(Originally published on 04/15/2016)

On the 15th April, a collection of cross-culture artisan products combining Yi embroidery from Yongren Country of Yunnan Province and Pashmina from Nepal, part of the Project on Empowerment of Women for Culture-based Livelihood Development, was launched at a side event during Shanghai Fashion Week.  

The theme of this event was “Lost & Reappear”. It aims to create an opportunity for community-to-community based empowerment and enable participants from Nepal and Yi Minority to explore their different traditions and learn from each other to support low-income women entrepreneurs. Senior representatives from China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF), Mary Kay, UNDP, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Ministry of Industry of Nepali government participated in press conference of the launch.

In her statement at the press conference, Agi Veres, Country Director for UNDP China noted that “development does not have to come at the expense of generations and centuries of individual identities. It is essential that we recognize ethnic diversity as an intrinsic part of China’s rich history, with minority cultures and ethnic differences valuable in their own right both to the communities themselves and to the nation as a whole. Entrepreneurs are both carriers of ethnic symbols and agents of modernization who actively shape identity.” She also expressed the hope that a comprehensive partnership can be built up with public and private sectors, media and NGOS for the purpose of encouraging women’s entrepreneurship development.

This event was conducted under the Project on Empowerment of Women for Culture-based Livelihood Development. Shortly after the Nepali earthquake, women from Yi Ethnic Minority in the pilot site raised their aspiration to send embroidery pieces with Yi traditional motifs to the victims in Nepal as a sign of solidarity and comfort. With joint partnership among UNDP, China Women’s Development Foundation and Mary Kay, this initial charity idea turned into a desire for joint collaboration between Yi Minority and Nepali weaving communities to join forces in their efforts to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

This launch will be followed by crowd-fund raising and auctions through CWDF’s platform. The raised funds will be donated to Nepal to further support low-income women who were affected by the earthquake.