricity Book Club Alert! Tuting Literacy Classes The Tibetans are Coming! Sponsorship Report Hello and Farewell
Fall 2013 Behind the TRAS Projects	Sikkim Nutrition Project Voice of Children Libraries Little Flowers Creche Flooding in Uttarakhand
Summer 2013 Sponsor a Child!	Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) Suja Buddha Academy, Kathmandu Munsel-Ling School, Spiti Dekyiling, Dehradun In Memoriam TRAS Scholarship Fund Alpha Secondary Reports from the Field
Winter 2012 50 Years: Looking Back, Looking Forward President’s December 2012 Appeal	SHARE: The Tipping Point Voice of Children’s “Balwadis” Sponsorship and the Ripple Effect Dorje Namgyal Reports from the Field TRAS Projects 2012/13
Fall 2012 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner	A visit to Voice of Children Ups and Downs: Great news! Special Thanks; Volunteer Corner; Tibet Fest 2012 Sponsorship Report TRAS 50th AGM
Winter 2011 Newsletter Preparing for Our 50th Year President’s December 2011 Appeal	Letter from a Nursing Student Reports from the Field Project 50! TRAS’ 50th Anniversary Celebrations Tibetan Resettlement in Canada New TRAS Directors and Volunteers SAFF Canada and Travelling Nepali Films Sponsorship Report Community Learning Initiative Partnership TRAS 2012 Events Calendar
Summer 2011 Summer Newsletter by Email	What’s New? 49th AGM Report Projects Report Tibetan Graphic Novel on Mother Teresa
Spring 2011 5th Nepali Film Festival	Little Flowers Creche New Volunteer, Two New Directors Tuting Adult Literacy Project READI Nepal Readies for Year 2 Ans Mueller Remembered Tibetan Resettlement in Canada A Visit to Tibet
Winter 2010 President’s Message	Recently Completed and Current Projects Volunteer Corner SHARE Vocational Training A Tale of Two Libraries Report on Flood Damage Sikkim Hostel Sambhota Schools Publishing Project TRAS Victoria Concludes
Fall 2010 Learning from our Donors	Reports from READI Nepal … and Voice of Children Tribute to Martin Sweney Sponsorship Report Other News
Spring 2010 Earthquake in Yushu	Departures and Arrivals READI Nepal, Humla SHARE Vocational Training Project Sikkim School Hostel Construction Sponsorship Report Volunteer Corner Reports from the Field Tibetan Education
Winter 2009 President’s Message	Map of Projects Sponsorship Report Volunteer Corner Voice of Children Project Tuting Adult Literacy Project Other News
Fall 2009 New Beds for Spiti	New water tank New book: Tibetans in Exile 47th Annual General Meeting New TRAS President, Director, Office Manager Global Service Award Sponsorship Report News from the Field Coming Events
Spring 2009 50 Years On … A Moment of Reflection	LAB to the Rescue Bedkits Students Help Students Events Nepali Film Festival
Winter 2008 President’s Message	Projects for 2008 and 2009 Clean Bedding for Spiti Children Sponsorship Report News from Lhasa and Spiti News from Dharamsala–and Tofino Books and People
Fall 2008 A Spiti Summer	Students to sponsor Books on their way! Buddha Academy Infirmary 46th Annual General Meeting Project Application Process
Spring 2008 TRAS Members Have Their Say	Lhasa Yutok Kindergarten Paying for Higher Education Sponsors’ Updates: Nancy Carroll & Barb Haddad Karen Trollope-Kumar in Dehra Dun & Mussoorie Nepal Study Group – 10 Years Later Buddha Academy News Trek for TRAS
Winter 2007 President’s Message	Spotlight on Spiti TRAS Projects for 2007 and 2008 Sponsorship Coming Events
Fall 2007 Notes from the Field	The Tibetan Women’s Centre Tibetan Homes Foundation UBC GLobal Health Initiative TRAS 45th Annual General Meeting Nepali Films on loan Munsel Ling School success Sponsorship Opportunities Calendar of Events
Spring 2007 Sponsorship Works!	Sponsorship Works! Will You Sponsor A Child? Updates Thanks To Our Supporters! Nepali Film Festival 2007 Coming Events
Winter 2006 President’s Message	Hats Off! Imagine What Your Gift to TRAS Could Do… Sponsorships Available at Munsel-Ling School Snapshot of 2006 at TRAS We’ve Moved! Upcoming Events
