My First Post!

Posted by Nirukshi de Lanerolle on Wednesday, October 29, 2008

This is something new to me. Ellen was my secretary in writing this post, because I'm learning how to blog. I hope to write about my cat, my work with Emerge, my life in Sri Lanka, and anything else that comes to mind.

I want to start with a story. Today a new shipment of beads came in, and Sheena is now doing the job that I used to do: taking the beads off their strings. As she was pulling off a string of white beads, they fell on the ground. That reminded me of how Fudge, my cat, would play around with the beads when the same thing happened to me.

To give you an idea of who I am and what I'm like, I asked Sheena, Aaron, and Ellen to say a couple things about me.

Sheena thinks I'm the calmest person she's ever met.
Aaron says I am calm like a Mama Bear. I think Aaron is shy and sweet.
Ellen thinks that I am a rockstar and the best thing that ever happened to Emerge in Sri Lanka.
Sheena seconds that statement.

We're having lots of fun here in the Emerge apartment. Soon we'll have lunch together. I'm looking forward to blogging and building up Emerge. It started so small - Alia and I at the beginning. Alia has been a great strength and inspiration to me. Now, the goal is for Emerge to keep getting stronger, and I want to be a part of it.


Much love,
Nirukshi

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UNDP Presentation

Posted by Ellen on Friday, October 24, 2008

Yesterday I gave my first Emerge presentation in Sri Lanka, at the UNDP office in Colombo. I was a little bit nervous for two reasons. For one, I hadn't given a presentation about Emerge since the fundraiser in West Lafayette, so I felt a bit rusty. But the main reason was I had never presented to a group of Sri Lankans. Usually when I speak, I have to explain where Sri Lanka is, and don't go into intimate details about the organizations we partner with or where we're located inside Sri Lanka. At UNDP, it was the exact opposite. In addition, the issues that the girls we work with face are not just personal, but also cultural and societal in nature. I was extra conscious of framing the work we do not as a critique but as a way to address a problem that women all over the world are living and perservering through.


Afterwards, I displayed some of the girl's most recent creations, and everyone crowded around the table to look at the jewelry. From this sale and from my time at Gandhara, I've come to realize that Sri Lankans really don't like the ribbon necklaces - an interesting observation. But they find the long chain necklaces very appealing, and I sold several of the latter.

Out of this presentation, I received the contact information of individuals at other NGOs, as well as an endorsement to take Emerge Global to the main UN compound in Colombo and showcase our programs there. It's my philosophy that if you continue to talk about your work and your passion, good things will happen. Someone that you speak to will think of a friend whose cousin's sister is in the bead sourcing business ... and the great thing about running a small organization like Emerge is that you never know who that person is going to be. So you keep putting yourself out there day after day, knowing that eventually things will fall into place. This presentation was one of those baby steps on the path to Emerge's long-term growth and success.

-Ellen Read more »

The many perks of having Aaron and Sheena in Sri Lanka

Posted by Ellen on Monday, October 20, 2008

I can't tell you how wonderful it has been to have two amazing volunteers working by my side for the past couple weeks. Aaron and Sheena came to Sri Lanka exactly two weeks ago, and hit the ground running since the minute they got here.


It's been great to have people here on a couple different levels. Organizationally, Emerge is getting stronger and stronger every day because of dedicated people like these two. They bring a critical eye to the work we are doing here in Sri Lanka, and are incredibly motivated to expand and improve our programs. Having people in the apartment to run ideas by, brainstorm with, and discuss next steps has not only helped me to be more productive, but has also led to the formation of ideas I never would have come up with on my own.

On a more personal level, I have enjoyed having other Emergers here in Sri Lanka to socialize and have fun with. Instead of waking up by myself in the apartment, I am discussing favorite movies or music over breakfast! And I have to add that Aaron is a fabulous cook. He and Sheena have truly spoiled me with how much they have pitched in, from helping with shopping and errands to cooking dinner. I don't know what I'm going to do when they leave!


The passion and dedication that Aaron and Sheena have brought to the island is infectious, and I'm so lucky they're here.


Until next time,
Ellen Read more »

Little Moments of Happiness

Posted by Ellen on Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Last week, I was blessed with several little moments of happiness. It may seem silly, but they really made an impression on me, and I wanted to share them with all of you.

