To fundraise for my trip, I'm sending out an email to my friends and family explaining Nest, my involvement, and some details about my fellowship. Hope this helps!! Please contact me if you're interested in supporting my trip to Guatemala :) My email is kate.weschler@gmail.com
To my friends and family,
I have recently accepted a fellowship with a non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of women by helping them reach self-sufficiency. Rebecca Kousky founded the organization, Nest, just 4 years ago; her mission was and still is to support women artists and artisans by helping to create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses through interest-free loans, training, mentoring, and a marketplace. The curriculum at Nest teaches basic business skills, marketing (product developing and pricing), financial literacy, how to appeal to a western consumer while preserving artistic integrity, environmentally friendly methods of production, and professionalism. The loan recipients use the money to buy supplies and raw materials to make indigenous products that they return to Nest to repay the loans, rather than paying interest. Their goods are then marketed and sold to earn revenue and grant more loans.
Nest currently focuses their funds and effort on 7 countries (Guatemala, Togo, Morocco, India, Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, and Kenya) and has funded over 600 women since its founding. Nest has offered me a fellowship at their site in San Pedro, Guatemala! Here, as textile production moved to countries like China and Bangladesh, many skilled female artisans were left without employment options. Nest’s site in San Pedro offers flexible and acceptable working conditions for the women as they weave remarkable Guatemalan textiles while still supporting their families. Nest’s partnership with the artisans also eliminates a middleman, guaranteeing fairer wages. I’m so happy to become a part of this organization, as it empowers these women to develop their crafts into a self-sustaining business by which they generate a stable income to provide for their families.
I am still unaware of some of the specifics of my trip, but I will be living in the city of Antigua, Guatemala and working at Nest’s site in San Pedro for around 60 days (May 12 to July 7). Part of the internship entails maintaining an online blog to share my experiences, memories, feelings, and photos while living and working in Guatemala. Here is the website to access my blog: http://theweschnest.blogspot.com. While at the site, I plan to apply my Spanish skills especially while helping the women with business education, marketing, and training.
In order to travel to Guatemala, I’m required to pay for my airfare (± $500) in addition to $2500, which covers my housing, insurance, transportation to the site, etc. If you feel inspired to do so, I will be accepting monetary donations to support my fellowship in Guatemala. Please make all checks payable to Nest and mail to 318 Prosper Road, Woodstock, VT 05091 (802-291-0153). All donations are tax deductible. Also, please feel free to check out Nest’s website and marketplace: http://www.buildanest.com – they have some really beautiful items!
Thank you for all of your support,
Kate Weschler
This purpose of this blog is to share my experiences while working and living in Antigua, Guatemala. Please enjoy!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Whose Volunteer Experience is this Anyway?
"Whose Volunteer Experience is this Anyway", Blog by Crystal Hayling: http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/2011/01/whose-volunteer-experience-is-this-anyway/
In response to Crystal Hayling's article, Whose Volunteer Experience is this Anyway?, I believe that giving can be mutually beneficial. However, like the author expresses, I agree that many people get sucked into charities or volunteering for selfish reasons. We all need to learn the importance of focusing on the humility of directly helping another individual in need for THEIR benefit, despite the fact that we may not hold attachments to them or their lifestyle.
The author relates this to the shoe organization, TOMS. I have to admit, I own a pair of TOMS wedges and I love them - they're my favorite pair of heels! Not only are they comfortable and trendy, but it makes me feel great to wear them knowing someone also received a pair of shoes with my purchase. However, I understand the author's point of view in the sense that TOMS shoes do not benefit local labor and in turn make shoe recipients reliable on donations, rather than encouraging self sufficiency.
This is where I appreciate Nest and its mission. Not only does Nest stimulate employment, but it allows women to artistically express themselves while developing self-sufficiency, stability, and the means to support their families. In terms of my involvement with Nest, my Spanish and international perspective will clearly benefit, but I understand that there are benefits beyond those of my own. My reasons for participating with Nest include motives to sincerely make an impact on and learn from those in the community of San Pedro. I intend to make friends with the people I work with, understand their backgrounds and how they've become involved with the organization, appreciate the customs and traditions of Guatemala, and share and learn from our differences. To leave an impact, I will use this knowledge to help women find economic and psychological independence, confidence, and the power to share their stories to raise awareness.
Hayling says in her article, "the act of giving is mutually beneficial. But at the end of the day, it's not only about me." I hope to carry this through with me during my experience in Guatemala. Aside from bettering my Spanish and having the opportunity to live in a beautiful foreign country, I understand that I'm going to Guatamala to work with these women to help them reach self-sufficiency. None of my current needs are greater than those of the women that are struggling to support their families, considering at this point in my life I am a care-free college student, supported mostly by my parents, and living in the United States of America. As long as I can see I've made a progressive difference in the lives of those women as I leave for work on a daily basis, I know that I will return home from Guatemala satisfied with my volunteer experience.
In response to Crystal Hayling's article, Whose Volunteer Experience is this Anyway?, I believe that giving can be mutually beneficial. However, like the author expresses, I agree that many people get sucked into charities or volunteering for selfish reasons. We all need to learn the importance of focusing on the humility of directly helping another individual in need for THEIR benefit, despite the fact that we may not hold attachments to them or their lifestyle.
The author relates this to the shoe organization, TOMS. I have to admit, I own a pair of TOMS wedges and I love them - they're my favorite pair of heels! Not only are they comfortable and trendy, but it makes me feel great to wear them knowing someone also received a pair of shoes with my purchase. However, I understand the author's point of view in the sense that TOMS shoes do not benefit local labor and in turn make shoe recipients reliable on donations, rather than encouraging self sufficiency.
This is where I appreciate Nest and its mission. Not only does Nest stimulate employment, but it allows women to artistically express themselves while developing self-sufficiency, stability, and the means to support their families. In terms of my involvement with Nest, my Spanish and international perspective will clearly benefit, but I understand that there are benefits beyond those of my own. My reasons for participating with Nest include motives to sincerely make an impact on and learn from those in the community of San Pedro. I intend to make friends with the people I work with, understand their backgrounds and how they've become involved with the organization, appreciate the customs and traditions of Guatemala, and share and learn from our differences. To leave an impact, I will use this knowledge to help women find economic and psychological independence, confidence, and the power to share their stories to raise awareness.
Hayling says in her article, "the act of giving is mutually beneficial. But at the end of the day, it's not only about me." I hope to carry this through with me during my experience in Guatemala. Aside from bettering my Spanish and having the opportunity to live in a beautiful foreign country, I understand that I'm going to Guatamala to work with these women to help them reach self-sufficiency. None of my current needs are greater than those of the women that are struggling to support their families, considering at this point in my life I am a care-free college student, supported mostly by my parents, and living in the United States of America. As long as I can see I've made a progressive difference in the lives of those women as I leave for work on a daily basis, I know that I will return home from Guatemala satisfied with my volunteer experience.
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