“The planet doesn’t need more ‘successful’ people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every shape and form. It needs people who will live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these needs have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.”

– David Orr in Earth in Mind

Dear Readers,

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the world and don’t know how to help. Things sometimes feel so much bigger than me and so far from my life I can’t imagine anything I can do would make a difference.

I want you to meet an amazing person, Kopila Basnet, who has entered the polymer clay world in a large way. By large, I mean the impact her guidance has made on the lives of the Samunnat Ladies of Nepal. Kopila has three daughters and has been trained in law and worked in the media and government organisations. She is the Program Coordinator of Samunnat and also provides much of the legal assistance in property and, less often, criminal cases.

I asked Kopila to share her story and she was kind enough send me the following;

 I am Kopila living in Eastern part of Nepal it is called Jhapa. We have started Samunnat for some very good  reasons. I want to add that we started Samunnat because I was working in one anti-corruption project as a journalist where I saw the corruption in our government office that made people suffer. I got some relief that I could at least publish the corruption news where people would aware of the fact.

After the anti-corruption project I joined another anti-trafficking project in Jhapa. I got to know that our district is only 17 kilometers away from India so it is the one border among 20 border to India where the most girls were trafficked.

When girls were rescued I heard their story why and how they were trafficked and even when I was in the project they come for their rights but they do not have financial support.  So we start to think about giving them skill and the legal support. Now I love to spent my time with our Bahiniharu (little sisters) and do some new design.  I love polymer creative work. We are very grateful to Wendy Didi who have given this wonderful polymer world friends.

When we were in initial stage in Samunnat we were just few members but now we have extended and have strong belief that one day Samunnat could be the platform for the vulnerable women and they will be united for their rights.

My wish is may our ladies could be independent, strong and empowered. That they know their rights.

The first basic requirement is resources which is their skills and ability to earn a living and be independent. As long as my dear friends wear our jewelry you can think you have purchased a right thing and thank yourself for the right choice.

Kopila

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and from the Sammunat website:

About  “A Colourful Journey” and the Sammunat Nepal project

Sammunat Nepal grew from the desire of a group of Nepalese friends to help the many women they met whose lives have been damaged by violence. These people live in the troubled Jhapa district of Eastern Nepal. The friends were aware of the many women who are the victims of domestic violence, physical and psychological abuse or who had been trafficked into India for work in the tragically burgeoning sex industry there.

Most of these women are extremely vulnerable to further violence and exploitation. Simply providing financial assistance is only a short term and ultimately short-sighted solution. Instead, Sammunat Nepal seeks to work with the women to provide:

• Legal assistance for no charge or at affordable fees;
• Training in advocacy and about human rights;
• Specific income-generating skill training (as shown on “A Colorful Journey” web site);
• Counselling for the women as required; and
• Support as the women re-establish themselves and their families in new communities. Particularly important as they are sometimes unwelcome in their home towns.

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I’ve been so touched by these woman and their stories, I encourage you to read about them and their individual journeys. A recent post by Wendy Moore titled A typical day – getting to know us will surely brighten your day. I love that each of these women are smiling the most beautiful smiles.

“When our life was covered with darkness we always look at others life and want life the same as them. Now we are living with brightness and people are surprised and curious about what made this change.”

I want to be a part of that change, if only in a small way, I hope you will to. There are several ways you can help these ladies. You can buy their jewelry from this Etsy Shop or you can donate as much or as little as you want right from your Paypal account. It is amazing how quickly $5.00 here and $20.00 there turns into $1,000s. I know from my friend and theirs, Wendy Moore, that they would love to sell you their jewelry but will be delight to know you care in anyway. Find your way to their paypal button here A Colorful Journey blog.

These beautiful bracelets are just one of the products that these ladies of Samunnat are producing for sale. I just received my second set of bracelets from this Etsy Shop and they are lovelier in person than they are in a picture. I can’t think of a better purchase for myself or a friend, can you?