Your cart is currently empty!
Author: michael
LOOK FOR THE BOOKMARKS!
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”45211″ style_type=”dropshadow” hover_type=”none” bordersize=”2″ align=”none” lightbox=”no” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/SLIDERJournals-1024×534.png[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” top_margin=”10″ bottom_margin=”10″ border_size=”3″ alignment=”center” /][fusion_text]
A new school year is just around the corner and in our continued support of girls’ education in Nepal, we will be including student profile bookmarks in each of our journals. Each bookmark highlights a young student who receives educational stipends from the Power of 5, a program of Ganesh Himal’s non-profit arm, the Conscious Connections Foundation. Each bookmark also highlights why girls are such an amazing investment.
Ganesh Himal encourages and appreciates all of our customers who continue to raise funds for the Power of 5 through donation jars at checkout or other means. Together, our pocket change is global change and we can’t thank you enough for your support!
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”44905″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/denisewithkids-1024×534.png[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” element_content=””][fusion_title hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default”]
In the News
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Law school grad stays connected to the people of Nepal from her Spokane home
BY ELI FRANCOVICHfrom The University of Washington Alum School MagazineJUNE 2017It was 3:30 in the morning on April 25, 2015 when Denise Attwood’s phone rang. She was sound asleep in her Spokane home. Jarred awake, she learned that Nepal, one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, had been devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
More than 8,000 people were killed and another 20,000 injured. A medical clinic that Attwood, ’88, had helped build was leveled by an avalanche of mud and boulders loosened from the world’s steepest mountain range. The quake was so powerful it lifted Kathmandu, the country’s capital city, three feet. Sitting in her darkened bedroom 7,000 miles away, Attwood was stunned. Then she got busy. After all, it was her desire to help the world’s most vulnerable people that led her to apply to the UW School of Law in the first place three decades ago.Attwood, who filled out her law school application while on a boat between Hong Kong and Shanghai, had altruistic intentions. But she had no idea what she was in for after graduation. She recalls an incident when she worked for the Legal Action Center in Seattle. One of her clients, recently released from a mental institution, had run up enormous credit card debt. The woman was “totally delusional” and shouldn’t have been living alone, Attwood recalls. “People would come in with these gaping wounds, and I didn’t even have a full-size Band-Aid,” she says. “I just had a little tiny one.”
At the same time, other forces began pushing Attwood toward Nepal.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” element_content=””][fusion_text]
Throwing their Hearts into Business
BY FRANCES BADGETTfrom Western Washington University Magazine
JULY 2017
Denise Attwood (’83) and Ric Conner (’85) were on a trek in Nepal 30 years ago when they bought two sweaters that changed their lives: The family who made them, Tibetan refugees, asked Attwood and Conner to help them sell sweaters in the U.S.“Ric is a great entrepreneur and I’m a social justice nut,” says Attwood, who met Conner at a Huxley College potluck. Those two sweaters opened up a whole world of talented, hard-working craftspeople in one of the poorest regions in the world.
A few thousand sweaters later, they started Ganesh Himal Trading, LLC, to sell goods from Nepal in stores across the U.S. and Canada. Ganesh Himal Trading has since expanded into paper goods, baskets and other products.
Respect for people and the planet
When Attwood and Conner started, very few people were versed in the practice of fair trade, which encompasses respect for the environment, long-term relationships and livable wages for the producers, and financial support of the region. Today, Ganesh Himal Trading employs hundreds of Nepali and Tibetan craft producers.
“It’s only been 30 years and look at how conscious consumers are today,” Attwood says. “And it makes a huge difference. We see the change in the producers’ lives. We’ve seen families send their daughters to get masters degrees.”
Building Ganesh Himal offered another opportunity to Attwood and Conner to make a difference—the Baseri Health Clinic. On their first trek to Nepal, Attwood and Conner had met a 14-year-old girl, Sita Gurung. Eight years later in the Bangkok airport, the couple reunited with Gurung in a chance encounter.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Ganesh Himal Trading & the Tibetan Nuns Project
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”41055″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/nunsproject.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ layout=”2_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]
20 Years Sponsoring The Tibetan Nuns Project!
All institutions, whether religious or secular, have always promoted the advancement of men. Whenever there has been an opportunity to shift that focus to giving women an equal opportunity, Ric and I have jumped at the chance. When the Tibetan Nun’s project came into existence in 1991 we knew this was one such opportunity. This organization focuses on giving Tibetan women the support to participate in their spirtiual traditions at a much deeper level.
