Things have been a bit crazy here in Kathmandu. One thing I have learned is how flexible, dedicated and resilient one must be to get anything done!
The election was in April and the president and vice president just recently elected. I can't explain what I don't fully understand, but the state of the government, or non-existing government, really effects business. When laws are always changing, which one is right? When leaders work for themselves, where does that leave the people?
There are several student unions that have been causing chaos around town for several different reasons since we have been here. The protesting used to be over the cost of the bus and taxi fares, they wanted a 50% discount!
The strike today was caused because the Vice President was sworn in in Hindi, the national language of India, not Nepal. Because the infrastructure is so basic a simple chain of men holding hands blocking traffic from all directions can cause terrible trouble, people not getting to work, not able to make money and children piled in buses not able to learn.
It is a sad state, to think that the only way people believe they can be heard is through blocking the roads and causing destruction. Just think how great this country would be if all these efforts were used in constructive ways to build the economy!
Stacey and I are dealing with it as it comes, just like the rest of the people here. We had to cancel a meeting today because of the road blocks and burning of tires. Luckily, not many people have been physically injured and we should be able to reschedule the meeting. Hopefully things will settle down so people can get back to some normalcy.
I guess only time will tell, and I am very sad to say that our time is almost running out!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Rest of the Story...Almost!
I left off telling you that we had decided to give the organization a try. It was fabulous! We had a wonderful trekking experience, hiked through the misty forests, gawked at the beautiful waterfalls, and struggled to keep ourselves free of leaches! Because it is the monsoon and the off-season, it was cloudy and cool for most of the adventure. The last morning we woke up early to the astonishing site of the Annapurna Mountain Range. This view only lasted a few minutes, until the clouds came in, but still, nothing better than a beautiful view while drinking a cup of warm tea in the mountains.
Our porter was an 18 year old girl from the northwest mountain area. She was looking forward to becoming a guide, but knew she needed to work her way up to that job and develop her English skills. She was living in the dorms provided by the company and taking English and computer classes, also provided by Three Sisters. I have to be honest, at first I felt horrible having this young girl carrying my sleeping bag and change of clothes. But as we continued our trek, I realized how much harder life would have been for her if she had not left her village or ended up with the wrong employers.
Women are put to work when they can carry a baby or mop the floor which ever comes first. They are often looked at as free labor and violent actions against women happen quite often. Lately, many girls will come to Pokhara or Kathmandu looking for jobs, they end up in the dance bars or the brothels. Even worse, some are kidnapped from the hills at a very young age and taken into India, part of the sex trade.
Three Sister’s Adventure trekking provides training and job opportunities that are fair and, now, respectable. If the girl doesn’t want to become a guide or porter, she can still take the training and use the skills learned to pass tests or for other job interviews. It is a really great organization and I highly recommend that if you ever go trekking, you contact Three Sister’s Trekking Adventures.
Now we are back in Kathmandu and realizing that we only have three weeks left! We have plenty to do before we leave and plenty to do once we return home. Rita is out of town at the moment, but we will meet with her, Ratna, Pritiva and Bindu sometime next week. This meeting is to help set up some coding systems and other systems that will be simple enough to understand and establish quickly, but good enough to work. Really, this information needs to come from them, Stacey and I are acting as support and giving recommendations. The final actions will be made and decided by the management team and the Board Members.
We are trying to close up loose ends and make sure that we have met with everyone that we need to while we are here. This has proved to be difficult because no one seems to have anyones current contact information. Most of the founding members of Dhaka Weaves have changed their phone numbers. I guess it is all about finding the right people to do the research. Pritiva is working on this for us, she said her sister knows someone who is related to someone, who just might have a few of the phone numbers. Time will tell.
Everyday we are learning, or at least trying to learn, more about Fair Trade and how it affects the producers. It is such a new movement here and it seems that everyone is still trying to understand it, especially us! We will continue to send out questionnaires via email and make appointments whenever possible, every conversation leads to something new! This work is still very exciting and challenging, and I think we are coming along quite nicely!
Please, we are open to comments and suggestions, or even just reactions! At this point, we are not even sure if anyone is reading or enjoying our experiences! If you don't feel comfortable posting to the blog, please feel free to contact me or Stacey directly! Our information is on the blog page. Thanks you...
