 SDCN has helped to organize a Women's Handicraft Cooperative in Bhaktapur, Nepal. They will be teaching the women how to run their own business creating beautiful woolen products to export around the world.
Many are single mothers supporting their families with their handicraft.
In Nepal the women are paid 25 cents for an intricate woolen hat and these wages cannot support their children. They must pay to send their children to a good school which is very important to them and with these wages..impossible to do.
This cooperative will enable the women to pay for schooling to enrich their family life and helping to positively affect their futures.
The cooperative is being structured with a central bank account that will collect and disperse the money collected from sales. A bookkeeper from the cooperative will keep records of which artisan produced which handicraft and will pay out accordingly, with 10% being kept in the account to be available for loaning to the women if needed, insuring the women of money during a possible hardship as well as opening another business in the future. A percentage will allocated for school tuition and medical needs. The women will be taught how to handle their finances as well as helping each other which is a cornerstone of the Nepali culture.
There are advisors to help the women's cooperative become self-sustaining within 4 years. There will be opportunities for new members to join and learn how to knit by the participating women in the cooperative so others in their community can grow to be self-sustaining.
SDCN is open and willing to accept volunteers who would like to share their craft with the cooperative to enhance the women's skills and expand their product line.
Please write us for information on coming to Nepal and sharing your creative gifts with us and being rewarded by being ensconced by open hearted people.
Please feel free to write us at: shoshana@rockisland.com
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The concept is to have the children document their lives as child laborers in the brick yards. 