“The Tibetan Nuns Project was established under the auspices of the Tibetan Women’s Association and the Department of Religion and Culture of H. H. the Dalai Lama and is dedicated to educating and supporting nuns in India from all Tibetan Buddhist lineages.
In the mid 1980s, with the strong encouragement of H.H. the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Women’s Association began to work on behalf of nuns of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Initial efforts focused on small projects within the two existing nunneries in the Dharamsala area, and the women also worked to start a new nunnery in South India.
In early 1991, a group of 66 refugee nuns appeared overnight on the streets of Dharamsala, India. They had been on a two-year pilgrimage from eastern Tibet that had ended in a journey over the Himalayas. Ill and exhausted, they had nowhere to go. The Tibetan Women’s Association organized emergency assistance to meet their basic needs, and set in motion the Tibetan Nuns Project to work exclusively on behalf of the nuns. The Project immediately began to find long-term solutions to the problems of securing housing, medical care and most importantly, education for refugee nuns. The Project created a sponsorship program, reaching out to individuals around the world.”
The Tibetan Nuns Project is a registered charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service. If you are a US donor, your donations are tax-deductible. If you are giving from outside the US you can give directly to the Tibetan Nuns Project here. Canadian donors may give directly to the Tibetan Nuns Project or, if they wish to receive a Canadian tax receipt, through our fund at Tides Canada. Our legal name is the Tibetan Nuns Project and our Tax ID number is 68-0327175.
Photos & text courtesy of The Tibetan Nuns Project @ tpn.org
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ layout=”1_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”41048″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/nunsponsorship.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” border_size=”4″ alignment=”center” /][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” alignment=”center” /][fusion_imageframe image_id=”41049″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/nunsproject5.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” alignment=”center” /][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” border_size=”4″ alignment=”center” /][fusion_imageframe image_id=”41054″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/nunsproject2.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ layout=”1_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” element_content=””][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
The Nepali Manager Behind Ganesh Himal Trading
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]
This is the woman who manages everything we do in Nepal! She knows all of the producers and helps them with the orders that come in every other month so that they know exactly what to make and when to deliver it by. This is written in her own words! I think it’s great. She’s an amazing woman and such an inspiration to other women around her! She helped to form the group that does all of the silk knit accessories and also works with the group that does the woven cotton (water pashmina) shawls. She was also at our son’s birth!
This a transcript from a radio interview with Chunta that aired in 2011 on KYRS, Spokane, WA.
Chunta:
I am originally from Tibet but have been living in Kathmandu, Nepal since age 7. I am 53 yrs old and married with a son who is 18 yrs.
When I was small my family had a restaurant where the entire family used to work and we survived on it for a long time.But then with time business deteriorated after my father passed away when he was just 49 yrs old. But my mother was very strong and she raised 5 of us on her own.
My parents like most Tibetan families used to say that we should educate children to a level where they could read and write since we are from a business background and will not be working in offices. But still they had great expectations from us all and I think we all worked very hard in our studies to fulfill their dreams.On the whole we all have done quite well.
I got to know Denise and Ric through my sister Pemala and her husband Namgyal who had done their shipping of goods from Nepal and also was one of their producers of bags, knit wear and clothing. I went with them to USA in 1994 for the first time and after spending 11 months with them they employed me as a manger from the Nepalese side.This work has been a great eye opener for me away from the restaurant.
And after a year we stopped the restaurant and we all did different jobs. It was a great feeling when I got my first salary complete for myself. I went to the monasteries to thank God for this and asked for his guidance that I might be able to prove myself through the years.
I got married in 1998 and my husband is from India. But I have not been able to go there fully due to the good income I receive as a manager for Ganesh Himal which we needed for my sons education. As years went by I got the idea of making the recycled knit accessories and this even raised my income and I was always very busy and happy too since I was making good use of my time and little education too.
I was able to save some money by 2002 to buy a piece of land for my dream house. Although I did borrow some money from the bank, Denise also helped me with some money for which I am thankful. My whole idea of saving money especially for a woman’s uncertain future came from Denise’s Mom Joyce. I think she is the first bead of my life’s necklace.Then there is a lot of inspiration I got from my sister and then Denise from their hard work . and dedication .