Our porter was an 18 year old girl from the northwest mountain area. She was looking forward to becoming a guide, but knew she needed to work her way up to that job and develop her English skills. She was living in the dorms provided by the company and taking English and computer classes, also provided by Three Sisters. I have to be honest, at first I felt horrible having this young girl carrying my sleeping bag and change of clothes. But as we continued our trek, I realized how much harder life would have been for her if she had not left her village or ended up with the wrong employers.
Women are put to work when they can carry a baby or mop the floor which ever comes first. They are often looked at as free labor and violent actions against women happen quite often. Lately, many girls will come to Pokhara or Kathmandu looking for jobs, they end up in the dance bars or the brothels. Even worse, some are kidnapped from the hills at a very young age and taken into India, part of the sex trade.
Three Sister’s Adventure trekking provides training and job opportunities that are fair and, now, respectable. If the girl doesn’t want to become a guide or porter, she can still take the training and use the skills learned to pass tests or for other job interviews. It is a really great organization and I highly recommend that if you ever go trekking, you contact Three Sister’s Trekking Adventures.
Now we are back in Kathmandu and realizing that we only have three weeks left! We have plenty to do before we leave and plenty to do once we return home. Rita is out of town at the moment, but we will meet with her, Ratna, Pritiva and Bindu sometime next week. This meeting is to help set up some coding systems and other systems that will be simple enough to understand and establish quickly, but good enough to work. Really, this information needs to come from them, Stacey and I are acting as support and giving recommendations. The final actions will be made and decided by the management team and the Board Members.
We are trying to close up loose ends and make sure that we have met with everyone that we need to while we are here. This has proved to be difficult because no one seems to have anyones current contact information. Most of the founding members of Dhaka Weaves have changed their phone numbers. I guess it is all about finding the right people to do the research. Pritiva is working on this for us, she said her sister knows someone who is related to someone, who just might have a few of the phone numbers. Time will tell.
Everyday we are learning, or at least trying to learn, more about Fair Trade and how it affects the producers. It is such a new movement here and it seems that everyone is still trying to understand it, especially us! We will continue to send out questionnaires via email and make appointments whenever possible, every conversation leads to something new! This work is still very exciting and challenging, and I think we are coming along quite nicely!
Please, we are open to comments and suggestions, or even just reactions! At this point, we are not even sure if anyone is reading or enjoying our experiences! If you don't feel comfortable posting to the blog, please feel free to contact me or Stacey directly! Our information is on the blog page. Thanks you...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Women of Nepal
I once read the quote, “to be born a daughter in Nepal is ill fate,” I was surprised, but not shocked. Knowing that women have been exploited and mistreated everywhere in the world, it only makes sense that it would be happening here as well.
Stacey and I have been given the opportunity to work with and meet some of the strongest women I have ever known or read about. They take action to improve the lives of women everywhere. These extraordinary women find bottom up solutions to support women in gaining strength and voice. This is done through the creation of job opportunity, an economic advantage and, ideally leads to an education and an improved livelihood for the women and their families.
Rita Thapa, Mohini Lama and Shyam Badan Shrestha are the three women that sit on the board of Dhaka Weaves, each run their own enterprise concurrently, their enterprises train and employ women. The Board members come from diverse backgrounds and have their own strategies, but their goal is the same; to empower women economically and politically in a country where the idea of gender equality isn’t so hip. They had, and still have, to face struggles because they are challenging social norms and ‘blowing the whistle’ on thousands of years of ill treatment.
Last week, Stacey and I took a trip to Pokhara, a beautiful city near the Annapurna mountain range. We went there for several reasons: 1. To get out of the city for a while, 2. To interview the Executive Director of a fair trade organization, Women’s Skill Development Project, Mrs. Ramkali Khadka 3. To meet Ashoka Fellow and the Program Director of Empowering Women of Nepal, Lucky K. Chhetri and 4. Maybe we would go trekking for a couple of days.
Mrs. Ramkali Khadka is a strong and independent woman, a little harder for me to follow than some of the other interviewees; still it was fascinating listening to her story and explanation of the creation of the Women’s Skill Development Project. This project was registered in 1975 and is now a not-for-profit, non-governmental-organization that is completely self-sufficient. They provide handicraft related skills training to poor, underprivileged Nepalese women so they can become self-reliant. Currently they are working with 280 women in 7 different areas, and about 80 employees work in the Pokhara compound, all women.
