By Maud Mabika | Senior Manager - Programs
Economic Opportunities for Tibetan Artisans
Project Update:
The months of November through March bring a harsh winter in the Tandui Village, in Yunnan Province. It prevents access to roads and for the team to implement capacity building and product development workshops with the Tibetan artisans. It is however a great time for the Nixi potters to start developing product collections of black pottery based on the designs they had acquired during the last summer training workshops. The new collection will be sold during the summer exchange program in the US.
During the last few months, our lead consultant, Kathy Erteman, and our local coordinator/translator, Sunnuo have been following up with the artisans on their progress for the production of new black pots. Kathy who is based in the US provided Sunnuo (who lives in China) with a list of designs in order to encourage the artisans to stay focus on what they had already learned while they produce pots. Sunnuo then visited the artisans twice in their village in October and November to give them those designs and to check on their progress. Most potters were able to follow instructions and already produced several lines of products that will be sold in the US.
In order to get ready for the 2014 summer exchange program in the US, we have also been preparing the artisans to get their passport for travel. We have sent them an invite letter, which will then be translated into Chinese by Sunnuo. It is important to start the process early so that there may not be any interruption and last minute change for the program.
On January 13, 2014 there was a fire that destroyed two third of Shangri-la town, which is very close to the Tandui Village where the Nixi Potters live. Shangri-la was a great outlet for the artisans to sell their pots to tourists and the local community. For more information about the fire, please read this article: http://www.cnn.com/ 2014/01/13/world/asia/china-shangrila-fire/
It is even more imperative after this event, that we provide more opportunities for sales to these Nixi Potters. The summer trip will definitely be a great asset for them and will have a long lasting impact on their community.
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