This job and business I have has built my confidence, self respect and happiness too and has inspired me to help others too and talk to other women that they can be successful too.Then in 2007 I built my own house with a lot of hard work, adjustment with my plans to take care of my job, business and then son which completed in 2008 Now with the rent I pay for my sons part of the school fee. Once my sons education is complete I could use the money for my old age expenses. So I think with this work I have secured my future too. SaveI do look forward to do better in the future and learn a lot from other working women and to encourage hard working women in ways how they could do better.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Featured Artisan: Padhma Creations
[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]
Padhma Creation’s Story
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]It almost seems too simple: a skein of wool saving a life. For women of Nepal, beaten down by a complex and consuming social status, wool is a welcome reality.
Hasroon is one of these women. Hasroon was married at 18 and living a happy life with her infant son and husband . . . until her in-laws began demanding dowry money. When Hasroon’s family couldn’t pay, she was beaten, humiliated, and ultimately covered with gasoline, pushed into the bathroom, and set on fire. Today, Hasroon works for Padhma Creations, a social enterprise founded by Kesang Yudron. Padhma is the Sanskrit word for lotus, the flower that emerges pure and white from the muddy swamp. Kesang believes it is a fitting symbol for the women artisans, like Hasroom, who work at Padhma Creations. Padhma Creations gives Hasroon the training and job she needs to provide a secure and supportive life for her and her son.Padhma Creations partners with women from neighboring villages of Nepalgunj, Bardiya, and Surkhet in Nepal. Wool is divided among their families who then make berets, scarves, socks, and other items in their homes or in shelters for women without homes. These woolens are then sold, and the money reinvested in programs to support the artisans and their children. Kesang thought of the idea in 2000 when she and her father visited Nepalgunj, a border town between Nepal and India.
“I remember being shocked at the sight of a 13-year-old village girl being rescued from trafficking by the police,” Kesang said. “The story was that a distant relative of hers had intentions of selling her to a brothel in Mumbai. This incident created a lasting and profound impression on my life.”
Thousands of young Nepali women are trafficked to India every year for prostitution, child labor, and slavery, Kesang said.
Others are victims of domestic abuse. All have no jobs or paying skills. “Padhma Creations not only helps these women but saves their families from a life of spiraling poverty. [In addition,] we want to raise awareness about the lives of people in other countries,” Kesang said. “Our hope is to influence a new generation of empathetic young adults who will be socially conscious consumers.”Or, like Kesang, they’ll become entrepreneurs investing in human life worldwide.
-Article from St. Benedicts College
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]In addition to providing above market wages for the women, Padhma aims to provide women artisans with health, education and social welfare programs. And so, since 2011, Ganesh Himal Trading has contributed $1.00 for every item made by the group to a Worker Development Fund. A Worker’s Development Fund is a social benefit package which compliments already existing fair wages and steady employment. The money that is set aside gives women in the group the chance to decide how that money can be used to create additional financial support for the artisan group as a whole. Since 2011 the women have chosen to use a portion of the funds to provide scholarships for their children. Originally, these scholarships were prioritized for the women most in need, but as the fund grew the number of recipients grew and now, all of the children of Padhma knitters are on scholarship (49 children as of 2015). In 2015 alone, Ganesh Himal contributed $6,345. Additional funds have been used for medical expenses, funeral costs and family emergencies.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Artisan Spotlights[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Radika Zenda
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Radika is 34 years old and has been knitting for 3 years. She was introduced to the shelter project by friends in the neighborhood. Her income from knitting helps send her son to school since her husband does not support the family. In addition to knitting, she raises chickens.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Meera Balmiki
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Meera is the master knitter at Padhma Creations. She travels to Kathmandu to learn the pattern from Pemala and then she trains the other knitters. At age 35, she has 1 brother who paid his own way through college, and 3 sisters, all of whom finished high school. Because of a tumor in her leg, Meera is unable to use a sewing machine, so she relies on her knitting skills to support herself and her family.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Kesang Yudron
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Kesang Yudron first visited Nepalgunj as a high school student when her father wanted to train women of the area to knit. A typical teenager, Kesang didn’t think much of the experience at the time. After completing her accounting degree in Minnesota and working in a cubicle for a large company, however, she realized that she would rather serve her home community. Inspired by the story of a 13 year old village girl being rescued from trafficking by the police in Nepagunj, Kesang founded Padhma Creations to provide women artisans with employm[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Dhana Visht
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Meera is the master knitter at Padhma Creations. She travels to Kathmandu to learn the pattern from Pemala and then she trains the other knitters. At age 35, she has 1 brother who paid his own way through college, and 3 sisters, all of whom finished high school. Because of a tumor in her leg, Meera is unable to use a sewing machine, so she relies on her knitting skills to support herself and her family.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]A Small Sample of Padhma Creations Knitwear
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
See all of Padhma Creation’s Knits Here>
(you must be logged-in to view)
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_images picture_size=”auto” hover_type=”none” autoplay=”no” columns=”4″ column_spacing=”6″ scroll_items=”” show_nav=”yes” mouse_scroll=”no” border=”yes” lightbox=”yes” class=”” id=””][fusion_image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-PAPER-SALE-7.jpg” alt=””/][fusion_image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-PAPER-SALE-14.jpg” alt=””/][fusion_image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Copy-of-PAPER-SALE-1.jpg” alt=””/][fusion_image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://dev.ganeshhimaltrading.com/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-design-751.png” alt=””/][/fusion_images][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
[/fusion_text][fusion_text]Moisturizing Fair Trade “Silk Soap”
Sericulture (the production of silk and the rearing of silkworms) was introduced into Nepal in the 1990’s by development aid groups to try to create income generating opportunities for rural Nepali women. Unfortunately, the women were taught how to grow the mulberry bushes and the silkworms but little was done to develop products from the silk produced, so the income generation was minimal.