Fall 2006 Mission Accomplished!	TRAS Donor Funds Kindergarten UBC Medical Students Visit Spiti Donations of Securities Joan Ford, Patron & Supporter My Unconscious Relationship with TRAS–by Chung Tsering An Evening with Chung Tsering Projects Buddha Academy–New Name A Plea for Volunteers We’ve Moved!
Spring 2006 CIDA Approves Final Payments for TRAS Projects!	Conflict in Nepal Nepali Film Festival–April 9 Threads of Destiny Expedition with a Mission–Spiti Heinrich Harrer 1912-2006 2nd Himalayan Evening Notice of TRAS AGM–May 23
Winter 2005 President’s Appeal for Generosity	Art Exchange Where Are You Going? Spiti! The Master and the Sewing Machines A Conversation with Dorje Namgyal Buddha Memorial Wall Is Rebuilt! Tashi Delek, Dawa
Fall 2005 Hats Off to Our Newest Fundraisers!	Appeal for Buddha Academy President’s Message Building Peace in Nepal — Nagarik Aawaz Dabali … The Stage Good News from the Field Sponsorship Report TRAS Funding 2005
Spring 2005 TRAS on the Move!	Tibetan Festival A Visit to SHARE MacLeod Ganj Clean Sponsorship Report Ways to Donate
Summer 2004 The Dalai Lama’s Message	And Now What? How TRAS Helps Children Dalai Lama Spoke Hats Off
Spring 2004 Tribute to Inge Woodcock Spring 2004 Insert Forthcoming events	His Holiness the Dalai Lama Remembers Inge The Tibetans Say Thank You A Tribute Sponsorship Report The Old People – Do They Still Need Our Help?
Winter 2003 A Message from the President	Updates on the Year’s Stories ACAP’s Progress Report Shopping Corner Barry Leach Report Sponsorship
Fall 2003 TRAS Applauds Youth	Report of 41st AGM Did Nepal Make a Difference? He Fled into Exile Weight of Oppression Sponsorship
Spring 2003 News to Brighten Your Day	Throat Singers Sponsorship Annual Meeting Kullu Valley
Fall 2002 40th Anniversary Special Edition Letter from His Holiness the Dalai Lama Message from Our Patrons From Small Beginnings	A TRAS History Current Projects Barry Leach Memorial TRAS and CIDA The Children Sponsorship
Spring 2002 Greetings from Our Patrons Finally, CIDA Says Yes!	Kullu Valley Volunteers Vocational Training Pre-Primary Teachers Tibetfest Sponsorship
Winter 2001 Going It Alone?	Vocational Training Sponsorship Report Didila’s People
Fall 2001 CIDA Soul Searching	Looking Back TRAS Evening Spotlight on Spiti 39th AGM Project Report Sponsorship Old People’s Thanks
Winter 2000 A Christmas Gift	Sponsorship Community Health CIDA Update Didi-la’s Story – Part III
Fall 2000 Mrs. Richen Dolma Taring, 1909-2000	Project Report Didi-la’s Story – Part II Bir Youth Centre Completed Sponsorship Report
Spring 2000 Losar Greetings! Kalsang’s Story – Part II Didi-la’s Story – Part I	Special Footprint Dance – Universal Buddha Memorial Canadian Youth Sand Mandala Films on Tibet
Fall 1999 Project Review	Completed Projects Ongoing Projects New Projects Projects in the Works Tibetan Women Sponsorship
Summer 1999 Generation TRAS	Financial Statement Sponsorship “Windhorse” – Review Kalsang’s Story An Old Project Thangka Painting
Spring 1999 Spring Cleaning	Sponsorship Hats Off To… English School in Tibet Friendly Farming Detective Work
Fall 1998 Educating Canadians (Part 2)	TRAS – Victoria Sponsorship Talking about Toilets Inspired by Nuns One Woman Crusade Current Projects
Summer 1998 Educating Canadians	World Artists for Tibet 36th Annual General Meeting Sponsorship Youth Project Grade Four Essays from Nepal Current Projects
Spring 1998 Comings, Goings, and New Ventures	Sponsorship Mrs. Taring’s Visit Film & Book Review An Evening with TRAS Spotlight on Shillong
Fall 1997 Sponsorships: Band-Aids or Solutions?	Sponsorship Orphanage in Tibet Spotlight on Spiti News from Abroad Environment Workshop Sandra Gibson
Summer 1997 35 Years of Caring and Growth	Sponsorship Trekking into Mustang Project Report Saving the earth
Spring 1997 Travels	Sponsorship Project Update Spiti Children’s Home School Meeting Sister Victorine Trekking into Mustang Annual General Meeting Announcement

