Shanti and Sujitha are friends. They are also sisters and artists. But, they don't leave it at that. After they finished university, they wanted to help the women in their communities, as most of the women around them had no work. While women do the most amount of work in the home—waking first in the morning to fetch water, cook and tend to the rest of household, they are not valued because their tending brings no income. So these two sisters conspired to create jobs which the women could do at home or in the studio—their choice.
Nepalis are shepherds and herders: mostly of goats, cows and yak. The wool that comes from their coats is used for pashminas and blankets and numerous other handicrafts. In a market saturated with pashminas and blankets, they decided to try their hand at something a little different using felted wool, one of the oldest fabrics known to man. Down the dusty back alleys of Thamel and up a flight of stairs in a building that is literally being built around them, at least 50 women are busily sewing lively creations in to existence. Elephants, dogs, birds. Bags, necklaces, slippers, hats and the polka dot coin purses that sold-out at all the awareness events I did before I left. Friends Handicraft is a creative carnival of color, chatter and creativity.
The majority of the the products made by Friends Handicraft are exported for sale outside Nepal. They have many custom orders placed by European designers and do a swift holiday business. Many of the women were busy tying the last of the ribbons on the holiday ornaments.
Some of the items are also available on the MadeBySurvivors website, but stay posted for new products!
Friends Handicraft represents a small but growing collective of efforts by Nepalis. There are many human-relief organizations on the ground in Nepal. While some are in fact doing life-changing work, there are many that do nothing but pocket donations. Corruption has no shame, even in the human-relief industry. So, it is refreshing to see smart women like these two running an honest business of hard-working women. Now if the government could just follow their example, Nepal might actually get a move on.
There are others that are getting on board depending not on foreign investment, but on their very own hard work. There is a lot of room for more opportunities. If you can't shop online, book a ticket to Nepal. This place will change your life.
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