The Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) is a Vancouver-based non-profit international development organization that, working with local partners in the region, seeks to improve the health and education of children and youth in the Himalayan region of India and Nepal.

TRAS was founded in 1962, as the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society. 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 $1 million,  to smaller projects needing annual or one-time support. 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 Tibetan settlements in northern and southern India. In the 1980’s 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 projects continue to support our belief that communities thrive when their children are healthy and educations.

TRAS accomplishes this with a variety of projects, sponsorship programs (supporting the education of individual children) and scholarship programs (supporting individual post-secondary students).  Visit our web-site for more information www.tras.ca