Artisan Update: Sok Chan

Sok Chan lives in Battambang, Cambodia.  She is a single mother and is bound to a wheelchair, but she does not let these challenges keep her from trying to live a happy and productive life.  Ever since she was given the opportunity to sew wallets and purses for Elevita, Sok Chan has been able to afford the luxury of a little recreational activity.  Now she is the leader of a Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team!  If a picture is worth a thousand words, about six-thousand words are presented here as snapshots of Sok Chan's life:

Sok Chan, Team Leader, holds the ball

Sok Chan and her baby

Sok Chan with her two boys and a friend (left)

Sok Chan's oldest son, who carries a lot of responsibility to help his mother

Sok Chan's baby plays by her sewing machine

Elevita is pleased to help this optimistic and industrious woman by selling her products online.  If you are interested in supporting Sok Chan by purchasing some of her beautiful and unique gifts, please visit www.Elevita.com.

A Beautiful Twist

Louela Nalzaro of the Philippines beads beautiful necklaces and bracelets for Elevita.  Recently she has been working hard on some fabulous new designs for 2015.  Here is a sneak peak at her new star ornament design:

In January, Elevita received a card from Louela which reads: "Another wonderful year is about to end and another year is about to come.  Me and my family would like to express our sincere gratitude to Elevita.  Our lives suddenly have a beautiful twist: Before, buying food and clothing for my family is a big problem, but through your help we are able to eat food we seldom bought before...thank you, thank you!  There is nothing I can do to repay for your kindness and generosity. We love you!"

She enclosed a photo of her family:

Being a part of this "beautiful twist" is a big reason the Elevita Team feels so passionate about this great work.  We in turn thank Louela for allowing us to be a part of her life!

Artisan News: Rosalie's Home

Rosalie recently sent a message to Elevita.  These are her own words:

"When Elevita purchased the first order of my items I used the money paying some of my expenses.  First quarter of 2012 I decided to pursue my dream, a dream to have my own house.  This is my dream house. It's not yet fully constructed but I'm praying and hoping that next Christmas I will be celebrating in my own house thru the help of Elevita and those who buy my items.  I'm proud and thankful to say that.  Thank you.  God bless you.  I really appreciate your help and support."

Rosalie has created a fantastic beaded flower vase that is perfect as a centerpiece, a gift, or even as a grave decoration.  Visit www.Elevita.com to purchase her impressive items!  Elevita feels privileged to play a role in Rosalie's success.

Help Elevita send 60 girls to school in Keru, India

Because Elevita's management is entirely volunteer, we are able to donate the net profits from our sales to support humanitarian projects in the developing countries from which we source products.

Elevita's first project was to help to build a hostel for young girls in the rural village of Keru, India. This is a remote area where, due to long distances to school and safety issues along the roads, girls who live in Rajasthan ended their formal schooling from their village school at age 12. They had  had no opportunity to attend Secondary School since it was too far for them to travel to on a daily basis, and there was no place for them to stay if they went for the week. By not continuing with their schooling, these young girls were often married by age 13 and young mothers by age 14-15 and the cycle of poverty continued.  

Elevita, in conjunction with an existing local group, His Highness Maharaja Hanwant Singhi Charitable Trust, worked together to build a hostel where young girls from Rajasthan could safely stay during the week while attending their secondary school courses.  Together we raised approximately $31,500 and it has taken almost 4 years to complete this girls' hostel. 

The hostel is nearly finished and will open as soon as it is furnished. Once furnished, 60 girls ages 12-18-years-old  from this rural community will be able to attend school and work on their secondary education courses. Giving these girls an education will help them improve their lives, and subsequently the lives of their families and villages.  It is an investment that will pay dividends for generations. 

Elevita needs your help!  We are raising funds to help furnish the new hostel. Please consider making a donation toward purchasing furniture for the new Girls' Hostel.  Here is what it will cost:

Wooden bed with drawers:  $170

Mattress: $50

Pillow with Cover: $7

2 x Blankets: $35

2 x Bed Sheets: $10

Lockers: $25

Table: $45

Bench: $35

Go to Elevita.com and choose the amount you can help with. You can buy a bed, a table, bed linens, or a whole set-up. Help us furnish the Keru Girls' Hostel so that 60 young girls can continue their education and reach their highest potential.  

Thank you to all who have made this possible.

 Elevita.com - Improving Lives Worldwide. 

