Fair@square festival

I am writing this post the fairtrade event and feel a little disheartened by the lack of support out there for small businesses.
It is true that most businesses simply take time. But if would be nice to see some more collaboration, or even sponsorship from bigger partners for an event such as the fair@square festival that advocates fair-trade and sustainability. All good things at the core.

For now we will just keep on trying! And remember that really it is a global issue that I cannot take personally.


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Location:Federation square

Nangi update

I am excited to welcome 20 new workers to the Nangi Village paper project. Training is in place this week, putting us in the position to think about specified roles such as harvesting, quality control, printing and finances.
There could also be other local investments to think about along side the school.
It is a brilliant time of the year to be making, and a brilliant time to be selling too!


- Comments, ideas and constructive criticism appreciated!

Documentation

It's time to document some of the work of White Circles. A screening of The High Road by Myee G, will take place at the UNE, Armidale NSW Friday the 11th November at 7pm.

It is an honor to have been involved in the documentary.


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Markets

Come check us out in Daylesfod . 5th October.


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Location:Daylesfod

Fair Trade.... Fairtrade

The Fair Trade concept.

It is easy to find products that reflect a story far beyond the fair trade stamp. And I question whether it is worth conforming to a logo or stamp to make us one of somebody else.

I appreciate the marketing value and the trust that comes with fairtrade certification, and I am equally aware that this has become necessary for social trust. I would hope that society would continue to change and question everything we consume. From fruit, meat, chocolate, craft and computers. the hardest one I have found to feel comfortable with, is running shoes. There are stories that appreciate being heard or considered, and once our questions are answered, our consuming is justified.

The possibilities of fair trade certification brings forth a number of issues that are often understood by the producers only. The rippling effect of fair trade can at times disrupt a community and remove aspects of independence. There are producers feeling boxed and controlled. And there are producers doing far more than the fair trade process could. The simple solution may be to approach such with open mindedness and consideration for the community at stake. Creating a fair trade framework individual to each community is what will change and improve economic stability for developing communities forevermore.

Like the protests in Melbourne, people just want to be heard or considered. For this habit or awareness to be present, I am unsure whether the fair trade stamp would become more or less necessary.

home in aus

Just to share with you a few thoughts that relate to White Circles and social change.

From afar, some 20 women are going about their lives with enthusiasm and trust in what is happening in Australia.
The winter trade has been steady, but interest is positive. Spring time marks the time to kick start trade, and there are some new avenues to tap into. Education here in Australia will play a key role! Spreading the word to why shopping with awareness is actually circulating to better places across the globe.

It is a challenge I constantly battle with, to limit my purchases to Australian made, or a community development project.
Local garlic is very hard to find.
I need some new joggers that are not made in China.
And some good ink pencils that also don't support a trade I am not interested in.

It follows on to meat, and the question of changing the industry. Is it better to eat none at all.... or buy meat that advocates free range? Therefore making a stand to the reasons why I don't eat meat.

Do I fly home and pay half the price, or go on the train for 2 days?

Being home, and away from Nepal is allowing me to resettle into the environment I want to market in. It is inspiring me to develop new products that link within this lifestyle, and I feel good about it!

Documentary out soon!

the story please!!!!

Second input to Sikre was far more official and less creative than I would have liked. I felt a little swamped by men and particularly uncomfortable at times........................ Actually - I will rephrase that;

I felt completely overwhelmed by dominating men who churned my stomach. This gave me the opportunity to see and feel to a small degree what some wives experience, but just a few days of it, and I am exhausted. I now know a little more about the strength women need in these villages to hold independence of any sort. By no means do I have any dislike to men in general, but I am here to work with women and therefore education and community development. This is the time I step up and act according to my priorities.

I have been pondering on how I could share these stories of lonliness, oppression and strength with you. Instead, please consider how naive you or I could possibly be at times. Try and imagine the stories behind every single thing that crosses your life, and please don't take that off your priority list as your thoughts and considerations may cross the paths of these stories in some way, some day...

...

Sikre can make paper. There are plenty of resources here, with very good farming practices and some very strong leading women. Meeting them for a second time was a delight. I felt mannerisms change within this time, from a simple feminine touch, to a far easier, less foreign greeting.

We shared ideas, and are seeking clarity on the potential costs involved in restarting their paper machine. Their enthusiasm was flattering to me, as I do not expect anybody to even attend a meeting with someone as foreign and hard to understand as me and my Nepali language at times.

We had some more official-like meetings which were not really noteable.

There is a plan to harvest, and make paper, colour and kites if they want to. But I do not feel it will work until the balance is present and the direction given by men is not necessary or expected.

