There’s an article in Stuller’s June newsletter about a project in
Thailand called “NightLight”. (Please chime in here Hanuman or Ton if
you know something about it.) A woman who’s been living there the
past 5 years became aware of the growing problem of the sex trade,
human trafficking, and child prostitition in Bangkok, and wanted to
do something to help. She started a business in January '05 making
sterling necklaces, earrings and bracelets with beads from the local
businesses. But it’s the girls and women who are now off the streets
who are making the jewelry, and receiving competitive wages for their
labor. Stuller suggested ways we jewelers can help: by sponsoring an
event to sell the jewelry at your store, by sharing the information
with your church or other religious organization, or by viewing other
ideas at their website: www.nightlightbangkok.com. Since this is
such a caring group of people, and it has something to do with our
businesses, I thought those who didn’t already read the article would
like to know about it.
Thanks,
Cindy
Cindy Crounse
Refined Designs Original Fine Jewelry
www.refineddesigns.com
i find this project very interesting and exciting. i am interested
in starting a similar project in india. however, i am interested in
doing it without any evangelism or religious basis, as i prefer to
leave religion in other countries alone…have nay of you seen the
movie “born into brothels”? it is about a woman who did a similar
thing in calcutta, only with photography. it is a fabulous movie, i
highly reccomend it.
i am interested in figuring out a way to SUSTAINABLY teach lower
caste street sweepers in india basic skills so that they in turn can
find a new trade for themselves by selling their jewelry in the
sreet bazaars or other supporting stores. this is still only my
idea…and possibly my future diversion from the art/ limited
production jewelry world in which i currently reside. something i
might do that could be fully staisfying to me in the sense that i
could be giving back to the world or to people i need, while still
being involved in the trade that i love.
i hope to go to india in january and learn more about the jewelry
world there, as i am really concerned about the sustainability of my
idea. getting something together on the grassroots scale seems
fairly do-able to me. but what happens when i leave? how do i plan
for the future for such an idea, meaning, how would these women
continue to buy materials, tools, etc when no one will even barely
speak with them, much less take them seriously and give them
respect? would i have to become a fundraiser instead of a teacher?
(i am much more of a hands-on teacher type, not a fundraising type.)
are there currently any organizations already set up that might have
room for this kind of education if i were to provide it at no cost?
i have so many questions about how people get things like this
started…and i am excited to hear about this organization in
thailand. perhaps i can ask them!
so thanks for posting! perhaps (hopefully) in a few years you will
be hearing from me as well, asking for your support. (i bet you are
excited ot hear THAT!) 
sincerely,
joanna
www.joanngollberg.com
Hi Joanna,
Only catching up with my email now and have just read your posting
about setting up a grassroots jewellery making project in India for
lower caste street sweepers. I currently live in Botswana and work
with NGO’s training CBOs (community based organisations) and
disadvantaged youth, PLWHA and women in craft skills to economically
empower them. You are right that the key to the work is to make it
sustainable and this is very difficult. I have seen many viable craft
based projects here be raised up by skilled ex-patriates only to fail
when they leave - this is completely demoralising for the people and,
I believe, has a negative effect, rather than the intended positive
one.
I would recommend that you contact established NGO’s already working
with lower caste street sweepers as they will be able to help you
with the pros and cons of setting up your project. Hopefully they
will be able to work with you to ensure sustainability by maybe
providing an Indian counterpart or using similar established
mechanisims. They will definitely be able to help you with sourcing
appropriate donor funding and putting you in contact with other civil
society orgainsiations to provide support for your work. There are
many such NGO’s in India and I’m sure they would be happy for you to
help them.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me off list if you
have any other questions about the work I do and let us know how it
all goes - good luck!
Regards,
Sarah
Botswana