Thank you everyone for your lovely and wonderful comments on my last post! Javita and I are very excited about the Weaving Destination social enterprise. Today, I hope you will join me in welcoming a very special guest post from Javita!
Thanks Debi for such a wonderful and apt introduction of our
association, social enterprise and me. You are certainly a superwoman. My
heartfelt thanks to all the readers for their wonderful thoughts, wishes and
suggestions. Very encouraging and helpful indeed!
When Debi asked me to introduce myself on her blog, I was excited to
tell about myself and meet the wonderful community associated with her through
her blog. But, my first thought was what should I write about myself?..where
should I begin from?..and what is really my inspiration? I guess two words
describe me and my inspiration to do this work - ‘Creating Opportunities!’
Women who work in the sewing unit at Weaving Destination
A glimpse inside the Weaving Destination centre Anthaigwlao Village, BTC, Assam
Sorry for the blurry picture...this is me (Javita) with two of the women weavers
In 2004, my husband and I decided to set up NEDAN Foundation - a
charity organization (commonly known as non-government organization/ NGO in
India) in Kokrajhar, Assam, North East India - an area marked by poverty,
ongoing conflict and naturally calamities. Being the birth place of my husband
Digambar Narzary, we recognized the vulnerability of the indigenous women, youth
and children to human trafficking, exploitation and primarily lack of
opportunities and possibilities for a viable livelihood and employment. This
kept them entrenched in the cycle of poverty and exploitation. Further the
environmental and geographic conditions of North East India bordering Bhutan,
Myanmar, Tibet, Bangladesh and Nepal created conditions of human trafficking
with open, porous borders and lack of sufficient vigilance. This
is how the roots of the Social Enterprise began - to create income generation
and livelihood opportunities for indigenous women from the area including
survivors of human trafficking and returnee migrants - for their economic and
social empowerment. From a small
income generation project through involving home-based skilled women weavers
from the Bodo community of Kokrajhar District in Assam at the inception of
NEDAN Foundation in 2004, a Social Enterprise called Weaving Destination took
shape.
Women weavers with their children -
Celebration at the Weaving Destination Centre
Extracting the yarn prior to weaving
Together with Debi, I envision a world full of opportunities and
possibilities for the women sitting and weaving in small, remote villages of
the BTC and many other women like them who would not be able to fulfill their
dreams and achieve their goals of self sufficiency and a contented life for
themselves and their families without support from other women (and men) who
have ‘made it‘ for themselves. In doing so, we also hope to create
opportunities for all of us here connected to each other globally, to feel the
hopes, aspirations and joys of women weavers through their beautiful organic,
handwoven (more on this in subsequent posts) colourful fabrics and be blessed
in the process!!
Yarn being laid out for weaving
Meeting Debi and David in Edinburgh has been one of the most
beautiful experiences of being in here over past one year. Thanks for their
beautiful friendship and such a meaningful partnership.
Thank you for sharing your part of the story Javita! What a wonderful life's mission!
ReplyDeleteThanks Erika.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I'm really looking forward to seeing how you and Debi collaborate in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome! I can't wait to see how this develops. Thank you for making a difference in so many lives and for allowing us to come along and help.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for people like you, who not only open their eyes to see the terrible things happening but work hard to change the environment and protect people who are at risk. What a fantastic enterprise you have built. I can imagine the pride and happiness the women experience as they are able to create these beautiful things and become empowered rather than victimized. Very inspiring.
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