GoodWeave

Notes from the Field

Nina Smith, GoodWeave USA Executive Director, with children assisted by GoodWeave in Nepal.

GoodWeave’s programs in Nepal and India are carried out in close collaboration with stakeholders at every level – from the weaving communities to the consumers who purchase certified rugs. From inspector to teacher, board member to volunteer, carpet factory owner to parent, each has a unique and important role in GoodWeave’s mission. The stories below offer a look at GoodWeave’s work through their eyes.

On the Ground with GoodWeave:

• Nina Smith, GoodWeave USA Executive Director
• Nina visits Nepal and meets Sanju Maya, the first child rescued from the looms in 2012.
  
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• U. Roberto Romano, Photographer and Filmmaker
• Award-winning photographer and filmmaker U. Roberto Romano returned to the carpet belts of Nepal and India to document the disturbing face of child labor today, as well as the hopeful faces of children liberated from servitude and educated by GoodWeave.
  
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• Kyra Gibson, Volunteer and Writer
• Kyra returns to find Akkas, a student at a GoodWeave-sponsored school who inspired her latest book, The Smartest Monkey in the World.
  
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• Ashira Jessica Greenbaum, Yoga Teacher
• Ashira teaches a yoga class to children at a GoodWeave-sponsored school in Nepal, helping them find joy and peace after their experiences of child labor.
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• Mary Zicafoose and Sara Goodman, GoodWeave USA Board Members
  
• Mary Zicafoose and Sara Goodman visit several GoodWeave facilities in Nepal, seeing the direct impact GoodWeave is having on the lives of children.
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• Jyoti Raj, GoodWeave Inspector
• A GoodWeave inspector details the work he does on a day-to-day basis to ensure GoodWeave-certified rugs are child-labor-free.
  
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• Jagadishwar Adhikari, Factory Owner
• A Nepali factory owner describes his workday and how GoodWeave has changed his business practices.
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• Laxmi, Weaver
• A weaver relates what her life is like, and how GoodWeave is helping her children have a bright future.
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• Ila Puri, Teacher
• Ila Puri, a teacher in a GoodWeave daycare center, discusses her work with the children of weavers.
  
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• David L. Parker, Physician, Photographer and Child Rights Advocate
• David reflects on his first trip to Asia to photograph working children and the effect it's had on him for 20 years.
  
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• William S. Carter, Professor
• Bill visually explores the carpet making process and its occupational hazards in this photo essay, based on his time in Kathmandu as a Fulbright scholar and using pictures from GoodWeave's archives and supplementary photos.
  
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• Siddharth Kara, Author
• Siddharth's Eyewitness Account: Child Labor in North India’s Hand-Woven Carpet Sector.