Pashmina Logo Launch in the News

Further to my recent post regarding Bec's trip to Kathmandu to attend the launch of the NPIA logo, below are some stories in the local media on the event.

100 Views on TV in Melbourne

Just a quick post to let those of you in Melbourne know that Libby Hathorn's 100 Views Kathmandu documentary will be screening on Community TV channel 31 at 8:30pm this Sunday, 31st January.

The documentary chronicles Libby's visit to Kathmandu in 2008 where she introduced her 100 Views program to our Model School. It provides some background to the program and Mitrataa and also shows lots of footage of the people of Nepal. You may remember the documentary was launched at a huge fundraising event in Sydney in November 2008.

Tune in if you are home and let your friends know too!

Bec meets the PM in Kathmandu!

Just a quick post to let you know Bec flew to Kathmandu on Wednesday so that she could attend the inauguration ceremony for the Nepal Pashmina Industries Association (NPIA) trademark. This is a project on which Bec has been working with NPIA for a couple of years and through her various law firm contacts throughout the world she has assisted them to have their trademark registered in most major markets in the world. This is a first for any Nepalese company or venture.

The trademark certifies the authenticity of a product as real pashmina and also guarantees certain standards to do with processing, environmentally friendly production and non-use of child labour. This is a significant leap forward for an indigenous Nepali industry and we hope it will open the door for other organisations to bring their unique products to the world.

The inauguration ceremony was held to celebrate the registration of the trademark in key markets as well as officially launching the use of the logo on pashmina products. The event was attended by Nepal's Prime Minister, Mr Madhav Kumar Nepal, as well as a number of other dignitaries. The PM presented Bec with a pashmina shawl bearing the new logo as a token of gratitude for the work she has done for the project. NPIA have also prepared a short film which was premiered at the event. It covers the background to the project and will be circulated globally to raise awareness about the logo and the importance of purchasing genuine pashmina.

Congratulations to Bec and NPIA for making such a huge impact on trade, export and commerce for Nepal! Thanks must also go to the many law firms around the world who provided their services on a pro bono basis for the trademark registrations.

Connecting Dreams

We are excited to announce that another new project is up and running! Connecting Dreams is a school based Information Communication Technology (ICT) program that provides access to computers and technology for schools and communities that wouldn't otherwise have it.

In August and September last year we launched computer labs in 2 government schools to act as test cases and they have been a huge success. As part of the community ownership for the project they must provide free ICT education to a certain number of young people who have not had the privilege of going to school. This type of training greatly enhances an individual's education and employment prospects in Nepal. It is a project requirement that a larger percentage of girls than boys must benefit from this free education.

We are looking to establish computer labs in additional 2 schools this year and of course this requires money! It only costs AU$7,500 to setup the full lab with 15 computers, internet access and a printer. That works out at around AU$500 per computer which is not that much when you consider the number of people in Nepal who will directly benefit from it.

More information about the project can be found on our website. As always if you are keen to contribute to this or any of our projects please get in touch.

Inspiring words

Below I have pasted two pieces of creative writing from Kishor Ghimire, a boy we have been supporting in Nepal since we first visited Kathmandu in 2000. Kishor is now in Year 9 at the Model School in Kathmandu and it is amazing to think that his education opportunities have helped him to produce work like this:

Success

To be a successful person is the main aim of every human. But what does success really mean? Could it be a dream that may occur in the life of every human? Yes, or it may not be. The definition of success varies from person to person. It could simply be prestige, power, money or security for many people. Nobody is born successful or tagged with the destiny towards success, but why then are some successful and others not?

As we look back, history might hold the answer; all highly successful people had a clear vision of what they wanted. All had beliefs and determination in the existence of their infinite intelligence and supreme power.

As a Chinese philosopher once said, “our greatest glory lies not in never falling but rising every time we fall”. One of the best examples of this could be Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the U.S.A. He failed in politics and business. He lost lots of elections totaling dozens, from senate legislature to vice president. But finally he became the president of the U.S.A. at the age of 51. He really was the epitome of the saying that “winners never quit and quitters never win”.

Everyone is born with the seed of greatness with the ability to win, but as a human there is some weakness. This weakness in today's world might be defined as intolerance, greed, jealousy, revenge, suspicion and egotism. To make these weaknesses the positive strength we might make a lot of effort, which is absolutely necessary for obtaining success.

To be a successful person, one must build up positive thoughts. He that moves not forward goes backwards so one must always press onwards to solve problems. A clear vision, positive attitude, talent, ambition and initiative are the things really required to reach the top. So, as my last but not least point, I would like to suggest accomplishing greatness we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe, as we know winners don't do different things but they do things differently.


Global warming

Look at my world it’s burning,
So people are regretting and learning.
She’s getting burnt alive,
People look at her tears and please realise.

She’s informing us to be aware,
'Cause the animals and vegetations are getting rare.
She doesn’t want us tolerating the heat,
So please people think about keeping your world neat.

She’s getting hotter and hotter,
Informing about our life getting shorter.
She’s so hot even her tears have turned into vapour,
So please understand and take care of every single wrapper.

She does not have a drop of water for drinking,
'Cause all the water resources are polluted and stinking.
She’s suffocating due to oxygen’s lack,
Even her colourless oxygen has become colourful and black.


Thanks Kishor, some fantastic thoughts and comments here.

Reasons to celebrate in 2010!

Two days before Christmas we received some fantastic news in Australia – we have finally been approved as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) for gifts and donations. This means that all donations to Mitrataa over AU$2 are now tax deductible.

As many of you will know, reaching this point has been a long journey. We’d like to especially thank Freehills’ Sydney office for their pro bono support along the way.

So how do we celebrate this exciting milestone? Well 2010 also signifies the 10th anniversary of our first trip to Nepal, the trip that inspired the creation of the Foundation, so we have a number of programs planned to celebrate both events. We will also shortly be launching a fundraising competition to give all our supporters an opportunity to get involved. Stay tuned for details on this and a number of other new projects and events coming up. Our DGR status has arrived at the perfect time to help 2010 become our greatest year yet – which is just as well because our partners in Nepal have their creative juices flowing to help with more innovative and exciting new projects to help us achieve our objectives!