What's in a Name?

So often people ask me ‘is she for sale?’ referring to the statue of Dolma that travels with me to every fair and festival I vend. Dolma is the Tibetan word for Tara, the female Buddha. ‘No’ I tell them, ‘she is not for sale’. She stands as a reminder of how my business came to be and more importantly as a symbol of compassion. She is my inspiration.

When I was in India in 2006 I wanted to find a way to give money to Tong-Len, the school I had been teaching at in Dharamsala. One day, as if a light turned on, the idea sprung forth: bring beautiful Indian jewelry and shawls home to sell and send the profits back to the school.

While the wheels were set in motion, I put planning aside for 10 days so I could immerse myself in the annual March teachings given by the Dalai Lama. I woke up as the sun rose each morning and walked the short distance between my room and the temple. I sat with a group of dear friends I had made - Joan, Susanne, Nicho, Joseph & Justin. We went early so we could be as close as possible to the Dalai Lama.

Our dear friend and mentor Laskshel, a Buddhist monk sat in the upper level of the temple with all of the other monks. Lakshel had been studying in Southern India at the Drepung monastery for 20+ years. Even with his limited English and my limited Tibetan we formed a deep connection. He was kindhearted and wise beyond words.

When the teachings came to a close, I put all of my energy into my new endeavor. I wondered what I should call the project. I asked Lakshel to name and bless it. When he decided upon a name, we gathered together and sat and listened to what he said. He told me to name it Dolma. He told me that Dolma was among the most compassionate people to have ever lived and that she should be the inspiration for my work. He said ‘she is like the wave in the ocean that brings the drowning people to shore.’

In the same evening, my friends presented me with the statue as a reminder of how Dolma Designs came to be. It stands as a symbol of how my endeavor was born. It is my constant inspiration for Dolma Designs, reminding me of my mission: to help alleviate poverty through fair trade and education.

In 2007, Lakshel completed his monastic education and was ordained a ‘geshe’ (teacher). When I saw him in February 2009, it was as if I was seeing a long lost friend and teacher. I am humbled to know him. Together with that amazing circle of people, we breathed life in Dolma Designs. I am forever grateful to them.

Just Cause

Some people know exactly what they are meant to be from an early age. I was not one of those people. In college, I studied abroad in Nepal through the Cornell Nepal Study Program. The experience of immersing myself into another culture inspired me tremendously. It felt like home. Yet I wasn’t sure how to translate that into a career. After college, I taught at a preschool in CO. Although I enjoyed it, I knew it wasn’t ‘IT’. I had two strong passions – to work internationally and to be connected to children. I didn’t know that my trip to India in 2006 would unite the two.


View Larger Map

I went to India looking for answers. I headed to Dharamsala to see what I might find. I ended up teaching at the preschool for Tong-Len, a school that was established to help a poor community of Indians in the area. It was through my brief time teaching that I realized how essential education was for the future of these children. They were otherwise destined for poverty. They were born on the streets. Their families lived in tents and they shared one water tap with the whole village. The average age for a girl to get married and start her family was 15. And so the cycle would continue.

The preschool was set up in a tent in the village. I would mostly play games with the children as they didn’t speak English yet. The preschool laid the groundwork for some of the children to move into the boarding school that was built just minutes away from the village. There the children ate consistent meals, slept in warm beds and studied rigorously. In its early years, the boarding school instantly showed great results. The students were able to catch up academically and their grades were top notch. In the years since, the students have continued to excel – winning statewide academic competitions and advancing through the grades.

When I returned in February 2009, my travel companions and I visited boarding school. We gathered in the main living room and each child sat quietly on the floor and took turns standing up stating their name, age and what they aspired to be when they grow up. They did dance performances for us and gave us a tour of all of the facilities.


It is important to remember that most of these children spent the first 5 – 10 years of their life begging on the streets. Ranjeeta, the girl that Dolma Designs has sponsored for three years, is no exception. She is now 11 years old and is in 4th grade. She skipped 3rd grade to try to catch up and is still managing to maintain an A average. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

The day after we visited the boarding school we went to the village to meet her mother and siblings. Her mother was crouched in the front section of her home – a tent made of tarps layered over thick branches. She was cooking rice and lentils, the traditional cuisine of India. Ranjeeta is the only one of her siblings enrolled in the boarding school. She has more weight on her shoulders than most 11 year olds can even dream of.

I started Dolma Designs because I wanted to find a way to give money to Tong-Len. We donate 15% of our proceeds to the school. I also have strong connections with fair trade artisan cooperatives so we can be sure that all of the money we are sending to India is being put to good use. But it is very important to me that we not loose sight of helping the children at Tong-Len. That is why I started a Facebook Cause - End Poverty Now: Help Us Build a School for Children in Need. It provides a platform so I can keep people updated on the progress the school is making. I invite you to join our cause to show your support for Tong-Len and the work that Dolma Designs is doing to help them continue to thrive.

Planting Hope

It is the final fair of the year for Dolma Designs and one that I look forward to every time. The Solidarity Craft Fair is an annual fundraiser for Planting Hope, a Montpelier based non-profit that works in Nicaragua.

The event is held in the Unitarian Church on Main St. in Montpelier. It is a quaint space filled to the brim with tables showcasing beautifully handcrafted gifts fairly traded or made in Vermont. It is a great collection of high quality and affordable gifts that are helping a noble cause - the perfect concept for a holiday fair.

