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Nepal October 2017 - Feature - Let's Talk Shop

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One of the last places the Nepal team visited in Kathmandu before getting on the plane to return home was a clothing factory which employs women and girls rescued from human trafficking and gives them the respect of an honorable job and pays a fair wage. There are two companies working with this noble goal in mind in Kathmandu. Dinadi is the company which "crafts beautiful hand knit and crocheted products while changing lives through dignified jobs. Purnaa is the clothing company which "is committed to creating opportunities for marganilized people." From the company's 2016 Social Impact Report we learn why the owners chose Nepal.

We choose to operate in Nepal to work against the many challenges the people here face:

  • »  Nepal has very high levels of human trafficking (13th out of 167 nations on the Global Slavery Index with 234,600 people estimated to be living in slavery)

  • »  It is still recovering from the 2015 earthquakes and the subsequent extended blockade of necessary goods at the India border,

  • »  Nepal is the second poorest nation in Asia,

  • »  Many Nepalese still lack access to electricity, clean water, roads, and jobs.

  • »  Unemployment currently stands above 40%. As a result, 15% of Nepalese are currently working outside the country, often in situations that make them extremely vulnerable to abuse, sexual exploitation, and bonded labor.

Both Dinadi and Purnaa have great websites where you can read all about their mission and its gaining success. Click HERE for Dinadi and HERE for Purnaa.

Our team was very encouraged by what they saw:

"Their business has really taken off. They are starting to export to the U.S. and now are able to take orders from the U.S. with whatever logo folks want. They just got a contract from with a fly fishing business in the U.S. and they are getting ready to hire 18 more ladies."

"They pay them well, teach them life skills, ets. and have Bible studies with them. It's really neat."

"One of the couples that started it, sold their shares to the other couple and started another business making knit goods. They employ [marganilized] women as well, but instead of working in the factory, these women sew from home and come to the office once a week and bring their sewing to be quality inspected. They are paid by the item. Once each item is inspected, they place a card on it and the lady signs her name. They have pictures on their website of each lady so you can go see who made your item. It makes the ladies feel super special that they can put their name to something that someone would want to buy."

"Their first orders to the U.S. have just been shipped. As well as orders to five other countries."

As related yesterday, our folks weren't able to take pictures, however, you are able to see the sparkling eyes of the ladies, the makers of the products, the women who have been given a new life, on the company's websites.

"It was so neat. We got to see the ladies sewing at the factory. I bought some gifts at both places, nice things, but most importantly a very good cause."

Prayers for Saturday:

  • Let's keep these companies in our prayers, they are doing good work.
  • Pray for the team as they sit through a 6 hour layover in Philadelphia before boarding the short flight to Pittsburgh.
  • Pray for smooth transitions from the mission field to family life.
  • Please pray for our team as they prepare their words and images to share with us on October 22. 
  • Pray for First Baptist Church, that it will remain committed to the Great Commission in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

We love you so church family! See you TOMORROW where we will seek to worship well!