Where Mo Goes

My name is Monet and this is my blog about my Whole Foods Market Team Member Volunteer trip to India

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Dressed up in my Saree for one of our Whole Planet Foundation Fundraising events!

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https://www.wholeplanetfoundation.org/prosperity-campaign/

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Thank you for joining our Annual Prosperity Campaign! Your support has a big impact.The average first loan size is $186. During this campaign, we aim to raise 5 million dollars creating 27,000 microloans.  Each loan helps an average of five people as microentrepreneurs invest in their familie

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When we were at Anwesha, we had one translator for almost 100 of us. Despite the language barrier, we bonded with these kids for life. The last day we were there the kids learned how to say "please never forget us" in English. My heart still breaks when I think about it. My group of kids were very sad as I was, that we had to part. I was able to get the translator to tell them if they wrote their names down I would get it tattooed on me, so I would never forget them no matter how old I get to be. 

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Red Cotton String Bracelets – Commonly known as “kalava”, “mauli”, or “rakhi” in India

The red cotton string bracelets are common among several cultures and religions around the world including:  Kabbalah Judaism, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Chinese Legend. In India, these red cotton string bracelets are used for a variety of Hindu rituals and ceremonies. The act of tying one of these red cotton bracelets on another often symbolizes respect, luck, blessings, love, and protection to the wearer. 

During my trip to India, I received many of these bracelets from the different villages we visited, but the best experience of receiving these bracelets came from an orphanage in Agartala, Tripura that we spent a week in painting murals, building a playground, planting a garden, and spending time with the children. During our last morning with the kids, the head house mother of the orphanage tied these cotton bracelets to all of the Whole Foods Market Team Member ambassadors with the following explanation.  **Disclaimer: This is the explanation given to me that was the most powerful to me and is described as I can best remember it.** 

The bracelets we received were dyed with three colors: orange, red, and yellow. Each color is meant to represent a debt we have. Orange is considered the most holy color in the area we were in and therefore orange represents the wearer’s debt to God or gods they believe in for being created and existing in their universe. In order to repay this debt the wearer should be faithful to their God or gods and be a respectful and kind person to others in the universe despite any physical, spiritual, or socioeconomic differences. This debt can also be expressed as a debt to the universe for those who do not believe in a God or gods. Red is meant to represent your debt to your parents for raising you. In order to repay this debt, the wearer should be a good parent to their children and/or a good role model for children in their lives. Finally, yellow represents a debt to your teachers, formal and informal, for teaching you all you know so far. In order to repay this debt the wearer should be a good teacher to those who want to learn. The act of tying the bracelet on another represents not only respect for that person but also that you believe the wearer actively repays these debts the bracelet represents. As a wearer of the bracelet the bracelet is meant to remind you of these debts to continue to repay them as able to. Wearing the bracelet also is meant to bring good luck, blessings, and protection to the wearer.

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Do for the vine #wpfindia #miracleorphans

Vine by Where Mo Goes

I did not get to capture very many videos while I was in India, but I was able to get this gem in Agartala when the Miracle Foundation kids were dancing on the bus when we went out on a field trip. 

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The Revive! Project - Traditional Medicinals

The Revive! Project™ was started in 2009 in six villages in the Jodhpur District of Rajasthan, India. These villages depend on the cultivation of the Senna plant (used in our Smooth Move® tea) for their livelihood. To date, Traditional Medicinals® has invested over $1,000,000 into the Revive! Project. Yet, unlike charity, we view these investments …

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Learn More about Gravis by clicking the link above.

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Team Member Volunteers in Rajasthan.

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What did the team members do Week Three in Rajasthan?

Team member volunteers travelled to Rajasthan  to work with Project Revive! villages. The Revive! Project is a social business partnership focused on reducing poverty through the cultivation of organic agriculture and the empowerment of women. The Revive! Project is implemented by the nonprofits GRAVIS, WomenServe, and the Traditional Medicinals Foundation. The project is supported by Martin Bauer; Umalaxmi, and Traditional Medicinals, Inc. Whole Foods Market is involved with The Revive! Project through its partnership with Traditional Medicinals. Traditional Medicinals provides Whole Foods Market with a selection of medicinal teas which can be found in the tea aisle of any Whole Foods Market. The best selling tea Traditional Medicinals sells at Whole Foods Market is their tea Smooth Move which sources organic Senna as it's main medicinal ingredient. This week team members worked in Project Revive! villages in which Traditional Medicinals sources it's organic Senna. These villages receive resources from Project Revive! such as new schools, women's self help groups, bikes for students to get to school, and taankas (household clean water containment tanks). Team Members this week helped open two schools by planting trees and painting educational murals. Team Members also were able to participate in women’s self help groups and vocational training classes for women in poverty.

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Learn all about Cashpor by following the link above!

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Out in rural Varanasi meeting CASHPOR's micro-credit clients!

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Night time ritual on the Ganges River

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Importance of using the right hand: The left hand is used for wiping after defecation in India and thus so is considered dirty. When eating in India it is customary to use the right hand.

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Why do team members go to Miracle Foundation homes?The Miracle Foundation has been partnered with the Whole Foods Market team member volunteer program since 2011. Team members, or ambassadors as the Miracle Foundation calls them, allow the children in these homes to develop bonding skills as well as open up the children's view of the world. 

Get the details on the Children's home we visited during week one and learn how you can help support The Miracle Foundation's kids, like Bulti (pictured below) by clicking the above link!

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Week One with The Miracle Foundation

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What did the team members do Week One in Agartala?

This week the team members volunteered with The Miracle Foundation. The Miracle Foundation is a nonprofit based out of Austin, Texas that focuses on helping orphans in India by partnering with children's homes to help them meet the rights of a child set by the UN. During this first week the team members were able to paint 22 murals and educational pictures throughout the home they visited as well as plant a garden and build a playground. In addition to this work the team members spent a large amount of time playing and bonding with the orphans of the children's home they visited. They were able to do Art and Crafts, decorate a pandal, and even take a field trip with the kids! Many tears were shed on departure day, but every team member left with a heart full of love and accomplishment!