By Christinia Eala | Project Leader
Life expectancy on the Pine Ridge reservation is the 2nd lowest in the Western Hemisphere - second only to Haiti. Poverty is rampant, with average annual incomes around $3,000. We have slowly made progress over the past many years, helping families establish safe and viable homesteads on their ancestral lands and develop sustainable lines of income through cottage industry.
In our continuing search for ways to adequately fund this project, we have been offered a true gem.
One of our most promising areas is the development of a business plan that would build a strong foundation for the beautiful, artistic bead and quillwork that many families create together to sell during tourist season. Their businesses are small and seasonal, their income dwindle down to almost nothing during the late fall and winter months.
Over 30 years, company founder Susie Cotcher built a large and successful beading and quillwork business www.truewestmagazine.com/beadwrangler-makes-magic/. Susie passed away this past spring. Though there are other substantial offers to buy the business, before she died she made it clear that she wanted the business to be sold to the women of the Lakota nation, living in poverty at Pine Ridge, even if it meant giving a substantial portion of the company's value as a gift.
We are now raising the capital needed to carry on this profitable and culturally-strengthening business endeavor. Your continued support is hugely appreciated!
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
