Journey of the bears

If you've been following what's going on at ZUNI SPIRITS in the last few days, then you know that we are collecting Zuni bears (and wolves and mountain lions and ...) for a project that we're calling "THE JOURNEY OF THE BEARS".

Dr. Jeffrey Kottler, the founder of THE MADHAV GHIMIRI FOUNDATION has enlisted our support to gather at least 100 Zuni fetishes to be taken in December to Nepal. THE MADHAV GHIMIRI FOUNDATION was established to help provide educational opportunities for the most neglected children of Nepal, especially young girls from the lowest caste who would otherwise be unable to attend school.

Girls are selected based on financial need, as well as academic potential and performance. It costs just $100 to sponor a child and that provides fees, school uniforms, books, and supplies for one year. Since the founders and administrative staff volunteer their time and expertise, there are few administrative costs and little overhead--90% of all money donated goes directly to the children's education. Dr. Kottler and THE MADHAV GHIMIRI FOUNDATION are now supporting over 60 children in 6 different villages and have plans to increase this number significantly in coming years, expanding the opportunities to many regions of the country.

In December of this year, Dr. Kottler and staff will be returning to Nepal and he wants to share the beauty, spirituality and power of Zuni fetishes with the teaching staff and the scholarship girls. So we've asked you, our family of collectors, to join us in this endeavor. As of this writing (and only since Friday !), we have been promised 54 Zuni fetishes to share with the girls of Nepal. We're hoping for at least 100.

If you've not visited THE MADHAV GHIMIRI FOUNDATION site, we sincerely URGE you to do so. Most of us feel overwhelmed by the need in the world. There are so many who have so little. But here is an easy, affordable way to educate and protect a young girl from what might be a life of utter despair. By keeping young girls in school we lessen their chances at being sold by their families to what may be a life in a brothel.

Then, if you feel like we do, that this is a most worthwhile project, email us and let us know how many Zuni fetishes you're willing to donate. We look forward to hearing from you!