Elevita in the news! http://www.baxter.com/press_room/features/2014/elevita.html

Baxter Employee Helps Elevate Global Artisans Out of Poverty

When Keyne Monson, Baxter vice president, market development, and his wife Kirsten visited India for the first time together in May 2010, they were overcome by the intense poverty they witnessed. They met many people who possessed impressive skills for creating beautiful and useful items, but faced challenges. Some were living with disabilities, had difficult access to markets, or were located in distressed areas, which limited their opportunities to sell their quality goods.

Together, Keyne and Kirsten created a website and non-profit organization, Elevita, to help alleviate poverty worldwide by creating economic opportunities for under-privileged people in developing countries by bringing their skills and creations to market.  Over the past four years, Elevita has enabled more the 500 artisans to earn an increased income, which has had a ripple effect on their families and communities.  Keyne and Kirsten are helped by a group of unpaid volunteers and advisors, including their six children, who range from ages 17 to two years old.

"It's amazing how many people are willing to engage once they catch the vision of what we are doing," say Keyne, who in his day job, works on business model innovation projects that help advance access to healthcare for people in developing areas of the world.  "We're convinced that if more people were simply aware of and exposed to the extreme poverty in which the majority of the world lives, there would be a lot more focus on trying to lift under-privileged people out of poverty in a sustainable way." 

Any profits are donated to humanitarian projects, particularly in education. Proceeds have helped fund projects such as a hostel where rural girls in Rajasthan, India can stay safely while attending secondary school (planned to help 200 girls each year for four years); scholarships through a partnership with BELIEVE to five girls in the Philippines so they can attend both secondary school and college (total of eight years education); purchasing sewing machines for women in Cambodia so they can become self-reliant; and purchasing an industrial oven in the Philippines that allows dozens of local women to bake capiz shells for creating bowls, frames, jewelry, and other wares.  

Through this two-fold approach of creating economic and educational opportunities, Keyne and Kirsten hope that Elevita can help countless people in developing counties across the globe.  The non-profit now helps artisans or artisan groups in seven developing countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, India, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Uganda. 

"We believe in the goodness of humanity and in people's ability to respond in times of crisis to help their fellow neighbor, and hope that Elevita can provide a bridge for many people who live in the developed world to meaningfully reach out to others in need," Keyne says.  

To learn learn more about Elevita's mission, or to purchase goods from Elevita artisans, please visit www.elevita.com.

Holiday Boutiques

We are excited to announce the dates and locations of our annual Holiday Boutiques!  This year there will be Elevita boutiques in six major metropolitan areas, including Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Louisville, and Boston.  Here are the exact times and locations:

11/06    O'Brien Residence, 10900 Worthington Lane, Prospect, KY    10am-12pm & 7pm-9pm

11/20  Garf Residence, 309 Greenbrook Dr., Danville, CA  10am-1pm

11/20  Monson Residence, 5270 River Bend Dr, Libertyville, IL, 60048  7am-9pm

11/20  Price Residence,  9701 148th St. Ct. E., Puyallup, WA  10am-2pm

11/21  Lesser Residence, 19423 E. Maplewood Ave, Aurora, CO  10am-8pm

TBD   Patton Residence, 1475 Mass. Ave. #230, Lexington, MA

Visiting the boutiques offers the unique experience of seeing and feeling our beautiful products first-hand.  We hope to see you there!

Adventure: Seeking Long Lost Relatives

Recently we heard from Louela, one of our jewelry artisans in the Philippines.  She was writing to tell us how grateful she was that after receiving Elevita's payment for her goods, she was able not only to pay for her children's school and purchase rice, but she also had enough left over to go on a journey to search for some long-lost relatives.  Here is her report:

"Today my mother and I went to her relatives her biological parents side.  My mother was adopted at age 3 and she has very limited information about her grandparents and relatives, I ask her to accompany me to search for informations of her deceased ancestors.  It was a challenging task we have for ourselves.  It was a long ride, and hike on a slippery and uneven road and hill, I just wasn't able to take pictures some of the scenery..We met the wife of my mothers cousin, we ask information and then proceed to another area, then we meet my mother other cousin, she works as a house help, so we just sit outside the house while I ask her names of their ancestors, since we are not allowed to enter her employers house..I am very grateful that I have names now, although its not many but the opportunity to meet my aunties for the first time make me happy and also my mother...although my money for the fare is very budgeted, but my mother and I are able to come home, and we even bought snacks for the children.  I spent money in searching my ancestors but the happiness my mother and I felt can never be bought or exchange in any material things.  Glad for the technology, we have access now with our relatives through txt message..I attached photos sister about our adventure this morning.. :)"

This is just one of many examples of how Elevita is improving lives worldwide.