In March 2007, Kavita N. Ramdas (CEO) and Kellea Miller (Development Officer) traveled to Nepal to participate in the 10th anniversary celbration of Tewa, the first-ever women's fund created in Nepal. They were joined by Global Fund supporters Dorothy Abbott and Betsy Rix. Here is Kavita's impressions gathered from meeting inspiring women.

by Kavita N. Ramdas

In the morning, we walked in solidarity with 300 women as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of Tewa, the only women’s fund of Nepal. I found energy, hope and inspiration as I walked beside people from every part of Nepal — a poor country just recovering from years of civil conflict.

The march was a brightly colored collection of multi-ethnic smiling faces carrying banners calling for peace, justice and equality in Hindi, English and Nepali. It included young children, girls with t-shirts and jeans, Muslim women with headscarves, blind women walking in a loving chain of sisters and many caring male allies.

Despite all the amazing energy of the morning’s activities, nothing could prepare us for the joy of arriving at Tewa’s new site. Instead of a traditional endowment — money raised and invested in bank accounts — Tewa used the money raised through its endowment campaign to invest in land and buildings to ensure its long-term continuity and sustainability.

The setting was absolutely breathtaking. Situated on a hill outside Kathmandu and surrounded by emerald and mustard terraced fields in the foreground and towering Himalayas in the background, Tewa’s new surroundings match its highest aspirations for a philanthropy of inclusiveness, justice, and respect. Every detail shows love — from the Tewa motif on the curtains, to the rooms honoring special members of the Tewa family, to the earthenware rubbish bins and environmentally conscious materials used in the design of the space.

The young architect who designed the buildings in the Tewa complex (there is a shopping arcade, a recreational facility, an open air auditorium, and an office building) has blended the most graceful aspects of traditional Nepali archi-tecture with the clean lines of modern minimalism, and created a gem that sits in its space, as though it were always meant to be there. As one of the speakers at Tewa’s celebration said, “the buildings are nothing except a reflection of the way Tewa treats and values people.”