Interesting Christmas Ideas (maybe a little early, but doesn´t hurt to think ahead!)

Dear friends,

As you all know, I am in India right now. I have been working for an organization that advocates food sovereignty and although I have been busy learning about organic farming and other aspects of the organization, I have also met some really amazing people outside of the organization who are pursuing their own endeavours.

One such girl is Meera. She is a 24 year old whom we met at the yoga Ashram that she manages in Rishikesh (a town just north of here). She is a graduate of the Master in Social Work program and has focused on community development. Her desire to work in this field stems from the work her family, driven by her mother, have done in her home village of Mussepur. Mussepur is nearby the holy city of Haridwar. There they have opened a children´s centre for physically disabled children and for abandoned or orphaned children of the area. Meera herself grew up at the centre and her family continues to live within the children´s centre.

I have just come back from visiting the Centre (ASSA) and have met the children. I plan to return for a longer period of time maybe in October, when I will run a type of children´s camp for the children. We tried some of the games this weekend (all have to be seated games as many of the children cannot stand) and they all really enjoyed them.

Due to their lack of mobility, and being creative children, many of them have become very talented artisans. They have perfected many skills such as embroidery, painting, sewing, etc. and would like to be able to continue to use these skills. Meera has set up a shop on site where these products are sold, but unfortunately they are out of town and few people stop in.

So, I have talked at length with Meera about this and have decided to purchase an order of crafts and try to sell them in Canada. I haven´t worked out how I will do that, but thought I would start with you, people who I know, who know me, and can trust me when I say this is a good cause and the most direct fair trade there is. It is important to know the children do the arts and crafts as an after school activity, they are not made for production and sale in the industrial sense. The idea to take advantage of such talents and be able to sell the finished product was somewhat of an after-thought, but most certainly helps with necessary operations for many of the children, daily costs of the centre and projects for upgrading the centre.

I have attached a list of items that I have purchased and which you could buy from me along with photos of some of the things. If you (and I would love it if you did) want to purchase more than I have purchased already, I can buy more. I will cover the costs of transport (bringing them with me at the beginning of December, in time for Christmas!) and all mark up cost will be re-invested in specific projects for the Children´s Centre and will be discussed between Meera and I.

Please take a look at the products and if anything interests you let me know! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. (julia.ey.norman@gmail.com, julia-in-india.blogspot.com) Finally, if you feel you could pass this on to anyone else, please do!

Thank you so much! Love Julia

Item	Photo/Description	Price
1. Square cloth painting		$6.00
2. Rectangle cloth painting (without frame)		$8.00
3. Gift tags – Christmas theme	Gift tags the size of a business card, embroidered with a Christmas design.	3 for $2.00
4. Gift tags – other themes	Gifts tags the size of business cards, embroidered with various designs (flowers, Hindu symbols, etc)	3 for $2.00
5. Greeting cards (medium size) – painted		$2.50
6. Greeting cards (med size)-embroidered		$3.00
7. Mini greeting cards with envelopes		$2.00
8. Christmas greeting cards		$3.00
9. Bookmarks (painted)		$2.00
10. Make-up bags	Fabric make-up or bathroom bags with an embroidered design on the corner and a zipper opening from on top. Size is roughly 20cmx15cmx5cm.	$10.00
11. Placemats with cloth napkins (set of 4)	Various fabrics and designs. Napkins have embroidered design in the corner.	$10.00
12. Christmas tree ornaments (hanging)	These are made of felt or other fabric.	$2.00
13. Christmas wreaths (green and red)	These are similar in material and design to the picture below, but obviously in the shape of a wreath.	$10.00
14. Red and green garlands (toran)		$14.00
15. Gift pouches – red	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
16. Gift pouches – green	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
17. Gift pouches – gold	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
18. Gift pouches – other colours	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
19. Dolls with sari	These dolls will be made from felt. The size will be about 5 inches, so a toy doll size.	$6.00
20. Key chains (assorted)	Assorted key chains with figurines and symbols made from felt and stuffed.	$4.00
21. Picture frames	These are standard size picture frames made with cloth that are either painted or embroidered.	$7.00