Creative Women

It was hot ...

I just spent a week in Senegal; my emails home were short ... "it's hot, very interesting, too tired to write, more later".  I never got to write the "more later", so here's a short version of it.

• I saw the sun set over the Atlantic; here in the US the sun rises over the Atlantic, so having a beer on the deck of a bar, in Saly, Senegal while the sun setting, was a "must".  So was swimming in the Atlantic, no waves, warm water ... I knew I wasn't floating at Fire Island or in Maine.

• The desert ... the trip from the ocean to the desert, was just a two hour trip.  We traveled to Ndem, about a 3 hour trip from Dakar, but light years away.  The rainy season had just ended so, although everywhere we walked, we walked on sand, there were still signs of green vegetation and flowers.  

  
 Ndem ... an area of small villages that have been hit by draught, desertification, people leaving for the city.  Also the home of Ong Ndem, a non-governmental community of Senegalese and Westerners who are bringing water, farming, schools, health centers back to the Ndem area. And, they are bringing jobs  ... through their artisan projects (one of their job creation projects).  And that's why I was there, to see their lovely textile products.

Thanks to Aid to Artisans, a US based non-profit that works with artisans around the world, Ong NDem has created new products that they are eager to export to the US.  I was there to see if any of these products will work with the Creative Women lines and appeal to our customers.  It was a long and hot journey, but looking back, wow, I did find some products. I also have some amazing photos, and I met fascinating people who are spanning cultures, creating jobs, and resisting some of the pressures of a changing ecological climate.  

Take a look at a few of the images I keep in my mind:

NGO Staff and ATA Designer

Product Development

 

 

With a Little Help

A High School friend posted this video on her Facebook page yesterday, and I planned to put it up here with a brief comment just because I liked the song and video itself. Then I did a little more research and found out what a cool project Playing for Change really is.

The stated mission of Playing for Change is pretty lofty: "to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music." Not asking much, huh? Yet when you listen to the music, hear the unique spin each artist puts on a particular song that nonetheless holds its own as one piece of music—well, you believe that it can happen.

There are lots more videos and amazing stories—check them out!

The Playing for Change Foundation, a separate non-profit corporation born from the desire to give back to these musicians and their communities, was founded in 2008, about three years after the original project began. They have completed a music school in the township of Guguletu, South Africa; have broken ground on the "Bizung School of Music and Dance" in Tamale, Ghana; are involved in arts programs in Nepal and Johannesburg; and is working to rebuild and improve the Tibetan refugee centers in Dharamsala, India and Kathmandu, Nepal.

Amy