The first was taking a trip to Odel, Colombo's one and only department store. Last week I was feeling particularly homesick, and a friend in Colombo needed a bathing suit. Wanting to get out of the apartment and see a part of the city that I hadn't been to, I tagged along. I wish I could describe the feeling that overcame me when I stepped into Odel. It was a mix between complete and utter relief and deja vu. The store was nice - by no means as large or fancy as department stores in the States - but it made me feel so ... calm and comfortable. What I really needed right then was to pretend like I wasn't halfway around the world, at least for an hour or so. I guess there is something to be said for retail therapy: even though I didn't end up buying anything, the process of going shopping was all I needed to feel closer to home.

* This photo was not taken at Odel, but you get the idea :) *

The second moment of bliss was telling my apartment security guard that Aaron, Sheena, and I were going to Hikkaduwa for the weekend ... in Sinhala. I'm teaching myself Sinhala, slowly but surely, using a book and cd that Nirukshi found. And I had recently gotten to the lesson on how to say "I/you/we/they go." What a perfect opportunity to test out my skills then on the way to the beach. I thought about the correct wording and pronunciation from my apartment all the way down the stairs, and was psyching myself up to attempt to speak in said foreign language. As we walked out of the apartment complex, I turned to the guard and said "We are going to Hikkaduwa. Api Hikkaduwa yanava." as naturally as can be. The security guard smiled at me when I spoke Sinhala, and gave a subtle nod of encouragement. Those three simple words, and that nod, were a huge self-confidence boost, and have given me the courage to use more Sinhala phrases since then.

Sometimes, it's the little things that make the biggest impression on us.


-Ellen Read more »

Two new volunteers in Sri Lanka!

Posted by Alia on Tuesday, October 07, 2008

I'm excited to welcome Sheena and Aaron, our two new volunteers, to Sri Lanka! Over the next month, they will be working to develop our Bead Program curriculum and to package our current program so that it can be scaled to new children's homes easily.

Sheena Hembrador received a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from MIT in 2006. She has been actively involved with Emerge, serving as Co-Director of Public Relations during the 2007-2008 academic year. She spent the last year performing preclinical molecular imaging research at Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Molecular Imaging (CMIR). This year, she is traveling and volunteering all over the world. She will enter medical school next year. In her free time she enjoys singing and performing with her jazz band, operating MIT's Nuclear Reactor, and salsa dancing.



Aaron Schmidt received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT in 2002 and a master's degree in 2004. He completed his Ph.D. in heat transfer this past spring. He, like Sheena, has played a critical role in Emerge's development, serving as the other Co-Director of Public Relations during the 2007-2008 academic year. Outside of research, he enjoys playing jazz trumpet, cooking and photography.

Welcome to Sri Lanka, Aaron and Sheena!

I'm thrilled to have you on the team!
-Alia

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Traveling to the Maldives

Posted by Ellen on Tuesday, October 07, 2008

A great opportunity came up last week for me to visit the Maldives cheaply, which sounds like an oxymoron since the Maldives is one of the most expensive tourist destinations in Asia. So for this very reason, I had to go.


The beaches were beautiful, but I couldn't leave my Emerge work behind completely. I decided that if I were to go to the Maldives, I could see if there was a market for Emerge jewelry there. My thought process was: incredibly rich tourists, lots of shops both on Male (the capital) and in the resorts, people want to be socially conscious, and the product is from Sri Lanka which is close to the Maldives ...


I met with both a tourist shop owner and the manager of a resort. In the tourist shop, I looked through the jewelry - most of which was made from local Maldivian coral - to compare our product. The cheapest necklace I could find was around 1600 rufiyaa, or roughly $125. Not quite Emerge's price point. They sold no jewelry with glass beads or seedpods either.


When I spoke with manager of the resort, I asked him point-blank if he thought our product could sell in the Maldives. He basically said that there were two obstacles: (1) the fact that when people visit a destination, they want something made from that place, not from the place next door, and (2) going to the Maldives is pure escapism. When tourists come, they want to get away from all their worries and problems. Therefore, they would feel guilty reading about the stories of the girls that Emerge works with, and would be less inclined to buy their jewelry.

I don't know if I buy the second point. Our marketing at Emerge is pretty good. I'm sure we could present the girl's stories in a way that was truthful but made people feel good about buying the product, not sad that they haven't done more. In fact I think we do a good job of this already. But he is completely right about point number 1. He suggested that if we partnered with one of the local NGOs in the Maldives - NGOs that consequently wield a lot of power - we could definitely sell in the local stores. But when I asked him what he thought a necklace would sell for, he said $2 to $8, which is lower than we sell the products for in Sri Lanka, not taking into account the cost of shipping.


The trip was both fun and informative. Sometimes I feel that working here in Sri Lanka is like a huge puzzle, and each time I meet with someone or have an idea and test it out, another puzzle piece is fitting into place.


Until next time,
Ellen Read more »