…

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 TRAS Sponsorship Program

For only $40 a month, you can sponsor a child. Your sponsorship enables a child to receive an education. Your support provides physical, material and more importantly emotional well-being for a child.

Do you want to help a child with a chance to grow up healthy and with enough education to improve their lives and those of their families and communities?

Through the TRAS sponsorship program, you can support the education of a child in the Himalayan region, one of the poorest in the world.  Children needing sponsorship may be orphans; or their parents may simply be too poor to send them to school, or even to support them.

 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.

As the Tibetan refugees were settled throughout India and Nepal, TRAS began to help poor children in these countries as well.

Cost

The cost to sponsor a child is $480 a year until the child graduates. TRAS is a registered charity and we will send you a charitable tax receipt. TRAS sends $440 to the settlement (in two disbursements – January and June) and 100% of that goes to the child or the family; we use the remaining $40 to cover administration costs.

If you would like to send a monetary gift to your sponsored child (we suggest no more than $10 – $20), you can include it with your sponsorship payment. We will include the gift with our disbursements which are sent in two payments, one in January and one in June. Make sure you have made a notation that you are including a gift.

Correspondence

The settlements or schools send letters from the children at least once each year, which we forward to their sponsors. Often they may include photos, drawings, and report cards.

The children love to receive cards, letters and photos from you. It is important to keep your letters simple and photographs culturally sensitive. TRAS supports the preservation of their local culture and beliefs and we request our sponsors to respect this. Photographs displaying wealth and “beach” scenes may not be appropriate. You must also be patient as mail to our remote settlements is not dependable and sometimes takes many weeks. Send all correspondence to TRAS and we will forward to the settlement or school.

Monitoring

Besides the letters and photos from the children, we also regularly check with the settlements and schools to confirm that all of the children being sponsored by TRAS members are still attending school and in need of sponsorship.

Becoming a sponsor

If you’d like to sponsor a child through TRAS, please e-mail sponsorship@tras.ca, or call our office at (604) 224-5133. Our sponsorship director will send you a couple of choices and you can decide who to sponsor.

Payment

Payments are due in January for the year and you can divide the yearly sponsorship fee into monthly or quarterly payments.

The fee can be paid by:

• Post-dated cheques
• Canada Helps at www.canadahelps.org
• Credit card – call (604) 224-5133 with credit card details
• Interac e-transfer
• Transfer of securities – call or email the office for instructions and forms

Length of sponsorship

The length of time you commit is your choice but we request a minimum of a year. Longer term sponsorships are more rewarding both to you and the child. Depending on their particular situation, children start school at different ages, some graduating in their mid-20’s.

After you begin sponsoring a child, towards the end of the year, we’ll ask if you can renew your sponsorship. If your circumstances have changed and you can’t continue, please let us know. We’ll do our best to find another sponsor to continue with the sponsorship.

The sponsorship ends when the child either graduates from school (school ends at Grade 12) or has to leave the school for another reason (e.g. receives free placement, illness, family moves away, goes to work or quits school).

Currently supported by TRAS

Tibetan Homes Foundation – Mussoorie

Rinchen Zangpo Society (Munsel-ling School) – Spiti

Tibetan Women’s Centre – Rajpur

Tibetan Children’s Village – Suja

Tibetan Children’s Village – Lower Chauntra

Dekyiling Handicraft Centre cum Training & Charitable Society -Dehradun

Chauntra Tibetan Village – Chauntra

Please contact us today – by phone (604) 224-5133 or by email to sponsorship@tras.ca.

Thank you for your support!

Read the 2023-2024 Sponsorship Report here