Planting Hope envisions 'global equality, sustainable growth and mutual understanding through the exchange of social, cultural and material riches of Nicaragua and the U.S.' They have several ongoing projects including a cultural exchange program and a weaving school that they created to offer fair trade job opportunities and preserves cultural art forms simultaneously. They built a library equipped with computers and books that also offers classes to the 50 students who come through each day and they built a preschool to prepare the younger children for grade school.

For Planting Hope, the craft fair is a a good fundraiser for the end of the year. Each vendor at the fair pays a booth fee that goes directly to the community in Nicaragua. We each donate an item for a silent auction and the sales from the delicious homemade soups all add up. At a time when we are feeling the longing to help others, the Solidarity Craft Fair is the place to be.

The Vermont International Festival

The Vermont International is an amazing event that celebrates music, dance, crafts and food from around the world. This year is the 17th annual event and it takes place at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, VT.

It is such an amazing event to participate in. Badara of Nine Steps Away From Africa brings his shea butter from Senegal, perfect for VT’s dry winter months. Maria of Tumi always has beautiful belts and bags from Peru. There are several booths where Tibetan refugees bring turquoise jewelry and home decorations with Buddhist symbols.

The Festival is a great opportunity to see the many countries that are now represented in Burlington. The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program was founded in 1980 and has served thousands of refugees from countries including Bhutan, Iraq, Burma, Tibet, and Somalia. Many of our multi-cultural neighbors participate in the Festival with music, dance, crafts and food.

Many of the vendors send the profits they make back to their countries of origin. Others work with fair trade artisan groups in third world countries to help support their local economies and reduce poverty. The Festival gives the Burlington community an opportunity to help support those in need around the world. At the holidays this is especially important as the gifts we give can reflect the generosity that is inherent in the goods available at the Festival.

The music and dance performances include artists from all over the world. This year, we are really excited to welcome Kinobe and Soul Beat from Uganda. The performances are an authentic showcase of dance and music from a variety of cultures.

The Festival is a highlight of the year for me. I appreciate the opportunity to sample Ethiopian food, Indian Samosas and crepes. For one weekend, we can get a taste for the cultures we love. The Vermont International Festival reminds us of how diverse we are and yet how connected human beings are across cultures.

Fair Trade: We Can Do Better

We as consumers have to exercise our power. We can do this by choosing fair trade whenever possible, by asking our local retailers to carry more fair trade products and by telling our friends and family why it is important to support fair trade.

While consumer power is part of the solution, it goes much further than that. Unfortunately, labor exploitation is part of the corporate trade formula. Somehow, sourcing products from third world countries with no child or slave labor laws, no minimum wages, no health care nor environmentally sustainable practices became normal.

Those of us in the fair trade movement are astonished that we have to fight for fair trade. Shouldn’t that just be the way we trade, so that all parties are treated fairly? This isn’t a noble cause, really. We are fighting for basic human rights.

The fair trade movement has many challenges remaining. How do we even begin to change corporate behavior? How do we work with policy makers to write laws to enforce social justice and equality? How do we keep corporations from trying to water down criteria to fit their needs?

Delving into this issue and discovering how ingrained these unjust practices are in our society can be discouraging. But each story I hear about how fair trade has touched people’s lives, seeing for myself the artisan cooperatives in India gives me so much hope. We might not be able to save the world but we can improve the lives of individuals one by one and we can alleviate poverty community by community.

Watch a debate called "Who Owns Fair Trade" for more on this subject.

Rediscovering My Roots

Ten years went by so quickly. Still, walking down the hallways, peering in the classrooms, seeing familiar faces - it is as if nothing changed - as if time stood still in the years since I graduated from the Waldorf School of Garden City, NY. There is also part of me that never changes and when I am there, I rediscover myself all over again.

When I returned from India in 2006, I invited teachers, parents, students and friends of the Waldorf community over to my parents house to tell them my story and to share the wares I brought home with me. I told them about my goal to raise money for Tong-Len, the school in Dharamsala. I told them about the artisans I met. I was astonished by the support I received.

Each year since then, I attended the Fall Fair at the Waldorf School as a vendor. It is one of my favorite days of the year. I catch up with old friends and teachers. It feels like a family reunion. Some people who don't know me, look at me and say 'you must be a Haley', (my maiden name), 'you look just like your sister'.

A lot happened in 10 years. I traveled the world. I discovered my path. I never realized how much my years at Waldorf shaped who I am, paved the way for me. In hindsight, hearing the stories of ancient India, fundraising to protect the Amazon Rainforest, writing an essay comparing Egyptian and Greek views of the afterlife all led me to where I am. Waldorf nurtured in me the compassion to help others and the courage to follow my path.

This year, after the Fall Fair, I had my 10 Year High School Reunion. Some of my classmates attended Waldorf from Kindergarden through 12th grade. I joined the class in 2nd grade. I have only seen some of my classmates once or twice since graduation and yet we didn't skip a beat. They are doing wonderful things and following their passions - a chef, a jeweler, a coach, teachers and stock brokers. We all went different ways and yet we continue to come together with a mutual love and respect for one another. I am so proud to be part of my class.