During my first few weeks in Nepal, I wrote a blog about my visit to New Sadle, the handicraft production house and rehabilitation centre for people living with leprosy and polio. Since then, I've been waiting for another experience that impacts me as much as that one did, but everything seems to have fallen short. Perhaps this is because New Sadle was my first time witnessing development work 'on the ground' or maybe it was just because the people I met there were truly the most inspirational I'll ever meet. Unfortunately, in the months that followed this visit, I started to lose the passion for development work that had been so tremendously fuelled by New Sadle. In the last few weeks, I've been stoking and rekindling that fire by visiting other fair trade member organizations and photographing their products for the catalogue. Last week was the first time since my New Sadle experience that I visited an actual production house, and while it didn't have quite the same impact on me, I saw and learned a ton of new and cool things!
4 Comments
Uncle Nick
2/10/2014 01:07:17 am
Very interesting Chelsea, I like the way you write .
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Uncle Larry
2/10/2014 02:00:33 am
Hey Chelsea, you're right about not realizing the significance gift wrapping paper or boxes can have on the lives of people so far away. I was thinking about how easily we rip the paper away (exceptions being your grandma and aunty Anna) to get to the gifts, yet this is a gift in itself for and from these hard working people. Keep sharing your adventures because each day in Nepal can never be recaptured. Once you get home.they will be fond memories.
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Jay
2/11/2014 04:42:42 am
Loled at "switched my loyalty"
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Aunty Eleanor
2/11/2014 05:42:04 am
That was really interesting Chelsea. I used to do Body shop parties and some of the stories they told us were amazing, Like just paying a good price for Shea butter, allowed a penniless mother not only to feed her children but start up a clinic in the village. They also had a charity to set up work for young people who had left orphanages in eastern Europe. I had wondered if the good work had carried on after Loreal took over, seems it has in this area at least. What are we going to do when you come home???? I so look forward to these, especially the pictures.
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