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.


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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.