Sarah Woodend Contributing Writer AS Melanie Raoul trekked throughout Nepal she realized just how much she takes for granted liv- ing in Canada. “It was hard to come back and see people raking things like free education for granted and complaining about not having the Internet at home,” she said. The trip made her feel more connected to the rest of the world, She has realized that she can make a difference outside of Vancouver. Last spring she and seven other Grade 11 stadents from Vancouver found themselves on an adventure in Nepal. The trip has changed their directions in fite. The teens were selected by the Trans Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) of West Vancouver, to travel to Nepal to view humanitarian aid projects. The purpose of taking a group to Nepal was to observe development that has occurred thanks to TRAS and show the public that tax dollars are being spent wisely. In commitiing, to the program the students agreed to giv- ing six talks to organizations and schools in the Greater Vancouver area to share what they've learned. Daphnic Hales, director of TRAS, said the girls have served the organizations well in fulfilling their duties. “Jr's been a real eye-opener working with them. I get the feeling they are totally committed to helping other people from now on because of their experiences.” TRAS, which was started in 1962, is a charitable organiza- tion that does grassroots development with partial tunding north shore news SUNDAY FOCUS Grade 11 students take in humanitarian aid projects from the government through the Canadian International Development avency (CIDA). The TRAS Himalayan Education Program for Young Canadians was started in 1996 with the idea of educating youth in overseas development projects and inspiring them to become involved. RAS participant Camille Narayan realized that poverty means different things to different people and being without material wealth can still yield a meaningful lite. She said that although the Nepalese people she encoun- tered on the tip lack material wealth and resources such as cleetricity and sufficient technology, culturally and= socially they are fulfilled. She saw how self-sufficient they were. Narayan doesn’t feel they need the influence of western ideas, they just aced help to develop their own strategies, Narayan wishes everyone could see what she saw. “Et’s hard to put into words—(the trip) changed me in the best way. Not just my state of mind, I felt 4 part of my soul awakened.” Now that she has seen where TRAS spends its money she feels she can trust them and she and her family are sponsoring a child in Nepal. She has since decided that after finishing high school she will pursue a career in international relations and work in international aid or be a diplomat. She hopes to do field work all che time. Photos Jennifer Halos JOANNE Gaskeil (left photo), Camille Narayan, and Melanie Raoul gaze at the Annapurna peaks at dawn. At right, a mother’s group, sponsored by TRAS, cleans trails used in treks in an Annapurna village. THE TRAS group met Nepalese children along the trek like these ones in an Annapurna village. jens Micaela Schrag said it was inspiring to see what people were doing to better their situations. “Tt was an eye-opener to sce people live thar way, They don’t have much, but they're happy with the way they're liv- ing day to dav.” Schrag has had contact with the developing world before, She has travelled in Africa and lived in the Middle East as a child, but says this time was different because she was with a group on an organized project. Having the opportunity to visit projects like the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) sponsored by TRAS was an advantage of travelling with the organization. ACAD, which is an integrated program dealing with issues like reforestation, daycare centres, sanitation, womens’ groups and adult literacy, was a good example of people bettering their situations through their own methods. Schray said Canadians shouldn't fall into the trap of think- ing that teaching Our methods is right for everyone, “You think everyone should live the way we do here, but that’s not true and it’s not necessarily the best way,” she said. Schrag met a couple in Nepal who travel throughout the developing world to teach, The experience made ber decide thar she would like to do something similar in the future. Whar sticks out in Joanne Gaskelf's mind is the advantage the Nepalese have in being technologically behind the western world. Sceing farmers still using alternatives to chemical farming makes her hopeful that they can learn from the mistakes of the western world and implement better processes. “Just as we're realizing this is wrong they can skip over it, if we get to them now,” she said. The Appropriate Agriculrural Alternatives project’ was another of the TRAS affiliated projects visited. The program is designed to eradicate the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by teaching farmers organic and safe methods of farming. Jennifer Hales is the youth coordinator for TRAS and is a teacher at Holiyburn elementary school. She was a project leader in Nepal. Her family has been involved in TRAS since she was a child and they sponsored children in the developing world. As a school teacher she has decided to carry her inthu- enee even further by including her Grade 4 class in the project. She asked them to donate clothing, toys, pencils and crayons to the Buddha Memorial Home, which the group visited. She says she and the group came back very enlightened and are still enthusiastic abour sharing what they learned. They are scheduled to give a talk and show slides from their trip to the Rotary Club of Vancouver Speakers* Program. Application forms for the March 2000 trip were to be dropped off to Grade 10 classes in area high schools dur- ing last week of March. The trip is open to boys and girls.