The business model is very interesting because much of the power lies in the hands of the producers. The producer groups decide their wages through a committee, much like the previously discussed, Kala Raksha. They produce 600 different products that are kept track of through computer systems. Women’s Skill Development Project also has many of the systems in place that we are supporting Dhaka Weaves in creating. The systems might take a while to get established, but we are planting the seed and helping Ratna and Bhindu understand why these systems are needed.
What I found most fascinating and relevant about our meeting is that Ramkali stated their orders went up dramatically after receiving the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) certification and that IFAT membership fees are based on sales. IFAT is currently the highest level of membership in fair trade, leading to international networks of buyers and sellers. This reinforced the importance of fair trade certifications for Dhaka Weaves. We are working on the papers for a Fair Trade Group Nepal (FTGN) certification and don’t plan on stopping with that. IFAT is a membership that Dhaka Weaves can use to expand into broader markets. (To find out more about this project: www.wsdp.org.np ).
The next inspirational women that we met was Lucky K. Chhetri, this was truly an honor. Several years back, in 1993, Lucky and her two sisters opened a lodge and restaurant in Pokhara, where mainly trekkers would gather before and after their journeys. After a while, the sisters began hearing more and more women complain about having problems with their all male guides. Lucky took this challenge and used it as an opportunity. She had had some experience with mountaineering in Darjeeling and knew how strong the village women in the mountain areas were. Along with her sisters, Dicky and Nicky, they set up Three Sisters Adventure Trekking, which would have all women guides and porters. They started to market the job opportunities to the women in the area and to the tourist market. At first, no one responded to the ads, but slowly women began to come, both as employees and customers.
There was a big problem though, the women who were responding to the ad for work, couldn't’t speak English and they needed Training. The sisters went to a training to learn the critical information, and then changed it around to make it fun for the women. They have trained over 600 women and employ 80 during the high seasons. At first, many people saw this as exploiting women, and the sisters had to put up with a lot of social stigmas. Now there is a large demand for women guides and there are 2 annual trainings.
We decided to give the organization a try, but I will tell you more about our adventure later.
Sorry we haven’t been in touch recently. Pokhara was a little more expensive and we were pretty busy!
Stacey and I have been given the opportunity to work with and meet some of the strongest women I have ever known or read about. They take action to improve the lives of women everywhere. These extraordinary women find bottom up solutions to support women in gaining strength and voice. This is done through the creation of job opportunity, an economic advantage and, ideally leads to an education and an improved livelihood for the women and their families.
Rita Thapa, Mohini Lama and Shyam Badan Shrestha are the three women that sit on the board of Dhaka Weaves, each run their own enterprise concurrently, their enterprises train and employ women. The Board members come from diverse backgrounds and have their own strategies, but their goal is the same; to empower women economically and politically in a country where the idea of gender equality isn’t so hip. They had, and still have, to face struggles because they are challenging social norms and ‘blowing the whistle’ on thousands of years of ill treatment.
Last week, Stacey and I took a trip to Pokhara, a beautiful city near the Annapurna mountain range. We went there for several reasons: 1. To get out of the city for a while, 2. To interview the Executive Director of a fair trade organization, Women’s Skill Development Project, Mrs. Ramkali Khadka 3. To meet Ashoka Fellow and the Program Director of Empowering Women of Nepal, Lucky K. Chhetri and 4. Maybe we would go trekking for a couple of days.
Mrs. Ramkali Khadka is a strong and independent woman, a little harder for me to follow than some of the other interviewees; still it was fascinating listening to her story and explanation of the creation of the Women’s Skill Development Project. This project was registered in 1975 and is now a not-for-profit, non-governmental-organization that is completely self-sufficient. They provide handicraft related skills training to poor, underprivileged Nepalese women so they can become self-reliant. Currently they are working with 280 women in 7 different areas, and about 80 employees work in the Pokhara compound, all women.
The business model is very interesting because much of the power lies in the hands of the producers. The producer groups decide their wages through a committee, much like the previously discussed, Kala Raksha. They produce 600 different products that are kept track of through computer systems. Women’s Skill Development Project also has many of the systems in place that we are supporting Dhaka Weaves in creating. The systems might take a while to get established, but we are planting the seed and helping Ratna and Bhindu understand why these systems are needed.
