Last month, members of the Himalayan Institute Humanitarian team were honored to be invited to attend two major community events in Buffalo, NY, to raise awareness about our rural development projects around the world.
The Himalayan Institute was represented at a booth at the 3rd annual Women’s Conference hosted by Buffalo for Africa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about human rights and poverty concerns in Africa. Keynote speaker Mariatu Kamara, a survivor of the war in Sierra Leone, shared her story, and breakout sessions focused on women’s empowerment practices. The Himalayan Institute was on hand to tell people about the work we do in Cameroon, particularly the Sacred Link Jewelry program, which empowers women through microenterprise.
After packing up the booth at Buffalo for Africa, the team headed to a second event, Trimania, a multi-floor celebration of art, music, and culture held every three years. About 3,500 people were expected to attend this year. Joanna Angie, executive director of the Buffalo Arts Studio and co-founder of Trimania, invited the Himalayan Institute to be present at the event in order to spread the word about our work in Cameroon, India, and Mexico, which the Buffalo Arts Studio helps to sponsor.
In addition to merchandise sales and donations collected at the Himalayan Institute booth, proceeds from bottled water sales during the evening will come to the Himalayan Institute to support construction of more wells and to plant trees! Support generated at Trimania 2008 enabled Himalayan Institute Cameroon to install two wells in the community, which are now active and making an impact in rural Cameroon!
It was a long day, but well worth it to have formed meaningful connections, raised funds that will go directly to plant trees in the Tibetan settlements and to build more wells in Cameroon and Mexico, and to have met new friends that are also dedicated to improving the lives of people all over the world!
Special thanks to the Buffalo Arts Studio for its continued support of the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian projects and for its dedication to the arts and education in its own local community!
“Think globally, act locally.” We would love to assist you in fundraising or awareness events that you would like to host for these projects. From tea parties to book clubs to performances, the possibilities are endless. Be a part of the solution! Contact our humanitarian projects team at (570) 253-5551 or email us at [email protected].
