PROJECT TIBET SOCIETY
A chance to help newly arrived Tibetans in Canada
By Daphne Hales, Director, Jennifer Hales, President, Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) and Mati Bernabei, Project Tibet Society
The Government of Canada is facilitating the immigration to Canada of up to 1,000 Tibetans living in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India, at the request of the Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) and Canada's Tibetan community. The newly incorporated Project Tibet Society (PTS) will oversee the program. With CTC branches, local Tibetan Cultural Associations and Tibet supporters across Canada, PTS is now in the process of establishing local committees to oversee the five-year program.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is situated in north-eastern India. With a total area of 83,743 sq. km, it has a long international border with Tibet to the north and northeast (1,080 km), Myanmar to the east (440 km) and Bhutan to the west (160 km). Although it is currently under India’s political control, Arunachal Pradesh is disputed territory, with restricted access. Except when planes can fly in, it takes many days to get there.
Conditions of Tibetans in Arunachal Pradesh today
Even with India’s incredible generosity, the reality for thousands of Tibetans who live in Arunachal Pradesh is that they may never have the chance to realize their potential and to experience what so many in Canada take for granted: the very best for themselves and their children.
The inaccessibility alone of the settlements means that providing for the education of children close to home is impossible. With assistance from the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, private donors, and support groups like the Vancouver-based Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS), hundreds of children from the region are able to pursue an education in Tibetan boarding schools throughout India where space is available to accommodate and care for them. The schools are many days’ or weeks’ journey from their families. Due to poverty and the vast distances, visits home are typically possible only every 3 to 5 years. The cost of education is family separation.
For Tibetans in Arunachal Pradesh, jobs are scarce, their agricultural land in the settlements is poor, markets for their produce are hundreds of kilometres away, so life is extremely challenging. Coming to Canada offers hope.