What is the Advanced Jewelry Making Training project? 

The Advanced Jewelry Making project focuses on providing a professional training for acid attack and burn survivors in Kathmandu, Nepal.  For this project, we will be providing funds for ASTITWA Nepal to hire a professional trainer, buy training materials, and provide transportation to a group of acid and burn survivors to learn how to make more advanced jewelry.

In 2019, ASTITWA Nepal hosted its first jewelry making session for survivors. In this initial training, the survivors learned basic jewelry making techniques to create earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc.  Using the skills they learned, the survivors were able to develop  products that were later sold in the market to generate income. The survivors were quite enthusiastic after this training and have requested to learn how to make more advanced jewelry. Therefore, this training will dive into more complex jewelry designs and patterns taught by a professional with expertise in this area.  

Which partner center is this project with? 

This Advanced Jewelry Making Project is being conducted with Astitwa Nepal, our partner center in Nepal.

How many survivors will benefit?

5

How will this project benefit acid attack survivors? Why is funding this project important? 

In Nepal, the jewelry industry is under constant demand as these products are highly coveted by natives in Nepal because they represent social, cultural, and historical traditions. In addition, these handmade products are also a popular purchase of foreigners and tourists that visit the area. By providing a training session to enhance the survivor’s jewelry making skills, they will be able to create more products and sell them in the market, thereby generating income for themselves and their families. By being active in the market, this in turn will allow survivors to enhance their economic independence and entrepreneurship. 

In addition, skills based trainings, such as the Advanced Jewelry Making project, are a pivotal part of Astitwa Nepal’s organization and they help to empower survivors to learn advanced skills and become self-sustainable. Jewelry making can also serve as a therapeutic exercise for survivors, as it requires one’s full attention and mindfulness on the design of the product. This can contribute to mental relaxation and lessen the stress and anxiety that survivors often feel. Lastly, jewelry making is a form of artistic expression and may allow them to explore their identity and rebuild their sense of self. 

How does this program fit within your mission?

We have chosen this project so that we can (1) support survivors of acid and burns violence in Nepal and (2) activate the potential of individuals in our community to provide meaningful solutions. By providing microloans to survivors, we help them provide for themselves financially.  By putting students in charge of the fundraising process, we give them the ability to learn about nonprofit management, work with international partners, and realize their potential as human rights activists.

How will you measure outcomes? 

We will create an impact report to be filled out by ASTITWA Nepal.  We will measure whether these training sessions were effective in enhancing the survivors’ skills, their creation of products, and their overall profit generated through selling in Nepal’s local market.