my connection to nepal
My husband's coworker, Sangita, piqued my interest in her home country of Nepal. My first Nepali artisan partner was Sangita's mother.
about nepal
Nepal is a beautiful country with a diverse geography of valleys, rivers and lush forests. The Himalayan Mountains, which include the tallest peak in our world, Mount Everest, brings millions of visitors to Nepal each year. Nepal's largest religions - Buddhism and Hinduism - are central to the art and architecture of the country through temples, stupas, and monasteries. One of my favorite things to do when visiting my partners in Nepal is to simply walk the streets. Passing large copper bowls of water filled with flowers and candles outside of businesses and homes, seeing prayer flags flapping in the wind and the vibrant gatherings of people, meeting throughout the day, multiple times, to light candles, leave flowers and offerings on the many stupas found throughout the capital city of Kathmandu and beyond.
meet our artisans
Nepal felt
The majority of products coming from our Nepal partners are felted and knit products, lovingly created by our two different women's collectives. Sheep’s wool is cleaned and dyed by hand with a process that works around nature’s elements (our artisans avoid the months-long monsoon season so that the felt has plenty of time to sun-dry). The end result is vibrant colors that are both stunning and everlasting. Within the collective, women have the opportunity to expand their skills, while gaining confidence, friendships and generating income for their families.
Women Entrepreneurs Co-op
one of one little world’s most longstanding partnerships, this tiny co-op brings together women artisans to create some of our most beloved products. Artisans gain new skill sets through training and ongoing exposure to new materials and design ideas. This organization was created for the simple desire to have a space where women support women in setting up new business enterprises and to grow their established businesses.
Ceramics nepal
Our ceramic pottery is lovingly made by a group of skilled potters who each learned their craft through apprenticeship. The group consists of other women and men who, too, struggle with differing disabilities and yet have found not only a safe place within the pottery group, but a sense of confidence and dignity as people within their individual communities.
Himalayan Nation Group
This amazing group of artisan partners lives and works in the mountains and hills region of the Himalayas where the Allo, or Himalayan Nettle, plant grows naturally and abundantly. The HNG uplifts highly skilled but under-represented artisans, all while sustainably managing the precious plant that provides for their livelihood.