A POOR ILLITERATE WOMAN TAUGHT US A
LESSON
What was
meant to be a donation of US$200 for one poor illiterate woman morphed into a
social enterprise in Bhutan. Ana by Karma Social Enterprise Bhtutan has 70+
weavers proudly earning through sale of their handmade scarfs.
Back then, I
made an assumption – the poor benefits from our money, our donation. No. Not
true. Karma- the Bhutanese weaver who never went to school, she wants an
opportunity, a chance to showcase her talent, the dignity of earning her own
keeps. Doesn’t that sound like what you and I want too?
The last
thing Karma wanted was my offer of US$200 to buy her a sewing machine.
Looking
back, I am glad she vehemently and repeatedly refused my “gift”, my donation. By
doing so, Karma taught me a great lesson that day. It was so easy of me to drop
a donation in the box and walk away. Not all the poor want our money,
definitely not our sympathy. What they truly benefit from are our gift of ideas, time and our vast
network.
In Karma’s
spirit of dignity, one thing our social enterprise has consistently and
vehemently uphold is -- > ZERO $$ donation. ZERO. Ana by Karma is a
business. Not a charity.
Any money we
receive, we earn it. Just like any commercial business. The only difference is,
we are a business with a heart. At the heart of our enterprise is a group of
Bhutanese women weavers who are given the opportunity to become financially
independent through their own beautiful work. In fact the women weavers are
encouraged to think of themselves as entrepreneurs in the fashion industry!
And if you
really wish to “donate”, please donate to us your time, your expertise, your
ideas as these are the tools of their empowerment. And that is the lesson I learnt from Karma.
Definitions:
Charity - the act of giving money, food, or other kinds of
help to people who are poor, sick, etc, people in need.
A social enterprise is a business created with a
social purpose and operated in a financially sustainable way. http://www.nesst.org
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