Two traditional weavers from two different parts of the world, Maria from Moonflower Enterprises, and Sudha, a Ganesh Himal Trading producer, weave together in Spokane.
Introducing our good friends, Moonflower Enterprises, a fabulous fair trade business that imports from Guatemala.
Moonflower Enterprises is a socially responsible, for-profit
enterprise whose mission is to promote Mayan products including traditional
weavings, handmade crafts, folk art and organic coffee.
They purchase beautiful, high quality, fair trade products
directly from artisans who live and work predominantly in the western highlands
of Guatemala. As members of the Fair
Trade Federation, they ensure that the artisans with whom they work are paid a
fair wage. Moonflower's core business values
are based on honesty, respect, fairness and equality, which enhances their long
term relationships with Mayan artisans.
Moonflower Enterprises works directly with dozens of artisan families
representing several Mayan ethnic groups in Guatemala. These families are
deeply committed to maintaining their cultural traditions which include the
millennia weaving arts. These artisans produce a wide variety of practical
"art" including: accessories,
jewelry, musical instruments,
fine art, weavings and
textiles, folk
art, educational
and cultural, T-shirts, clothing
and apparel, gifts
and home
furnishings.
To learn more about the work they do, visit their websites here:
For Guatemalan Crafts:
www.moonflowerenterprises.com
For Fair Trade Coffee:
www.mayacolor.com
For Beautiful Weavings:
www.mayaearthcoffee.com
To read more about them in an
article by Mary Stamp from The Fig Treehere.
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FTRN Calendars Still Available!
2010 Fair Trade Resource Network Calendars can be purchased from Ganesh Himal Trading for just $8.50! Suggested retail price is $14.95. Great for resale, gifts, church sales, and house parties.
This great calendar includes:
-Full color fair trade themed photographs
-A "Where to Buy Fair Trade" section
- Fair Trade fun facts, take action boxes, and more!
The calendar is printed on environmentally friendly New Leaf paper by a union printer, Consolidated Printing. It is designed by Design Action, a worker owned print-shop right here in the USA!
All proceeds futher the work of the Fair Trade Resource Network and the Fair Trade Federation.
For more information, call us at 509.448.6561.
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Our Last Shipment from Nepal for the Holiday Season has Arrived!
We have great last minute fill-ins to help make your holiday sales a big success. Give us a call, and we'll be happy to h elp you out!
It's not too late to order sweaters! Call and we can tell you what we have in stock.
We wish you the best on this final stretch of the season.
*Look for upcoming end of the year clearance in December!*
Namaste,
Denise, Ric, Eileen, Sarah and Rene
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Read on and see what your purchases from Ganesh Himal Trading have accomplished....
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Ganesh Himal Sponsors Dental Clinic!
One of our partners, The Association for Craft Producers
(ACP), recently offered a dental clinic sponsored by Ganesh Himal Trading. The
clinic took place in Sindhukot, a remote village 4 hours outside of Kathmandu,
and is home to leather producers who belong to the lowest cast group in
Nepal. The village has very limited access to
health services, and it's been a
full year since there has been any road access to this area.
The dental clinic provided free check-ups and an
orientation on dental health and hygiene. By the end of the day, 200 people in the village were helped!
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Besari Clinic Update
Ganesh Himal Celebrates it's 25 Anniversary and Partners to start a Clinic!
article by Mary Stamp from The Fig Tree
Along
with inspiring the fair-trade Ganesh Himal Trading Company in Spokane,
a post-college trip to Southeast Asia 25 years ago to learn about the
culture and trek in the Himalayas in Nepal also sparked a connection
that has led Denise Attwood and Ric Conner to help establish a clinic
in the village of Baseri Dhading.
An
encounter with a Tibetan refugee family selling sweaters in Kathmandu
and a desire to help them send their children to school led Denise and
Ric to market their sweaters. It soon expanded to dozens of producer
groups in Nepal, hundreds of U.S. and Canadian retail outlets, and
fair-trade models of business.
An encounter with a 14-year-old girl, Sita Gurung, in Baseri led to the clinic project.
Villagers,
who live 8,000 feet above sea level, had to walk from Baseri four to
five hours each way to the nearest primary care clinic, losing a day of
work. Relying on shaman faith healers also kept them at home until it
was too late to be treated.
Most
villagers ignored simple health problems, delaying treatment until they
were life-threatening. While many adults recover from diarrhea, colds
or simple infections, children and the elderly are vulnerable and have
high mortality rates, said Denise.
"The
first day of our trek, we passed Sita on her way to school," said
Denise. "She had never seen white people and hoped she would see us
again. She was excited on returning home to find us camped in her
mother's yard."
They
enjoyed visiting and decided to stay in contact, but postcards they
sent each other never arrived. Eight years later......read more here
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New Fair Trade business "South Highlands Fair Trade" starts with a house party in Tennessee!
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