One of my resolutions - well not really a resolution, but something I have been planning for a while - is to continue to build a socially resonsible business. We took a huge step a couple weeks back and put the final touches on a sponsorship program that will enable 14 children to attend school in Nepal.
10 of the participants are children of the workers who make our beautiful jewelry. The other 4 are being sponsored through www.Edwon.org. The political and economic situation in Nepal is currently not very good. The fact that Wholesalegemshop.com is providing consistent work for 20-40 workers in Nepal is a huge help in its own right. But I wanted to do more. After over a year of discussions with my business partners in Nepal, site visits and collaboration with experienced development workers in Kathmandu, we established the program.
The children will receive stipends to help defray the costs of schooling. Although public school is available in Nepal, these families face some added difficulty. The children were no longer able to live with the parents in the city due to high costs of living. So most of them are now living with relatives in their villages (family structure in Nepal is very tight so this is pretty common). At this point in time the school systems in many of the villages are in shambles. As my partner described to me: “the schools exist only in name”. Teachers and materials are sparse. The situation has been complicated over recent years due to the maoist insurgency which often targeted educators - many were forced to quit their jobs as teachers or face possible beatings or death. Not a choice anyone should have to make.
Although the inurgency has abated somewhat, the problems still linger and a political solution has not been achieved.
… The bottom line is that we have decided to help defray the cost of sending the children to a private schools in their village. We are also working on procuring computers to setup a lab. The money we provide will help with the costs which they would otherwise not be able to afford.
Reality check: The reason this took me over a year to settle on is because I am a skeptical scientist by nature and wanted to be sure we setup something that would work. At first I felt that it is not neccessary for us to pay for private school when they can get an education at public school at no cost. The more I learned the more I realized the imperitive of acting in a way that aligned with the parents wishes for their children. They are right, if the schools suck, why should they send them there?! Kudos to these parents, most of whom do not have a formal education for seeking something better for their children!! I guarantee everyone reading this post wants the same for their children. In the end, its the only thing that matters in this world and the one thing we can directly affect, without question. It’s a small contribution, but one that is essential, I think. These are people that make my livlihood possible and take great pride in their work and families.
I sent funds ($1350) in advance for the first year of schooling. I am committing to these children for 3 years at a time. Every 3 years they can re-apply. You can contribute on this page. Any contributions to this fund are matched by my company. The more we get the more children we can sponsor and we will be adding regular updates about the children.
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