The challenges in this short trip, have absolutely made headstrong of my motivation. There is a strange weight taken off my shoulders as I learn the heartbreaking stories that actually make it easier for me to work here.

New people. New forest. New dialect... and a road less travelled.

Sikre village.

I have met with Khadga Kharel Ji some time ago through a dear Australian forriage expert- Alan Robertson. This connection is valuable, and my instinctual trust can be confirmed.

Our plans have been simmering for six months now as we developed some basic kites in his home to sell in Australia. Basic, biodegradable, and beautiful. This trial in his family led me now to believe we could place in it a womens group and invest in some aspect of education like that of Nangi. This initial test takes place in Sikre - Sindhupalchowk. Nepal.

My meeting here was exciting as I felt them appreciate my language, and Bim Kumari Ji led me to a place within the jungle where we gained trust of each other and ate good ripe berries. This meeting will follow with an agreement made following fair trade principles to test whether they really are interested in making kites. We have found some good colour from the jungle that can be made into a paste for the block printing, and there are enough flowers about to press print too.

Photos will come soon.

Some time in April or May for a short week.

.....An incredibly satisfying time here where these relationships are solid. Absolutely solid, where the cultural habits or barriers that I often struggled with have become transparent or far less important. There is now a better understanding of why I do this and why they do that. And best of all, it doesn't matter.

There is now an understanding of the structure of my business - White Circles, and their opinion is positive as it will bring a long term future to the project and therefor they are excited to come to work every day. We have four new women working with us who laughed just as much as the others by Kaaja (snack time) day 1.

It is an honour to share this trip with Myee Gregory who is making a documentary on the project for University of New England Honours degree. (see http://blog.une.edu.au/news/2011/04/29/myee-travels-to-nepal-on-film-making-assignment/)

This will not only give the opportunity to educate about fair trade and concientious consumer bahaviours, but explore possibilitlies to transfer a similar framework elsewhere in Nepal. myeegregory.wordpress.com

The commitment, particularly on my last day was astounding, as we worked in fast forward 3 hours over time, making books, songs, and a future. This was simply a pleasure.

We have been putting together many books that will be easy to sell in Australia and online. (http://www.bluecaravan.net/home/1/)

They hold a good energy and I know that it is absolutely benefiting this community. They say so themselves. and they have every right to demand what more they want to change. We can get more books made at a more efficient rate with a few simple machines, and we can hope for less women overworking themselves in the jungle for their children's health or education.

This environment is exactly where I want to be... Be it Nepal, or some other village in some other part of the world.

P.R in Australia

Featured in the Northern Daily leader.

There are some details that are incorrect. White Circles is an ethical business linked with Nepali community development projects.

Nangi Second Input

It's post monsoon, holidays for the biggest festival of the year... and there is a lot of field work to be done before the dry season.

Nevertheless, my unexpected arrival to check the progress of Kitaab (Book) making, proved satisfying for both parties. I was excited to see their creative initiatives, just as excited to see the quality kept high, and even more excited to see their enthusiasm to start work again after farming work subsides.
I cannot be anything but proud of Nangi village, and learn from their commoradory, independance, and exclusion from some cultural barriers. I am dedicated to the continual support and excited to try a similar model with another village.

I feel as though working with women tends to domino the community projects, with understanding of such priorities as education, sanitation, agriculture and health.

... I could be nothing but comfortable.

Products

It is with pleasure that I present our first season of products...

BORIS;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

This particular notebook is coloured with walnut bark and a local fern.
All are blank inside.
20 gram paper, about 100 pages.
Sizes range from 15x15cm to 18x20cm



More BORIS, printed with ancient fabric block prints.

ACCORDIAN;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Great for traveling, as you can pop it on your wall at the end.
Most have 20 pages of 40 gram paper.
Sizes range from 15x15cm - 22x22cm

just a few examples- more colours, prints and shapes to come.

First Season

Nangi Village - A successful small enterprise which generates income through traditional artistic skills. . . Income that sustains a number of women's families, as well as contributes to the local school of Nangi village..... I have a lot of faith in this school. It is supported by Himanchal Education foundation. - http://www.himanchal.org/ which have tremendously sustainable ideas. Where internet access is their main success.

The hand made journals in this village have come from the abundance of Lokta tree which is located in the jungle on our doorstep. Resources are naturally regenerated, organic, and totally sustainable.

