Leaving Nepal

Sorry it has been so long since we have informed you all of our activities. We have been so busy the last few weeks tying up loose ends and trying to get everything completed. We really need more time to accomplish all of our goals, so we will continue to work with Dhaka Weaves over the next couple of months.

We were able to help Ratna and Bindue get started on creating a coding system and documentation of their product designs. We were also able to turn in the application for Dhaka Weaves to become a member of Fair trade Group Nepal (FTGN). It will really be a monumental accomplishment when Dhaka Weaves is accepted. When FTGN was established in 1996 there were 17 founding members, to this day there are still 17 members. No other organization has been accepted, although I don't know if any have applied. Ideally Dhaka Weaves will break the club and, hopefully encourage other organizations to apply for membership. Expanding FTGN so it will have a greater impact across the country.

In Nepal, it seems that the smaller groups really struggle to get noticed, most of the FTGN organizations are huge NGO's that employ several hundred workers. Some have producer groups out in the villages where the producers do their work at home, this decreased the overhead and enables the organization to lower their costs, sell the item for a lower price and still pay a fair wage. Smaller organizations with more overhead costs, less employs and lower production struggle to keep their prices low enough for big buyers of Fair Trade. It is a situation that needs to be addressed, but the question is where to begin?

Yesterday we had a goodbye lunch with Mohini and Shyam Badan, the other two board members. It was spectacular! They are both such vibrant ladies with energy, intellect and motivation. Whenever we meet I always feel inspired and honored to have had the opportunity to work with them. Unfortunately Rita had to leave town last Monday for Delhi. Her son got very sick and it was critical for her to be with him. He is getting better, slowly, and hopefully she will be able to bring him back to Nepal with her in a weeks time. It was unfortunate that we didn't' get to say goodbye personally, but totally understandable and I am sure we will continue working with her and see her again sometime in the future. We did get to see her daughter, Pritiva, who has been a tremendous help! She worked with Dhaka Weaves as the manager and designer for 10 years, until 2000 when she got married and moved to India. She just happened to be in Kathmandu for our entire stay because she is pregnant and wants to give birth in Kathmandu, near her family and friends.

Now Stacey and I are in the Hong Kong airport gawking at the speed of the Internet and the cleanliness of the building and the bathrooms! In Kathmandu there are about 50 public toilets for a population of over 3 million people! I used one once, and never again! I is amazing how your perception of clean changes depending on where you are, where you are going and where you came from.

I am looking forward to getting back, but sad to have left. We met such great people! Most Nepalis hospitality is astonishing, they are so welcoming and friendly, making me feel completely at home. The general attitude in Nepal is to 'wait and see,' now I think that this causes several problems and so do many Nepali's, but again, what to do? When there is no government to establish and implement rules and regulations, how does one get heard and who is supposed to hear it? So, I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens...

Thanks again for all of your support. We have had a very successful and great learning experience and hope to be able to share more with all of you when we get back. We plan to keep this blog up and running while we work with Dhaka Weaves and continue with our progress.

Take care...