Ganesh Himal’s trading partner, Nepal Silk, was started by Mohinee Maharjan in order to create sellable products that would provide income and employment for ruralwomen from the silk they produced. Working alongside the silk farmers in Nuwakot, Mohinee trained women in silk weaving, crocheting & soap making. Now women are engaged in the entire economic process from growing the mulberry, to raising the silkworms to creating the final products.
Ganesh Himal Trading has partnered with Nepal silk to create a wonderful handcrafted silk soap made using the traditional cold process method. The cold process does not use external heat so the goodness of the natural ingredients is preserved. Our soaps combine moisturizing coconut oil, natural antioxidant sunflower oil, soybean oil, rich nutrient conditioning olive oil and cold pressed castor seed oil to produce a luxurious lather that cleans your skin naturally. We do not use palm oil. Silk protein, a natural moisturizer, is extracted from the silk cocoon and along with the other natural herbal ingredients helps to keep skin soft, smooth and bright while providing a valuable income-producing product for rural Nepalese women. To compliment the soaps we also sell beautiful crocheted and woven silk scrubbers that help to exfoliate and keep skin healthy.
Ganesh Himal Trading will continue to work with Nepal Silk to create other income producing products for the silk producers in years to come.
For customers, read more stories about our artisans and handcrafts here!
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]Today I need to write to our Fair Trade community. To express my belief that we have much to share in this time and we are well poised to do so. In fact, in our fair trade work we have been practicing for these times and learning how to love and care for those around us in the world.
I have never believed that Fair Trade is just another way to do business and to make money. I have always believed it is a way to actively participate in bringing into form a new way of being in the world. A way to experiment and practice, if you will, a different kind of economy. A way to experience, in a community, what it is like to trust one another again, to believe in one another, to work on behalf of each other and to promote a vision where we are all are treated as equals, regardless of gender, education, location, color or religion. All of us have been hard at work trying to re-member these things as we bring them into the re-creation of the marketplace. We have been practicing.
Fair Trade brings people of difference together, helping to build community and understanding. It is a re-creation of how we engage with one another in the most ancient of iterations, that of trade. That is our vision and it is coalescing. But at this moment in the story we are asked to take that vision more boldly into the world. To expand it, test it further, make it available to all. To walk together, support each other and create the world we all know is possible. The divisions are there, much work is yet to be done but we have been practicing
and we are not alone…
As Clarissa Pinkola Estes so eloquently put it in a recent writing,
“I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able vessels in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.
Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a greater forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.”
We must now ask the questions that for so long have lain hidden.
Can we firmly hold to our intentions in developing the Fair Trade model of justice and equality for those who have been denied access to the table for too long?
Who is our community and how broadly can our arms reach to include others?
How can we truly celebrate the sacredness of difference? How can we trust each other more?
How can we support each other in times of uncertainty?
How can we address each other’s fears without making our world small?
How can we walk in bigger shoes?
We have been practicing….
I would suggest we are ready for this task as a Fair Trade community and ready to step forward into a new world. We can look back at the old and be grateful for the gifts that it has given but we are now tasked to venture forward to embrace and live a new way of being. No one knows what this world will look like but we do know what our present world looks like and where we must not go. We have been practicing, we are ready, there is no other way and we must walk boldly beside each other on this path, holding each other up when we fall, trusting that we will be there for each other, knowing we will make mistakes, expanding the conversation and believing in what we all know is possible.
Namaste,
Denise & all at Ganesh Himal Trading
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Holiday Survival Guide for Retailers
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Say it isn’t so!