Production of the paper and books is very casual. If women chose to come and work, we welcome them, and they receive a daily wage. We also think it is pretty important that their home environment is not jeopardized. Collecting grasses for animals and general farm maintainability takes up a significant chunk of their day.
One thing to consider here would be to decrease the home labor by producing better grasses and researching some relevant environmental changes.

Pumdi Village

SEPANA (DREAM) NEPAL. 

The contrast in Nangi village to Pumdi village is both inspiring, shocking and motivating. I walk down to a much less physically demanding environment. Where the cultural barriers are far higher for me. There is a different understanding of development here... maybe the result of being close to Pokhara city where tourism is what the city strives on. Whatever it be - I am still learning about it and any such thought I pass here - are MINE and not justified by anything more than my experiences. 

Sapana Nepal works in Pumdi, and do much more than inspiring education. Sepana Nepal looks ahead into keeping things sustainable. I want to help this. I want something long lasting.... and I want somet

hing FUN.... What is fun - time, an experience... A FEELING ... and state of mind. 

So far Sapana has done a good job in developing the creative mind and introducing colour. That in itself for me is incredibly exciting. 

We have played around with some Batik here on possible marketable items in Australia. At this stage I hope to go home with some samples, tests, development and positivity. And I feel in the future there are big possibilities for a womens program here. The biggest feat is gaining trust in what we are selling. I would be ever so happy to work along side these women.

HARVESTING IN THE JUNGLE

For practical reasons, I wasn't going to take a camera into the jungle to harvest... So this is my latter impression of what it was....

My harvesting skills were by no means up to scratch to these women, but I feel it was important to see and understand exactly the work that goes into the Lokta harvesting... It's no easy task. We walk all day and cut for the middle part. The jungle offers a lot more than Lokta- it has an ancient spirit.

First days

THE NEPALI KETI'S HAVE ARRIVED! 

These Nepali women are a pleasure to spend time with. I started out a tad frightened, and now - day 2, have snuck out of the lesson to pour my excitement onto the page. I - once again, feel perfectly comfortable. The only barrier being my stomach and it's cravings for salad and fruit!!! 

Day one was at first a shock to try and understand where we must start from. I felt a communication barrier, and exhausted by the end of it. Labeling it as work, not life.... which I wasn't impressed with.  In redemption, today they have surprised me with little accordian books they've made, and open critisism of their work. Fabulous! Mind you the most important thing was that I felt a relationship growing today. I'm not separate from them, I am with them. 

Today we simply played.. I tried to gauge where each lady wanted to be creatively and who was simply more passionate about boiling the potatoes for lunch. We played with colour, sewing, cutting, folding and drank tea! 

It feels great. Just day two, and who have something to work with... some communication skills growing and feel confident about an income! 

OUR life is bliss! Take a deep breath! 

It's Nangi again - and it's cold. But this time, I don't mind. The cold is something that bothers us when there's no substitute for warmth. I feel cold, when I feel like nothing is happening around me. This can happen anywhere! My point- Nangi is a bustling place of development. There is Muthi working in the community gardens to replant jungles in the region. There are sewing groups by the mothers, there are museums going up, there are yaks nearby to harvest and milk, even maybe make cheese... and ofcourse there is Loktha - the wonder paper which - to my delight, is beautiful to paint on as well as being sustainable, and durable!

My progress here has been solo at this stage, as the women have some serious farming to get on with. Next week, or tomorrow, who knows... there will be some eager women to join me in my painting experiments, printing and just being creative with what fabulous opportunities we have here. It is an absolute pleasure to get my creative mind going, in the foothills of the Annapurna range with good hot tea on tap.

My sewing experience is put to trial here... If anyone has used a peddle sewing machine, it is actually harder than you expect. The rhythm is everything! This is something, as well as straight cutting (all paper is cut by hand- so if anyone comes across a gillertine in Nepal- I pay a good price!!!!!) that the women in Nangi put me to shame on.

Nearby, I am also lucky enough to have a Nettle weaving village. Just typing this makes me excited. A NETTLE WEAVING VILLAGE>>>> supported by UNDP- income generation is what they do! 

http://www.undp.org.np/

I can trust them, and clearly from my expedition today with wise Muthi,

 I could see they are doing humble things with no obligation to commit to anything or anyone. What I want to do- is encourage what more we could do here. There are opportunities to employ more than 8 women I know! This product is beautiful.... natural, unique and multifaceted. Soon you'll be writing in natural books, wearing your nettle garment in some finely embroidered slippers.... all made with love!

