Women's Rights Conference

The organization I work for, Women in Good Governance (WIGG) held a 3 day workshop outside the city for local women political leaders this past weekend. It was on women's rights awareness and women's political participation in the government. The women all represented different political parties and some will be candidates in the up-coming elections for the Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. They are mothers and daugther-in-laws first and politicians second. This is in contrast to their male counterparts, who put their political lives at the top of their priority list. These women do politics more as a hobby (if their husbands will allow them to get involved). Women in Nepal work on average 16 hours a day, so they have little time to dedicate to political service. In the case of the women at our workshops, they find a way to do it because they believe participation is the only way to realize gender equality. Some are uneducated, some are from small villages, some are from what is considered "low caste" families, some are very poor, and most don't understand their rights as women or political actors. They don't have the technical knowledge as political leaders, but they have a deep passion about women's issues. They literally raise their voices and fists when they speak out at the workshops. I am in awe of their resolve and courage when they get together in groups.

My organization has a project to empower them with political knowledge so they have a good platform to win in the elections and the skills to influence lawmakers at the central level. We go all over the country doing workshops and distributing women's rights booklets, pamphlets and posters. We do street dramas in some places because the women are illiterate and can't read or understand the written materials. It is fascinating to see a villages response to a theatrical play on the grass in a village. It is a powerful tool that many organizations use here to educate different parts of society.

The workshop was a great way for Erika and me to interact with women from different backgrounds. They don't speak English and our Nepali is horrific, so we find ways to communicate with lots of hand gestures, laughs, and smiles along the way. They are always so intrigued by our presence- they don't understand why we have come to Nepal to help them, but they are so grateful that we have. They are so loving and friendly- hugs and motherly touches are just what we need after the end of a long, difficult talk session in the conference room.

It was experiences with women like the ones at the workshop that inspired Global Daughter. Without words, as women, we can naturally always find a way to communicate. There is an unspoken understanding between women (global daugthers) that is so undeniably powerful. We have been living in non-English speaking cultures for the last three years, but in that time we have never felt more confident about being able to express ourselves. Found in Translation.

1st Global Daughter Press!

Today Global Daughter was in the Kathmandu Post, the largest English daily in Nepal. We attended a nepali paper exhibition to check out handmade and natural paper goods made by women here. The items were beautiful and we enjoyed interacting with women designers and producers. So...when we were there I got interviewed as an international buyer and today the paper quoted me and dropped the name. It was great to get exposure for Nepali products and at the same time get Global Daughter publicity. This will go down as our very first press- and just the beginning! The Global Daughter Movement is in motion. 

Home Sweet

So...we are living in a great house just outside Kathmandu. It is quiet and away from the noise and pollution of the city. Perfect to get the creative juices flowing. It is a new house, three stories. We live on the top floor with a giant balcony and a great view of the hills. As of now, no one occupies the other floors, so it is all ours. I have a bedroom and Erika sleeps on the floor in the living room..very return to college. Our water is delivered once a week (tap water is way out of the question!) A lady down the street hand washes our clothes once a week for $2.00. We get the paper delivered to the door step for under $1.00 a month (by the sweet family at the sweets shop). It's the little pleasure in life here.

The community is very small and it is a village lifestyle. We get our vegetables from the local shops. Tomatoes from one guy, eggplant from another. When there is no bread or eggs in the town everyone knows about it. Light bulbs from the guy on the corner and cooking gas from the guy at the end of the road. No Home Depot, no Costco. We are celebrities/freak shows in the village and I love knowing all my neighbors. A wave from the barber's daughter on the corner makes my day and the fact that her dad looks at us every time as if it is the first time he has seen us lets us know we are home. They are so intrigued by our "purchases" and way of life. No other foreigners live in the area. I have never felt more safe. A Sunday morning on the balcony with a coffee, the view and the Kathmandu Post is as close to perfect as it comes.

Women, mothers, leaders

This is a newspaper clipping from Kathmnadu Post on Feb. 26, 2008. The woman in this picture was a participant in one of the workshops my organization (Women in Good Governance-WIGG) held to empower local women political leaders. In this picture she is registering as a candidate in her local district, Morang (Eastern Nepal). I read this article today on the way to work and got chills. I recognized her picture immediately, as I distinctly remember interviewing her and interacting with her during the 3-day workshop in Biratnagar. I was surprised because I was not aware that she was pregnant when I saw her in December. With her newborn, she committed herself to political participation and in the process, became an inspiration for all women leaders. I am so proud to be a part of an organization that helps these women have a platform in politics. Women are still not accepted as political equals and their participation in central level government is extremely marginal. We try to build the capacity of rural women leaders so they can be in positions to influence state heads and lawmakers come election time.