OK, we know this season can be stressful for retailers. But here are a few things we can offer to make it more doable:
1) Call us anytime 509.448.6561: to see what’s in stock (we are happy to pull special colors/sizes depending on your needs) . If you need some talk therapy to get through the season’s hysteria, we’ve got that covered too.
2) Know that we have plenty of knits in stock, so if you haven’t ordered any yet, we have you covered
3) Need to get your goods fast? Get your order in before NOON PST and we will ship it the same day.
4) Join our Retail Support Group (email us your request) on Facebook where you can get peer support from the most compassionate, hilarious people on this planet. Seriously, we can vouch, most of these people are our customers, and you guys are THE BEST.
5) If all fails, put a kitten on it! This makes everything feel better.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Happy Doshain
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Fall is a time of great celebration in Nepal and a time when families & friends come together, work is put aside and they celebrate life and the ties that bind them. It is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be in Nepal and their month of festivals are a huge reminder that it is a gift to be here in this life and to have the blessings of those who have come before us.Flowers are everywhere and ultimate joy is in the air, the difficulties of life are left behind and gratitude prevails.In North America we enter the fall season in a different way! A huge sense of anticipation and angst emerges as we gear up for our own holiday seasons and this year for the U.S. elections. Somehow it seems draining and difficult on so many levels. I want this issue of our newsletter to bring you the sense of Nepali joy and celebration so that we can remember that even in the busiest and most divisive of times we can step back and celebrate that we are part of an amazing human family and lucky for us we are part of an amazing Fair Trade family as well.
It always brings a huge smile to my face to think about how lucky we are to be a part of the Fair Trade family, one that has religious differences, political differences, racial differences, all kinds of differences but one where we have at our common core a sense that everyone on the planet should be treated with love and respect and given the chance at a healthy and stable life.
So I hope that you can also leave the everyday difficulties of life behind, find joy in the air and join our Nepali friends in celebration of happiness & our common human bond.
-Denise & all the Ganeshees[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
ARTISAN SPOTLIGHT:
Khlapsang Karpo Women Recycled Handcrafts
Due to its remote location, Ganesh Himal Trading had to be creative with the raw materials used for products made by this group. All scraps of sari fabric and beads are transported on the backs of the villagers over a two day mountain trek to their community. Lack of tools and electricity create another obstacle to producing products. Determined to provide economic opportunity to women in this village following the devastating earthquake of April 2015, Ganesh Himal Trading combined simple skill with beautiful detail to make this one of a kind wearable art.
Two days walk from any road lies the village of Sertung. Ganesh Himal Trading’s owners walked through this village in the fall of 2015 during their survey of damage in the remote Northern regions of Dhading district following the April 2015 earthquakes. During this visit they met a young woman who was the health care worker there and her husband. Their village was so heavily damaged and they wanted to know if we could help them get some economic income to the women and children left in the village (Conscious Connections Foundation also provided blankets).“Namaste, I would like to thanks for order necklaces. Our women life story is in Sertung women are maximum uneducated but they are everyday hard working. They do old type of farming and after planting they wait six month to get the crop.They have no [income generating] work. They are after earthquake live in small trap. This recycle necklace made them if you buy continue this necklace they get good incoming job.and help thier child study.” -YogendraThe group name chosen by the women was “Khlapsang Karpo Women Recycled Handcrafts”, Khlapsang means “Good God” and Kharpo means “white”, this is the Tamang name for Ganesh Himal, the mountain whose shadow they live beneath. To start they are training about ten women and one man with others who are eager to be trained. The women include: Chesang Tamang, Khasa Maya Tamang, Tikhri Tamang, Lili Maya Bika, Heni Maya Tamang, Kheti Maya Tamang, Bata Maya Tamang, Ruku Maya Tamang, Gyalmo Tamang, Mili Maya Tamang,Toni Maya Tamang, and Yogendra Tamang.Learn more about the Tamang people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamang_people[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”dropshadow” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”center” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Posts from the Past![/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_blog number_posts=”” offset=”” cat_slug=”” exclude_cats=”” title=”yes” title_link=”yes” thumbnail=”yes” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”35″ meta_all=”yes” meta_author=”yes” meta_categories=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_date=”yes” meta_link=”yes” meta_tags=”yes” paging=”yes” scrolling=”pagination” strip_html=”yes” blog_grid_columns=”3″ blog_grid_column_spacing=”40″ layout=”grid” class=”” id=””][/fusion_blog][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
