Nepal Magic...Projects and Voluntering
MAGICAL NEPAL...AND PROJECTS...
April 2009.I am just back from a wonderful humbling journey in Nepal. This land holds such strong energies, quite intoxicating at times. The unrest amongst the people is still felt due to political influence. Somehow, there is also still this strong sense of wanting to improve the quality of life and especially for women. They are often the centre of the home, and it is important to me to support them in their journey of self empowerment.
I met this most amazing women, called Tara. She manages an amazing project called Chetana Women's Skill Development Project. She helps women to have a job in the small factory where they make beautiful raw cotton bags. The women dye and make the bags, have a job, thus an income and their smallest children stay there also during the day.Older children can now go to school, as the mothers have an income to pay for the fees. We are also now fundraising for a kindergarten for the smaller children. This is a very small project, only 22 women are working just now. This project is completely transparant in finances. All women have access to the accounts and know where the money is going, unlike many other projects I have seen. I bought some of their bags to sell at the Wo'Moon gathering to support this project. However, there is more needed than just money. The children need more attention during the days when the mothers work. So, I am planning to go back and help to teach the children some English, and if any of you have some spare time to help in any way, let me know, and I will get you in contact with Tara.
Even if you can help in the factory by rolling some cotton balls, that is already a great help. When the women have work, that means they have money to have shelter and food for their kids, often this women are widows or without supportive family. To find out more about this project and find out about the products they make, please visist their website:
‘Chetana’ means
"Opening the mind through education"
The Himalayan Healers project is another amazing project. there are many wonderful projects in the world, and sometimes we don't know where to start. I have learned to start with what we find first, and that happened in Nepal many moons ago. This will tell you some more about the project :
The Himalayan Healers Project, Nepal, is a Healing Arts School and collection of Non-Profit Spa Boutiques working to preserve the rich history of healing and energy work in the Himalayas, specifically for the benefit of sponsored students from the Untouchable castes of Nepal.
It is the only project in the world that trains "Untouchables" in the Healing Arts.
Living at the absolute bottom of the social hierarchy, and considered as existing outside of the actual caste structure, are the "Untouchables" - those with the lowest income levels and the most labor intensive and unhygienic jobs.
Members of the Untouchable castes are considered to be "impure" and "untouchable", are restricted from entering the majority of community temples, have separate water supplies, and are deemed taboo to touch or be touched by.
They are born into these roles, and have extremely limited opportunities to move ahead, living day-to-day,
hand-to-mouth simply to survive.
At the Himalayan Healers project we are training sponsored members of the Untouchable castes to
become "Himalayan Healers" in the arts of Ayurvedic, Nepali, Indigenous Newari, Swedish, Sports, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Relaxation, Rejuvenation, and Reflexology massage techniques, supplemented with Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, and appropriate academic coursework.
The Himalayan Healers Objectives Include:
1. Personal Growth: Restoring the power and energy of our student's touch; Internal growth; Opening; Restoring
Dignity; Learning new social, interpersonal, life- and work-skills.
2. Social Statement: Everyone is equal; Building bridges; Working towards peace by bringing people of diverse
backgrounds together; Community healing.
3. Financial and Social Empowerment: Providing credible work opportunities both inside and outside of Nepal to
empower themselves, their families, and their community.
We are the first and best non-profit healing arts school in Nepal, and our focus is upon providing an avenue of positive,
meaningful, effective empowerment within the Nepali community.
(They also offer training in massage for us, sometimes exchange is also possible.)
Their website is
http://www.himalayanhealer
Again, I encourage you to share your passion about a good cause in the world on this site. Some one out there might be looking for something that you know about and get involved, who knows...to make a change we will have to connect and make waves....contect me and I can put a link on this website.
If there is anything you would like to ask me about these projects, please contact me on
inner-melodies@hotmail.co.
May you walk in Beauty Always,
Claudia
TARA FOUNDER OF THE CHETANA WOMEN'S SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN NEPAL
