TRAS - Dharamsala, India

In 1959 His Holiness the Dalai Lama and some 80,000 Tibetans crossed the Himalayas to seek refuge in India, Nepal and Bhutan. His Holiness relocated the Tibetan Government in Dharamsala, where it is now named the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The Central Tibetan Administration promotes a holistic approach to education, emphasizing modern scientific and social scientific learning, as well as traditional Tibetan schooling.

The CTA's Department of Health (DoH) has integrated traditional Tibetan medicine with conventional primary health care. The two systems of medicine run in tandem with each other and efficient cross-referral systems are in place.

The DoH runs 44 health clinics, nine primary health care centers, one mobile clinic and seven hospitals in the Tibetan communities in India and Nepal. The Department meets the cost of emergency health care needs and treatment for poor Tibetans.

TRAS supported nurses training

TRAS is currently supporting the education and training of 15 nurses. The 4-year study program and mandatory 2-year internship includes training on curative and preventative medicine, as well as on health education. After completion of the courses, these nurses will be offered employment by the DoH.

This project encourages young women to come forward, as it seeks to make young Tibetan women self-sufficient and empowered members of the community. While some graduates pursue their nursing profession in the Tibetan community in exile in Dharamsala, others assist populations in remote areas where there is always shortage of qualified nurses and medical facilities. Many of the nurses who graduate from this program remain dedicated to serving the Tibetan community.

For example, one of our students, Tsering Youdon, graduated in 2004 and is now serving at the Tibetan Settlement Gurupura.

Tenzin Kunsang completed nurses training in 2002 and is now serving in the Tibetan Settlement Orissa.

Chemi Wangmo studies at Osama General Hospital in Hyderabad. She writes: "I want to say thanks for your helping towards me financially as because of your help only I am able to continue my course which was impossible for me without your support. Really, I am very grateful....I am enclosing here with lots of regards and love. Once again I want to say thanks for your support. I will never forget your kindness toward me. My prayers and regards are always with you."

Group photo from the Apollo School of Nursing in New Delhi.

Little Flowers Creche

The Tibetans use the word 'creche' to refer to an institution that is both a daycare centre and a kindergarten. Little Flowers Creche is located in the Tibetan Government-in-Exile compound in Dharamsala, India. It is managed and run by a volunteer association of parents who work in the Government offices.

TRAS has been a long standing supporter of Little Flowers Creche. TRAS funds contribute to the maintenance of the creche building, provision of daily food for the toddlers, and provision of basic educational material. TRAS support of Little Flowers Creche has indirectly contributed to the empowerment of Tibetan women in the area, since it has enabled them to work during daytime hours.

Little Flowers Creche is currently taking care of 45 children aged six months to four years. Children are well cared for by foster mothers at the creche while their mothers are working. Once they reach the age of two and a half, nursery teachers begin to teach them basic prayers, the alphabet and songs. The warm, cheerful atmosphere more than compensates for the minimal equipment, and the children are well prepared for the move to the primary school downstairs at the age of five.