Here’s the latest version of the Shisha beads that the ladies in the Samunnat Nepal project have been making for California bead dealer, KazuriWest. The ethnic-inspired beads have been very popular in the US market and are now available in new colors. Shisha refers to the tiny mirrors embedded in the clay that echo the exotic mirror-encrusted saris and textiles of Nepal.

The building pictured here was built with money raised by the polymer community. You helped raise enough money to create this permanent home for the project which includes workshop space and room for temporary housing for women in crisis situations.

The three stalls on the left are micro-financed businesses that the women fund as some participants launch out on their own. That’s Ron Lehocky’s gift cow grazing in the yard.

You might enjoy reading about this month’s exciting delivery of a vibrating sander (carried in a suitcase by Australia’s Wendy Moore). This has been an exciting story from the start.

Funds raised by the FIMO50WorldProject will support the project and you have until the end of April to submit your tile and join in the fun!