GOATS EMPOWER IMPOVERISHED WOMEN IN NEPAL By Lorine Parks (Downey) – PART 1

…SINCE THAT CHANCE ENCOUNTER IN 1988, on her own initiative and admitting she knew nothing about what lay ahead, Rosalind has personally delivered thousands of female goats to women in Nepali villages. When she witnessed women making coal-smudged thumbprints she realized they could neither read nor write, so Rosalind founded the now-thriving Top of the World K-5 School. The school jump started women’s economic development and established a loan program, so they would have the needed funds to start their own businesses. Women now use foot-powered sewing machines to make garments and pre- fab canvas greenhouses, which are used for year-round organic farming. These and other projects have brought in cash to not only repay the business loans but have improved nutrition access to clean water, education, and healthcare, especially for women and children. In addition, the projects conform to Rotary’s Areas of Focus.