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April 2023

Transformative Relationships: the Foundation of Fair Trade

I remember clearly the day, many years ago, that I pasted the word “relationship” above Sarah’s desk in her office. That’s what Ganesh Himal Trading is about, I said, deep, lasting, transformative relationships. The past month has brought that to the fore more than ever.

My trip to Nepal was all about the transformative power of deep and long-lasting relationships. As I sat with families and colleagues, many of whom I have worked with for almost four decades, I witnessed again the skill with which they have navigated their lives, nurtured their communities, and how they have forged the deep love and respect we have for one another.

I met with my primary mentor, Meera Bhattarai, who founded the Association for Craft Producers (one of the most impactful Fair Trade groups I have ever encountered). We relived so much of what we have been through these past 38 years. We have built workshops, hosted artisans, designed countless products, funded an endowment for girls’ education, created college scholarships, and so much more. I was with her when we walked through IKEA, and she sighed heavily and said, “How can we compete” and cried when she wrote a stunning recommendation for our son Cameron when he applied for (and received) the Watson fellowship. She’s just retired from her role as Executive Director but knows her, and our work together is not done. She’s passed her ED role on to Revita Shrestha, another amazing woman who I have known and worked with for 28 years, so the relationship there continues.

I sat with Kamala Giri, who I have also known for almost four decades, and her daughter, who was in the nursery at Bhaktapur Craft Printers when we worked together there. She spoke of how she had no power in the household when she married. She even had to give birth to her first daughter, who was breech, without help and then forced to clean it up afterward. Now through her amazing tenaciousness and, as she reflected, through our long-term buying of her beautiful paper items, this daughter is now a pharmacist, another a dental assistant, and her 3rd is a nurse. Along with all of that, she has been re-elected with more than 90% of the vote to represent her district in Bhaktapur for another five-year term with the message of empowering women.

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Denise Attwood, Kesang Drokpatsang, Nilam Poudel

These stories happened day after day, and each day, my heart was bursting. I wish I could share with you each and every story, each and every moment. Our Ganesh Himal colleagues have such rich lives, and what they have done with their opportunity has powerfully impacted the lives of so many others, particularly women. They are here to stay, and their impact will live on forever.

But quickly, I also have to mention that I get to wear another hat in Nepal. That of Conscious Connections Foundation. That hat led me to deepen my relationships with CCF’s partners there. One of those partners, Nilam Poudel, is highlighted in a story below. But I have to tell you that meeting Nilam, a trans-gendered Nepali woman who has helped so many marginalized people in Nepal, was a profound moment in my life. Walking In and being embraced by this beautiful woman full of love, confidence, and strength, hearing her story and her dreams for others, literally blew me away. I had to ask her how she stayed so strong and positive in the face of all she had been through, and her response was, “I have come so close to death and have felt so much hunger and suffering that I no longer fear what will happen, and that allows me to work harder for those I love. I advise my community to use it as a tool if you have a weakness; it will make you stronger”.

And finally, because I was in Nepal, I wasn’t able to attend the Fair Trade Conference, but Sarah did, and she reflected on how amazing it was to be surrounded by all of our wonderful Fair Trade community. She, too, recounted stories of relationships! She talked with Dick Meyer of Traditions and heard the stories of how we all started to work together so long ago; she ate tacos with Julio of Zee Bee, finally got to meet Tekia in person, shared time with Amy from Peacecraft and Jennie from Bunyaad and so much more. The relationships we have formed and are forming with our customers and colleagues in the Fair Trade world are equally as rich and transformative as those we have in Nepal. This work and these relationships are also here to stay! How cool is that?

And one more great thing about this month (this month has been a big one) my dear partner in GHT and CCF, Austin, just gave birth to her second beautiful daughter, Chloe May (the reason she wasn’t in Nepal or at the FTF conference). So we welcome yet another little Ganeshee on this journey of life.

Last but definitely not least, we worked on over 150 new products from all of our different groups. You will see these highlighted in this newsletter and in the months to come, but please check out our catalog section titled 2023 New arrivals-May to order.

Each day I was in Nepal was a gift of reflection and anticipation. Reflecting with everyone on the pathway that no one thought was possible and anticipating all the creative, lasting change-making yet to come. We are knitting ourselves together through our relationships and through our caring. This is long-term, transformational work and happens only because of the deep bonds we carry for one another.

Namaste,

PS I promise you in days to come to write more of these stories!

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