Give These Girls A Hand!

Introducing the Lotus Sky Women's Collective!!

Pema is full of hope and courage about the recently formed women's collective in Kathmandu

As I struggled to keep up with Kelsang Lodue, my faithful helper while in Nepal, a young woman jumped out in front of me to push a leaflet in my hand. "Do you want to help refugees who are trying to start a women's cooperative?" She couldn't have spoken words more dear to my ears. Did I? What was I doing here if not trying to support and help women who were struggling in this difficult and impoverished country to better their lives in a sustainable and positive way? My hesitation in forward movement was all she needed to launch into a quick speech about the Lotus Sky Women's Cooperative: "Where Global Fusion Meets Buddhist Street Chic."!

Joining HANDS with Pema-all they need is a little help from their friends

I was all ears. Her name was Pema and she was one of about 7 or 8 women who are making beaded jewelry, to try and employee Tibetan Refugee Women. Although I had about 7 or 8 of my own things to finish on my "to do" list before my Nepali lesson at 6 p.m., I was curious and excited to see yet another ambitious group of Tibetans who were trying their best to create a way to support themselves. Pema took my arm and escorted me into a side alley with several small shops. There was a large painted sign over a broad doorway displaying a colorful array of necklaces, bracelets and mallas (Buddhist prayer beads). She excitedly told me about the stones and beads used, the women who make
their own designs, and the goal of trying to get tourists to step off the very worn outer stuppa pathway to take a look inside the alley shop. This was going to be their biggest hurdle-the tourists in this area stick to the cobbled walkway that goes around the great stuppa with the choice real estate hosting the busy souvenir and Tibetan art shops that line it. Anyone who has a shop off this path struggles to be seen-as my friend Dilip knows, who runs a fine paper shop off the path but has little business because of his "down a small alley" location.
Pema was full of energy and excitement at the beginnings of this prospective business. I had to actually tell her to calm herself and take a breath as her words tumbled out to express how important, exciting and wonderful this enterprise was for all the women involved. I agreed with everything, and loved her energy and passion. I had some suggestions for their group-getting on the internet (they actually do have a web site: lotus sky.org), creating a flyer that could be pinned up at guest houses in the area, and maybe even trying to give talks at local meetings about what they were trying to do. All was taken in with great seriousness and gratitude. I then bought four of the pretty coral and turquoise Tibetan style bracelets, and wished her luck.
If anyone reading this wants me to buy anything for you from the Lotus Sky Women's Cooperative, I will gladly do so and mail it to you when I get home. The bracelets, which you can see on my right arm in the above picture, were 350 rupees-or about $4, each. They are the stretch "one size fits all" style.
I promised to do my best to spread the word-and hope to interest the Humankind Store in SLO in their products as well. It doesn't get more Fair-Trade then this-a group of ambitious and hard-working Tibetan refugees who had the courage to gather what money they could to rent the space-and then organize their collective talents to create "global fusion and Buddhist street chic"-Go Girl Power!!