Java

I am sitting in a cafe in Kathmandu called Java right now. Michael has gone with filmmaker David Driver to a clinic that Citta runs which is about 4-5 hours away by jeep. So today I am finally on my own in this really amazing city. So what am I going to do today to celebrate my independence? Work.

Michael has figured out what he really wants me to do here in Nepal. Citta is a fairly spread out organization. And there is A LOT going on in the organization. Many many projects and all of them are growing. But something that has not grown with the organization is the available information on what all the projects are doing, what they have done, and who is involved in them. So I am going to gather information and find a way to communicate this information both internally in Citta, and externally to the general public.

A quick recap as to what I have been doing so far in Nepal.

2 days ago I went to Bhatapur which is an ancient city not too far from Kathmandu. It is where Citta Himilaya's Woman's Center is located. This center takes impovershed women and gives them an opportunity to better their situation by teaching them a trade, and then employing them in that same trade. The women are found from the local community and taught how to knit, sew, weave, and many other crafts, and then they are employed by Citta Himilaya for a wage that will help feed their families, pay for their childrens education, and also improve their general quality of life. It is essentiall the exact opposite of a sweat shop.

One of the other things that is important for the women to learn at this center is their worth. The center does not only train women in their craft, but empowers them to realize that as people, they have rights and privelages, as well as responsibilities. The women who work at this center are very proud of the work they do, and because their needs are being met, they realize that they have a responsibility to help others in need.

While at the Woman's center I spoke at length with the President of Citta Himilaya. He is a well to do man who is extremely good natured. He is the kind of person I hope to become good friends with. He took some time to show me around his shop and I learned about the different qualities of Pashmina and Silk. He and Michael talked about some women that might be good additions to the center and also how to help the center grow and become completely self-sufficient.

Yester day Michael and I stayed in Kathmandu for most of the day and worked on the type of information that he wants me to gather, and came up with a plan of action. I really hope that I am able to get everything he wants.

Today I am sick. A little bit of traveller's stomach it seems. Nothing too serious and nothing I can't handle. The jetlag is finally completely gone, and I have adjusted to the elevation of Kathmand which I have been told is 1,000 meters. The elevation mixed with the jetlag was a debilitating combination. But I seem to have finally settled into a groove. I am going to be posting photo's to my Picasa site after this post and they can be found here:

William's Photo Album

I dont know when I am going to be able to post again, but I will try to keep it every 2-4 days.

Out