What I found most fascinating and relevant about our meeting is that Ramkali stated their orders went up dramatically after receiving the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) certification and that IFAT membership fees are based on sales. IFAT is currently the highest level of membership in fair trade, leading to international networks of buyers and sellers. This reinforced the importance of fair trade certifications for Dhaka Weaves. We are working on the papers for a Fair Trade Group Nepal (FTGN) certification and don’t plan on stopping with that. IFAT is a membership that Dhaka Weaves can use to expand into broader markets. (To find out more about this project: www.wsdp.org.np ).
The next inspirational women that we met was Lucky K. Chhetri, this was truly an honor. Several years back, in 1993, Lucky and her two sisters opened a lodge and restaurant in Pokhara, where mainly trekkers would gather before and after their journeys. After a while, the sisters began hearing more and more women complain about having problems with their all male guides. Lucky took this challenge and used it as an opportunity. She had had some experience with mountaineering in Darjeeling and knew how strong the village women in the mountain areas were. Along with her sisters, Dicky and Nicky, they set up Three Sisters Adventure Trekking, which would have all women guides and porters. They started to market the job opportunities to the women in the area and to the tourist market. At first, no one responded to the ads, but slowly women began to come, both as employees and customers.
There was a big problem though, the women who were responding to the ad for work, couldn't’t speak English and they needed Training. The sisters went to a training to learn the critical information, and then changed it around to make it fun for the women. They have trained over 600 women and employ 80 during the high seasons. At first, many people saw this as exploiting women, and the sisters had to put up with a lot of social stigmas. Now there is a large demand for women guides and there are 2 annual trainings.
We decided to give the organization a try, but I will tell you more about our adventure later.
Sorry we haven’t been in touch recently. Pokhara was a little more expensive and we were pretty busy!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
History, Politics and Business
In 1989 eight women entrepreneurs in Nepal who had formed an association known as WEAN – Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal, thought to provide training for women so that they might become entrepreneurs themselves. Twelve women who had some weaving experience were brought together to learn more about the traditional method of Dhaka weaving. However, in the initial interview of the women who would receive the training, each woman said, “Will I get a job at the conclusion?” The WEAN members had not really thought of this, their intention was to provide education not employment. The WEAN members held an emergency meeting and decided that following the training, each of them would invest some of their own money to create a production unit to preserve and promote Dhaka textile weaving. This enterprise would become Dhaka Weaves. The initial training was a great success. Today, nearly twenty years later, Dhaka Weaves produces very high quality hand woven Dhaka textiles. On average 40 weavers at a time are employed, bringing income into their families that might not be there without the opportunity provided by Dhaka Weaves.
Lindsay and I have had the pleasure of meeting the extraordinary women who had the vision, the persistence and the heart to initiate, maintain and care about Dhaka Weaves. They represent the spirit and the potential of a new Nepal. However, Nepal has had 15 different governments in the past 17 years. The Nepali Rupee is pegged to the Indian Rupee and the small struggling economy of Nepal is overwhelmed and directly affected by the high inflation experienced in the Indian economy and carries over into Nepal. Political instability had driven out most of the tourists (a major source of foreign currency), and daily life for the average Nepali has become increasingly difficult.
Writing for the Nepali Times on July 4th, 2008, Bihari K. Shrestha states:
The people are desperate for food, jobs, income, healthcare and education. They were promised these during the elections, but now that the politicians are comfortably ensconced, these issues are being ignored in the power plays. Whatever sense of collective accountability that appeared at election time has vanished into thin air.
In a letter to the editor in the July 3, 2008 Kathmandu Post, Sanu Kayastha writes:
The month of June 2008 observed 11 days as banda (strike) in the Kathmandu Valley. There were some official holidays and, of course Sundays and Saturdays too. Actually we had only 17 working days in the last month. There is no calculation as to what price the nation has to pay for these crippling bandas.
In and around these “strike” days Lindsay and I continue to meet with women entrepreneurs, leaders of various associations, and the people involved with Fair Trade who are working to increase and promote improved livelihoods for artisans. The practice of Fair Trade outlines a set of criteria and principles. We are working with Dhaka Weaves to complete an application for membership into the organization Fair Trade Group Nepal. Business in Nepal is often based on trust and relationships. Business can also be based on whom you know. In a rapidly shifting political landscape, the value of whom you know changes daily.
