It’s hard to believe we are just a few days away from arriving in India for our annual trip. This year will be even more exciting as Maggie and I will be joined, for the first time, by our mom Liz as well as two louisville-based fashion and lifestyle writers, Josh Johnson and Miranda McDonald.
We are anxious to arrive at the Vatsalya/Anchal office, and be greeted by the artisans for the first time. Their beaming smiles and welcoming words bring the excitement of the trip to life. There is always an overwhelming sense of pride and emotion when we see, first hand, how far we have come in 5 years together.
Over the next 20 days, we hope to accomplish a great deal in order to continue Anchal’s success and impact. While plans often change and last minute projects are added, we wanted to give an overview of our goals and objectives while in India:
1. Assist with the implementation of the Designing Colorful Change natural dye project - including setting up our new office and purchasing new supplies needed for train women to dye fabric naturally.
2. Complete extensive social impact reporting, including interviews with the artisans and home visits.
3. Improve upon new designs (expected to arrive in October!) while also developing designs and techniques for future collections.
4. Conduct design workshops with the artisans on the art of storytelling.
5. Discuss and plan for future growth of the program, including the addition of more artisans and the logistics surrounding growth.
We are so excited to share the amazing progress of our artisans, and the true impact this program is making in their lives as well as the community. Updates will be given throughout the trip on Anchal’s email and blog as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - so make sure you follow along!
As always, we appreciate your words of encouragement and unwavering amount of support. Please consider supporting our trip and funding essential purchases and workshops while we are there.
Every donation will be matched 100% by a generous donor, up to $5,000!