More than just a Colorful Journey

On Friday last week, I got an email from Ron Lehocky with several pictures of the ground breaking ceremony for a new home for the Smunnat Nepal project.  A new home that has been funded by donations, much of which came from the polymer clay community with Wendy Moore, (center in the blue in this picture) Cynthia Tinapple and Ron leading the way.

Ron began by offering a matching pledge of $2,000 and the goal was quickly met. He then offered yet another match of $1,000 and again it was met. The goal was to collect $10,000 to be able to build a permanent home on land that was donated to the project. What a wonderful thing for him to do and the support and donations from our community have been fabulous.

Ron wrote to me, “According to Wendy the entire event was over flowing with love and happiness. They dig a hole where the first pillar will eventually stand and bury certain symbolic items in it which will bring good karma to the building.”

“I have been able to Skype with Kopila Basnet, the Program Coordinator of Samunnat  and Wendy.  This whole thing fills my heart and gives me such a kick that we are able to make a change in the world on the other side of the globe in a place so foreign to our sense of luxury and opportunity.”

I was delighted Ron shared the pictures with me and I was able to follow along with this exciting journey.All the pictures are now up on A Colorful Journey blog along with a post from Wendy.

$10,000 was just for the basic building. But how excited that the money was raise so quickly and they were able to break ground and the building can begin.

But hold on, they still need so much more, like a concrete roof instead of tin so that one day they might build up. When I was at Synergy I met Ron for the first time and sat with him at lunch one day. We had a wonderful discussion about Wendy, Kopila and the ladies of Samunnat. We talked about how each night they have to remove the generator from the rooms they are renting and bring in back in the morning. Running water is not always included in the places they have called home. Simple things we take for granted are luxuries for them.

I was thinking, over 40,000 people watch my Stroppel Cane Video when I first put it up, and over 48,000 have watched it since I moved it to Youtube.

What if each of those people donated just $1 each to the building fund, that would be over $80,000. Just think about what a difference just half of that could make in their lives.

I urge you to please take a minute to go to their blog A Colorful Journey and read more about these beautiful people and scroll down on the left hand side and click of the Paypal link to donated. Be sure to request it be for the building fund.  It will make you smile, it will make them smile, you can be sure it will make me smile.

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A Colourful Journey is the website for Nepali women who have survived domestic violence and are developing ways to generate an income for themselves and their families. These women are affiliated with the non-religious, non-profit, non-political Samunnat Nepal project.