Friday, March 16, 2012

New Things

Namaste and Aloha. It has been wayyy to long since I've been on this blog. I guess I'm still learning this art form :)



Well, most of the bags have sold. There are now just a few left bags left at the Krishna Temple here in Nuuanu Valley, Honolulu, HI.

I am very much looking forward to ordering more bags from Tara and the ladies of Chetana Women Skills Development Project soon. There has been some hold up on my part, mostly due to time constraints, but it has always been my plan to continue investing in socially and environmentally sustainable and conscious fair trade items. The bags were very popular, so why not bring more?

Look for more Chetana Bags coming to selected locations in Hawaii soon, and available nation-wide for mail order purchase!

I hope that Astha Women School project is doing well, and I look forward to getting an update from Parvati and them soon. I'm going to email them this week to see how their programs and progress is going.

Me personally, I've been really busy working two jobs, and staying busy getting involved with other people who have similar objectives to me.

Since my last shipment of bags, I have joined the board of directors of Friends of Volunteers Initiative Nepal (FVIN), a US based 501c3 whose mission it is to empower marginalized communities in Nepal, namely women and children, through educational and community projects. We approved our first grant last month, which went to a children's educational sponsorship program. Yippee!


(Three of my favorite little Nepali Sisters, Rasmita, Sangita, and Sanghana, getting ready for their school)

This week, three of us FVIN board members (Dee, Ken, and I), along with the help of Sanjeev, will be meeting with members of the Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA).  We will discuss some important issues regarding Nepal, FVIN's work there, and the Nepali community here and what they think about stuff. I have tons of questions I wanna ask, like how they feel about volunteer tourism in Nepal, and what they see as the greatest catalysts for change in their country? Needless to say, I am really looking forward to meeting with everybody this Saturday.

That is it for now. Short and sweet. Just wanted to say hello to the cyber world and give an update (albeit brief and delayed) on how things are going.

Loving Kindness to all,

Sadie

(Trekking in the hills of Nuwakot, on the way to Padma's Village)

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