This woman is a great example of the work we are doing. I can not express how incredible it is to see her on the pages of the largest national newspaper. We might not have inspired her to run for elections, but we did increase her knowledge about women's rights and the constitution building processes that Nepal will be facing in the near future. No matter what political party she represents, if she is nominated, she will be a voice for women's issues inside the government- and right now that is the most important contribution women can make in each other's name.

Gold

Not all that glitters is gold. Some of the most beautiful, capable, and strong women live in the most deserted and undesirable corners of the world, Nepal being one of them. The women of Nepal can speak for themselves, they just need the rallying spirit of ALL women to make sure their voice is heard. Global Daughter is committed to being a part of a movement that gives the women of Nepal the confidence and independence to uplift themselves. Through skills development training and fair trade practices, Global Daughter creates an opportunity for economically disadvantaged women to have an outlet for their handicraft talents and a connection to the global market.

Website

Many of you have been checking the Global Daughter company website, anxious to buy handicrafts made by the women here in Nepal. Please be patient, as we are still under construction. We will post a blog when we are up and running. Thanks for helping us keep the dream alive.

Third World Democracy

Third world democracy, as in not real democracy. As in not even close.

Nepal is like a pressure cooker right now. The people are being pressurized by their defunct government, the scarcity of petrol, food and electricity, and the crumbling beams of democracy and peace. It feels like it is all going to bubble over any day now...

So.... how about we start a business here! Not exactly the ideal environment for two novices to begin a business. We have 8 hours of power outages a day. We have no petrol. We have no cooking gas. We have no hot water. We have no transportation. We have shotty internet and mobile service. We have riots in the street daily. We have bombs, burning tires and communist violence regularly.

With all this, I would not want to be anywhere else in the world. Either you adapt or you don't. I am comfortable and feel safe despite it all. The work we are doing here far exceeds the need for a hot shower. And what we do have is more than we probably need anyway.

It is pretty bad here right now, though. There is no petrol in the country because the Nepal Oil Cooperation is not paying their huge debt to India and therefore India has cut them off. They have been pocketing all the money- choosing not to pay the debt, but build their personal fortunes. At the end of the day, the people suffer, as always happens with corruption in developing countries. When I say no petrol, I mean no petrol. Most all pumps are closed lately and there are few vehicles on the road. People have to walk everywhere...it looks like a mass exodus on the highway- people everywhere. The petrol that is supposed to be delivered through the Indian border to the west can not reach the capital because their is an ethnic movement in the Terai region of Nepal. Some people create blockades so petrol tankers can't ply, accosting drivers and stopping them from entering the country. It is a mess at the border and people are being killed everyday in the streets.

There is also no electricity. We get maybe over 12 hours a day in Kathmandu. It cripples the capital. It stalls all development efforts and destroys the economy. At my office, it is impossible some days to work. That means our projects to help women in rural areas is halted, therefore impeding the national development of Nepal. It is an awful trickle down effect and one that is so frustrating at times, I want to scream.

Doing the business is very difficult with no access to power or internet during all times of night and day. We have to plan out our whole week according to the power cut schedule. Literally, plan every day, every hour. And sometimes, the power cuts off even when it is not scheduled. Another instance when I want to scream. The whole process of creating this thing in Nepal is quite a unique experience. I hope all of this craziness will seep into the life of global daughter and enhance it and give it its special place. It will only make things sweeter and more rewarding when we get everything up and running. I have gotten used to this unusual lifestyle, but my apartment walls are turning black from the flames of candles. You use candles here like they are a life force.

How is this for the irony of all ironies...Nepal is 2nd in the world, behind only Brazil, with hydro-power resources. How can a country, in the shadows of the most massive mountains on the planet, not create energy? It is crazy to me that this crew can't harness and bottle the energy/power capabilities of the Himalayas. Think how rich they could be if they could sell it too. China and India, the most powerful emerging countries in the world would pay, and pay big to get some of that energy. It is a sad reality that the government can't get their act together for the people.

No power+ no petrol= chaos. That is what is happening here now. I walk 7 miles to work because there is no transportation, but I know the women walking next to me might have to walk 14. She is adapting, like everyone else to all the shortages. While Nepal lacks a lot of things right now, they do have an amazing supply of hope- It is the one resource they can not afford lose right now. Let’s hope it is enough to see them through these volatile and unpredictable times.

Global Son

I know in our project we are all about helping women. However, with that we will inevitably be helping their children. One child we have grown paticularly attached to is Naveen. He is the son of the family who cares for our house. He is 3 years old and is already in school learning English. We often play with him, feed him, and teach him his ABC's on our computer. He calls us "sister" and there is nothing sweeter than hearing him say "good morning sister." It doesn't hurt that he is quite possibly the cutest kid I've ever seen. So, I just wanted to share some pictures of our little doll....our adoptive brother....our global son.

I am a Global Daughter.

