NamasteDirect Yogathon

Thank you to everyone who participated in NamasteDirect's First Yogathon. The inaugural event took place in San Francisco at the Sophia Healing Center. The Haight Street location had a groovy vibe, as stated by yoga instructor Les Leventhal. The initimate group of yogis spent a relaxing afternoon doing yoga for the Edubanco group in Guatemala. It was a mixed group, including beginners, long-time yoga fans, and even an expectant mother! Les provided the inspiration and encouragement. His unique blend of humor and emotion really helped connect the participants to the mothers down in Guatemala. It was a powerful experience for everyone and it has set the tone for future events!

Please see our website to sign up for the upcoming events in Sacramento and Oakland!

Local Schools Taking an Interest in NamasteDirect

A recent article published in the Washington Post writes, "Young children and teenagers across the nation are getting involved in philanthropy more than ever..." NamasteDirect has seen and proudly participated in this trend with a variety of new young donors ranging from San Francisco kindergarten kids to high school students from Patterson, California. Read about each school below:

School: Garfield Elementary School
Location: Oakland, CA
Date: January 16, 2008

Garfield Elementary School in Oakland’s 4th grade class has been learning all about the entrepreneurial spirit from their teacher Paulette Smith. The students formed teams to create, market, and sell a product. They learned about employees, teamwork, venture capital, and marketing. The students created bracelets, necklaces, and pencil cases, among other things. They sold the products to the schoolmates and friends, earning in total $272. As a class, they chose to donate the funds to microloan borrowers in Guatemala after learning about the work being done by NamasteDirect. The students included personal letters to the borrowers along with the check. It was a treat to hear their stories and meet the students. Three cheers for the creativity shown by Garfield Elementary School!

School: King Middle School

Location: Berkeley, CA

Date: November 20, 2007
The beginning Spanish class students at King Middle School, together with a matched donation from their teacher Marian Easthope, raised nearly $500! Not only did these students generously donate their allowances and lunch money, each one of them individually created a project focused on the art, culture, geography and several other fascinating subjects about Guatemala. One student even prepared a snack of traditional Guatemalan food! Way to go, King Middle School!

School: Rooftop Elementary School

Location: San Francisco, CA

Date:November 6, 2007
Parent of Rooftop Elementary School student, Ellen Manerude, called NamasteDirect after reading the feature article in the San Francisco Chronicle. She was excited about the work being done and was confident that it is something “even a kindergartener” could understand. Jennifer Williams spoke to the class about the borrowers and their children. It really hit home with the children – they all agreed that they could do something to help! A bake sale in early December raised $300…. in just 20 minutes! Ellen is excited to organize another fundraising event soon. Nice work Rooftop Elementary School!

School: Patterson High School

Location: Patterson, CA

Date: October 16, 2007
Development Director Jennifer Williams spent the day in Mary Brandt’s classroom speaking about NamasteDirect. The students were able to relate to the stories and struggles, especially since many of them were from Mexico. They were excited to help contribute what they could by purchasing Guatemalan and Chiapanecan goods that were made by NamasteDirect borrowers. Samantha Guerrero generously donated her extra allowance money stating that there were others who needed it more than she did. Thank you Patterson High Spanish Students!

Valley Giving Girls

The Valley Giving Girls in the Central Valley continue to raise money for their Giving Circle. They are determined to reach their $5,000 goal so that they can begin planning their trip to Guatemala. This group is having a special holiday party next month to shop and raise even more. To date, they have raised $1,362. Cheers to the Valley Giving Girls! To read more about them and learn how to start your own group, check out their website: Valley Giving Girls

Lillian Jordan Joy Luck

Valerie Wong & Robert Jordan will be returning from their NamasteDirect Journey to Guatemala soon. In the meantime, I am posting a quick update on their Giving Circle. Thanks to the interest and dedication of their friends and family, the Lillian Jordan Joy Luck Giving Circle has raised $3,760! Check out their website for more details on this group and how you can start your own: L.J.J.L.

First Annual NamasteDirect Fundraiser

Thanks to everyone who participated in the First Annual Fall Fundraiser "Directo a Mexico"!! It was the first largescale fundraiser we have done and it was an enormous success! Over 100 people attended to share the amazing food and margaritas generously donated by Tres Agaves and Partida Tequila, as well as the enormous excitement generated by renowned auctioneer Dave Reynolds! Thanks to your support, we raised over $60,000!


The contributions will go towards the Senoras de Tres Agaves 100+ Group. The participants will include approximately 100 women from the Yajalon region of Chiapas, Mexico. Yajalon is four and a half hours from San Cristobal de las Casas, the third-largest community in Chiapas. Most of the women are indigenous Choles and speak Chol.


They will be investing their microcredit loans in a variety of businesses including vegetable stands, grocery stores, coffee production, sale of both new and second hand clothing and sales of regional foods.


Chiapas is the southern most state in Mexico and is comprised of lush green hills and valleys splattered with vibrant colors. Though it is rich in natural resources, Chiapas is unfortunately the most impoverished state in Mexico and suffers from the country’s highest rate of malnutrition, estimated to affect over 40% of the population. The economic difficulties of the region are often felt most significantly by women, reflected in the strenuous reality of everyday life.


The loans will be administered by our Mexican partner organization, AlSol, which will support the women through the cycle and help them to be successful in developing their businesses.
A NamasteDirect fellow will travel to the region early in 2008 to interview the borrowers in their homes and businesses, attend their group meetings, and look into the results to date. They will be writing you to convey this information so that you can see the difference that your donation is making. Please visit our website (http://www.namaste-direct.org) for weekly updated articles on microcredit and additional information on the work of NamasteDirect.


Thanks again for your support!

Wong - Jordan House Party

Many thanks to Valerie Wong and Robert Jordan for hosting a NamasteDirect House Party in San Rafael on August 25th. 17 people enjoyed the beautiful weather and great food. The guests decided to form a giving circle with an initial goal of $5,000. Saturday's party got the ball rolling by raising $1,590! If you would like to contribute to the Lillian Jordan Joy Luck Giving Circle, just put "LJJL" in the comments section of your donation, either online or through the mail.

The official website will be live soon, but you can read about the Giving Circle here:

"The L. J. - J. L. group was formed to honor the

memory and spirit of Lillian Jordan and to continue enjoying the long-standing friendships of the Joy Luck group.
We all realize how fortunate we are to be able to gather together to support an organization like Namaste-direct. We believe the organization is appealing on many different levels and donors will contribute for various, often personal, reasons.
We've all travelled widely, seen the wonders of the world, taken the pictures, and now it's time to give something back.

Valerie and Rob are eagerly anticipating their trip to Guatemala with Bob Graham this fall. More on that later. Thanks for your generosity."

Locke & Klee House Party

After last night's House Party, hosted by Gay Locke and Michaeleen Klee, the Central Valley Giving Circle now has a name. Allow me to introduce the Valley Giving Girls!

Michaeleen & Anita

Members of the new Valley Giving Girls met at Gay Locke's beautiful home in Hilmar last night for dinner, discussion, and lots of shopping! Everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed over the jewelry selection which was hand picked by Sophy Wolters, NamasteDirect's Executive VP who lives in Guatemala.

Anita & Connie

The donations received last night will be added to the funds raised at Connie Stout's party in June. Glenda Barreto and Tammy Lucich are both hosting parties in Patterson that will be a part of the Valley Giving Girls. The gals also unanimously decided to host a holiday shopping party and fundraiser in early December. They are well on the way to their $5,000 goal to help a group of 20 women. The Valley Giving Girls website will be available soon.

Katie, Jen & Amber