2022 Grants

2021 was one of our busiest years yet. We ended the year with more orders and impact than years past and we were able to give numerous grants to our artisa partners around the globe, which have largely centered around COVID-19 relief, funding food packages, healthcare insurance, and personal protective gear for over 200 women and their families. Just one month into 2022, we have already had an opportunity to gift a unique grant centered around a singular, non-COVID-19 related necessity: a drying machine.

Year after year, our top selling products are our tried and true felt flowers, made by Nupste Crafts, one of two artisan groups we work with in Kathmandu. In order for the 100% New Zealand sheep’s wool to bloom into stunning handmade felt flowers, the artisans must wet the wool with soap & water, then agitate the fibers to form a dense fabric.

Previously, the felt drying process would require artisans to lay the felt out in the sun for many days. However, the sun is scarce in the winter, and the humidity and monsoons are at an all time high in the summer, making the sun drying method laborious and time consuming. This is where the new dryer comes into play! The new dryer speeds up this process considerably.

This dryer is not a run-of-the-mill tumble dryer; rather, it has 18 rows of trays that can be removed or added based on the size of the product that needs to be dried. The humidity and heat level can be adjusted to dry products to the core while keeping the color intact. This dryer is also environmentally friendly: It uses low electricity, does not emit any unnecessary heat, and does not pollute the air.