This is the environment business and enterprise is trying to move forward in. In spite of the difficulties, people are optimistic and patient. Challenges come in many forms and from many directions. I am inspired each day by the spirit and the potential of the women we are collaborating with. In order to move Dhaka Weaves onto solid ground, we are proposing a set of business systems and practices adapted to meet Dhaka Weaves specific needs. Day by day we are learning and sharing. Thanks again to each of you for your support and suggestions. Do you need some Dhaka?
Lindsay and I have had the pleasure of meeting the extraordinary women who had the vision, the persistence and the heart to initiate, maintain and care about Dhaka Weaves. They represent the spirit and the potential of a new Nepal. However, Nepal has had 15 different governments in the past 17 years. The Nepali Rupee is pegged to the Indian Rupee and the small struggling economy of Nepal is overwhelmed and directly affected by the high inflation experienced in the Indian economy and carries over into Nepal. Political instability had driven out most of the tourists (a major source of foreign currency), and daily life for the average Nepali has become increasingly difficult.
Writing for the Nepali Times on July 4th, 2008, Bihari K. Shrestha states:
The people are desperate for food, jobs, income, healthcare and education. They were promised these during the elections, but now that the politicians are comfortably ensconced, these issues are being ignored in the power plays. Whatever sense of collective accountability that appeared at election time has vanished into thin air.
In a letter to the editor in the July 3, 2008 Kathmandu Post, Sanu Kayastha writes:
The month of June 2008 observed 11 days as banda (strike) in the Kathmandu Valley. There were some official holidays and, of course Sundays and Saturdays too. Actually we had only 17 working days in the last month. There is no calculation as to what price the nation has to pay for these crippling bandas.
In and around these “strike” days Lindsay and I continue to meet with women entrepreneurs, leaders of various associations, and the people involved with Fair Trade who are working to increase and promote improved livelihoods for artisans. The practice of Fair Trade outlines a set of criteria and principles. We are working with Dhaka Weaves to complete an application for membership into the organization Fair Trade Group Nepal. Business in Nepal is often based on trust and relationships. Business can also be based on whom you know. In a rapidly shifting political landscape, the value of whom you know changes daily.
This is the environment business and enterprise is trying to move forward in. In spite of the difficulties, people are optimistic and patient. Challenges come in many forms and from many directions. I am inspired each day by the spirit and the potential of the women we are collaborating with. In order to move Dhaka Weaves onto solid ground, we are proposing a set of business systems and practices adapted to meet Dhaka Weaves specific needs. Day by day we are learning and sharing. Thanks again to each of you for your support and suggestions. Do you need some Dhaka?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Continued Learning
Sorry it has been a while since we have been able to blog. Every time I feel I understand something, something happens that reminds me that I surely don't know the whole story!
Gas lines are still crazy and the cost of fuel is about $7.50 USD per gallon! I don't know how people continue to drive. Strike after strike is occurring, I don't think the people realize the effects on the economy. A Band (strike) day means no school, little work for many, and less goods coming in from India....so higher prices.
On the business side of things we have been learning quite a bit and have had two very informational meetings with two of the three members and founders of Dhaka Weaves. Their information has been very helpful for understanding the full picture of Dhaka Weaves. We have also been discussing management, pricing, ordering, and other business systems that need to be in place with Ratna, Bindu and others involved with Dhaka Weaves.
I now have to get going because the email place is closing. I will try to get more pictures up and please, any recommendations or suggestions are welcomed!
Thanks for keeping up with us!
Gas lines are still crazy and the cost of fuel is about $7.50 USD per gallon! I don't know how people continue to drive. Strike after strike is occurring, I don't think the people realize the effects on the economy. A Band (strike) day means no school, little work for many, and less goods coming in from India....so higher prices.
On the business side of things we have been learning quite a bit and have had two very informational meetings with two of the three members and founders of Dhaka Weaves. Their information has been very helpful for understanding the full picture of Dhaka Weaves. We have also been discussing management, pricing, ordering, and other business systems that need to be in place with Ratna, Bindu and others involved with Dhaka Weaves.
I now have to get going because the email place is closing. I will try to get more pictures up and please, any recommendations or suggestions are welcomed!
Thanks for keeping up with us!
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