My heart is loving
My hands are capable
My spirit is strong
My body is beautiful
My mind is creative
My voice is powerful
I am a Global Daughter.

I live here
I live there
I live everywhere.

I am not nothing. I am the greatest resource this world has ever known. I am a Global Daughter.

I will rebuild after our wars
I will raise our youth
I will lead our countries
I will inspire our generations
I will protect our rights
I will always be my mother's daughter. I will always be the world's heartbeat. I will always be a Global Daughter.

Happy Lhosar!

February 11, 2008

I have been in Kathmandu for one month now, although it seems like I’ve always been here. I have adjusted well to the polluted chaos. I am inspired every day by the spirit of the people here. The smiles on their faces betray the fact that we face power, water, and petrol shortages daily. Living among the local people and exploring their culture, I feel that we are in the right place. Our mission to facilitate a piece of the women’s movement will only serve to guide the country into a more stable place-one that hopefully includes electricity.
Today was the Tibetan Buddhist New Year, Lhosar. To celebrate, Erin and I headed to Boudhanath Stupa, one of the more famous landmarks in Kathmandu. The people were out in full force, including Sherpas, women, children, and tourists alike. Erin and I took some time to reflect and enjoy the sunshine while sitting on the Stupa.

birth of a daughter

The idea for global daughter was spun in my parent's dinosaur-old, aesthetically questionable and certainly uninspiring RV. In the summer of 2007 on a trip down the Oregon coast, a seed was planted while "rolling" down the highway with my best friend, my mom and my dad at the helm. After two and half solid years of travelling, exploring and general whimsy, I was tired. I was tired, but inspired. My eyes were sore from the pain I saw, my heart was full with the love I witnessed and my mind was trying to process it all. I felt that I had integrated into some of the most unique cultures in the world- and lost myself along the way. How was I supposed to balance the new me and the old me? Only I knew the real changes that took place, but how was I supposed to present it all to everyone else.

All these crazy things were working inside me after one month of being back in the United States- who knew a trip in the RV and 24 constant hours with my parents in a seniors-only RV park would provide the answers that had been alluding me since my return.

My best friend, Erika, fellow wanderer and unemployed dreamer, agreed to go on the trip, "and that has made all the difference." She and I sat in the back eating tuna sandwiches and grapes, barely digesting any of it- swaying from side to side as my dad swerved in and out of lanes half the size of our rig (motion sickness was definitely setting in). Now, Erika and I pretty much think alike and I am positive she might spend time in my head without me knowing. So when I said, "I'm livin' the dream," in response to my dad's favorite and excruciatingly annoying question,"So, what are you doing with your life," Erika answered with the same reply at the same time. We looked at each other and realized no matter what, we embodied the dream. No matter what the dream was, we knew that it was in us.

We had briefly discussed selling some of the fabulous goods I brought back from Nepal on the internet when I first returned. After living in Kathmandu I had acquired quite a collection of original and beautiful handicrafts. They were unique, well-made, stylish and most importantly, produced by women. Neither of us had seen goods like this in boutiques or markets, but were sure that they would be a hit. I knew nothing about business, especially internet business and was intimidated by it all, really. I had spent the last three years in Asia involved in rural development, education and politics. My mind was never programmed with that entrepreneurial spirit. I didn't even know how to post my own used goods on ebay, let alone start an e-business from scratch. So even though it sounded like an interesting adventure, I wasn't quite confident it was worth the trouble. Erika, on the other hand, was confident we could pull it off from the start. I didn't know what she was thinking, because she was just as clueless as I was! What was up with her optimism- a Philosophy major and a European Studies major have no business in business (my business minor was an after-thought and I slept through most of the classes anyway).

So when she brought up the idea again in the RV after having to defend our "dream" response to my dad, something clicked and the constant processing in my mind stopped. I realized that this "business" would not be a business at all, but a connection; a connection to and for all the incredible women I have met in my travels and a way to provide a platform for their voices, talents, beauty and strength. If we could sell goods made by women who otherwise have no connection to trade, markets or buyers, then the "business" could never fail. We would facilitate the development of women in Nepal in an abstract way- not by donations or sponsorship, but by sustainable skill development training that will benefit communities and villages for generations to come.

I was sold. The opportunities to "make a difference" were oozing out of this project and I couldn't wait to begin. That is when we decided to really do it- to begin a new adventure that has surely been the most important and most rewarding to date. In all our great adventures, and we have been blessed with many, this one won't end. It will last. It will last because it is not just about a thrill or a selfish need, it is about helping others achieve their dreams and begin their own adventures.

Through all the searching I have always wanted to put something out into the world that speaks louder than I ever could myself. The poverty, the beauty, the women, the exploration, the injustice, the humanity- it has all come together to create the commanding voice of global daughter. Finally, it is me presenting myself to everyone else.