I like this place a lot. think I could make it a home... Not a stop over place to learn and move on having "experienced"... I think rather- it is a place to continue coming back to. I would rather be somewhat blended or even unnoticed, than be a "volunteer" to play, and excite people for a few weeks. That stuff annoys me a tad... maybe because I know it's not sustainable - that excitement unfortunately, few people hold forever. Sounds negative, but I don't mean it that way. I just want something more long lasting.... NOT like this cold....

The next significant expedition was more than exciting, stimulating and driving for my inner "crafty" self. There are some pretty phenomenal people doing development work that is actually making changes. I met with Chitra, who is a pretty no fuss kind of fellow who gives each ounce of his energy to what's right, and what's going to change. As I found out at a later date he's also dedicating himself to a phenomenal amount of projects. I cannot feel humbled my his time given to me, I am just a needle in the haystack, and it will take me a long time to work out exactly how and what he does! 

The first feat for this lot of research was the "dolphin Inn" located in a town called Beni. Here, we had the pleasure of some brutal wresting at high volume with our dinner that's still poisoning my stomach. We had strange men peeking around the corner, and more dogs taking a liking to our legs. 

The "hill" from Beni was a quick increase to a 1400m elevation! This village is a bundle of energy and devlopment. They have a great internet connection for the school, they are new to the trekking routes, and also have a significant amount of CRAFT going on!!!! PLUS- some climate change monitoring, some of the only in the country. So I feel good to be here. 

The first project is the Hand made paper, which at present, is at at a loss. This project, funds the local school, and is necessary to turn around pretty quickly! It is also a valuable source of employment for the women in the community and is welcomed by the all men and women, as they see the positive repurcussions such.

These are all perfect ingredients for a productive project- so THIS is where I aim to be in a month or two once I source all other materials and tackle my yoga mats.... We have; enthusiasm, a community project to invest in, basic materials, sustainable supplies of loktha and a market! 

In the mean time, while I wait for it to warm up a little, I am heading back to Narti- the beautiful girls I worked with in Jan... At this stage, my research is progressive, but not worthy of ducumentation. I am fortunate though to have stumbled across herbal dye makers, and some other enthusiastic folk... now all I need is to find someone with a gilertene, and be willing to hike a mountain with it!!!! 

With peace and productivity! Here ends almost the end of 2009.

Why do I want to do this? Why do I bother trundling to remote places to be bitten by dogs or overwhelmed by the stench of 25000 slaughtered, rotting animals, for the sake of culture and religion?

(This article will give you a brief outlook on this- a tame edition that is!)

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/24/nepal.animal.sacrifice/index.html

My first major handicraft investigation led me to Janakpur in the South of Nepal. Unfortunately via some pretty horrific festivals..... but my experience in one center know as; "Janakpur Womens Development Center" 

http://www.sunavworld.com/jwdc.html

in particular was refreshing after the shock of the personal challenges that came with the animal slaughter festival. These women feed off each others dedication and creative energies. They have an immense sense of unity that is so evident in the passion for making such an environment peaceful and easy to be in. Me being an outsider, felt as ease in this place, like our common language was their work, and being female. Which, to be entirely absorbed in, is an incredibly beautiful, warm experience. 

In terms of my involvement here, I would be excited to help them export, but not able to work in this particular area due to some of these personal barriers. 

I find myself so vulnerable to the energies of these crafty places, but then can be in the middle of Kathmandu city, head down, blind to the poverty around me. I guess this shows where I am, or should be placed. I can't do a thing about the Kathmandu streets I guess, so why waste my energy on contaminating my sensors? I can feel peace on having my filters on, as there is a lot of beauty to be seen... you've just got to be strong in being ruthless with what you absorb. 

Take 2

I'm back... finally. I claimed i'd be back here a while ago, but, for the best, was stalled. So now- it's the beginning of a Nepali winter - the clear season.. and thats what I feel - clear that here is where I should be for the next wee while... 

So there is a new take for my direction. The hardest thing, but also the most beneficial for me is to throw everything out the window and start again before I get too bogged down in the one area of people... one area of skill or one area of my own love. I won't neglect these beautiful Tharu people who we fundraised for. And if I can support them, I will, but I also feel that some tardy textiles skills are not what they need. THey need more to start with necessities like food shelter and survival skills. Maybe I was giving myself a rap thinking I could do much.. or maybe not - maybe one day I could provide them with sme creative stimulation, colour and happiness. ... we'll see. 

So- I have some leads.... a nettle product was out in the hills... a flight, day drive and then 3 day trek....... Very cold..... no english whatsoever... So i need- a sleeping bag. translator, and probably some medication for altitude,,,, but that all excites me!!!! 

I feel clear, and I also feel hungry..!!!!