Windhorse is inspired by Buddhist values and ethos. This finds its practical application in our dealings with our suppliers, customers and the environment.
we give all our suppliers a fair price
we build real & lasting connections with them
we monitor fair wages & good working conditions
we minimise our environmental impact
we treat our customers fairly, honestly & with respect
we use some of our profits to benefit the communities in which our products are made
Education in China
A few years ago, Windhorse joined our supplier in setting up a relief fund that provides scholarships to children in Koa Chau Primary School in rural North China. The fund also provides computer training for their 800 pupils, hoping to match the opportunities that children in urban schools would have.
Windhorse donated £5000 to rebuild Gejiadeng Primary School, a very old mountain school in Yunnan, which was in a dangerous state of disrepair. Building work on the school was completed in March 2008 providing the children with a wonderful opportunity to develop in a safe happy environment.
In addition, we support a project which supplies much needed relief teachers to schools within rural China, currently
Windhorse supports eleven teachers .
Education in Guatemala
Guatemala in Central America is where our worry dolls and other Mayan-inspired gifts come from. Since 2005, in partnership with our supplier Windhorse has helped fund three schools. This has enabled an increase in the number of pupils at these schools, which now totals 400 and is expected to increase. The first two schools were built for the communities in La Giralda and El Mirador. In March 2008 Windhorse helped fund the building of a permanent school in the mountain village of Pacayal, which previously was a tin-roofed structure held up by four tree trunks!
the wholesale giftware company with ethics.......
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Social Welfare & Education in Bali
Windhorse has a close working relationship with our supplier in Bali. Since 2005, in an on going programme, we have donated funds to help schools and orphanages in Bali that are in need of equipment and repairs. Help is also provided to pay school fees for children whose parents are unable to pay. Staff of our supplier volunteer to visit schools, orphanages and students´ homes to ensure fund are given where most needed and used as intended. In the last three years funds have been used to pay for school fees and books; to purchase sports equipment such as footballs and badmington equipment; to fix a leaking roof and to donate a much needed computer and printer to a school. In 2007 Windhorse was made aware of the Kupu-Kupu Foundation in Bali. This is a small scale non-profit making organisation who aim to help improve the lives of physically & mentally disabled children, adolescents and adults living in Bali. The Kupu-Kupu Foundation provides wheelchairs (plus lessons how to use them) and transport to its centre in the town of Ubud that double as a school and community centre. There are very few facilities for disabled people in Bali. Some of the main problems facing disabled people are isolation and lack of mobility. With financial help from Windhorse the Kupu-Kupu Foundation has built a second Centre-cum-school in the town of Bangli to reach a wider number of people. Windhorse also funded a mini bus for the new centre which opened in January 2010. To find out more visit their website www.yamp.com/kupukupu/
Windhorse donates £4000 to the Green Tara Trust
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in South Asia with half the population living in poverty. The situation has been compounded by worsening civil conflict with conditions facing women and children in Nepal amongst the worst in the world. 4,500 Nepalese women continue to die each year in childbirth due to lack of medical care. 1 in 13 children die before the age of 5, mainly due to hypothermia, infectious diseases and poor nutrition. In this society, women and girls do not get enough food or medical care because of their gender.
The Green Tara Trust is working to change this. The money Windhorse has given will pay the wages of 3 full-time Nepalese health workers for the next 10 months. They provide care in pregnancy and childbirth for 10,000 people in rural Nepal, working to empower communities to take responsibility for their own care. They are skilled in communicating and promoting health issues and aim to engage the poorest and most marginalised in community programmes. The project has been running for just over 2 years and is already seeing significant changes in attitudes and an improvement in the lives of many women and children.
You can find out more on their website
www.greentaratrust.com
