One H.E.A.R.T.
Salt Lake City, UT
Project location: Lhasa, Tibet
$9,400 2008
www.onehearttibet.org

The mission of One H.E.A.R.T. is to save the lives of Tibetan women and children, one birth at a time. The Tibetan society is one of the few in the world where there is no tradition of trained birth attendants.  Poor nutrition, lack of trained health personnel, long travel distances and limited access to emergency care place Tibetan women and infants at high risk of birth-related deaths.

Funding from ABSF is in the form of an interest-free SMI business loan to the women-owned sewing cooperative called "Tibetan Threads."  Tibetan Threads will repay the loan for sewing machines and other equipment by "paying it forward" to poor people in their community by giving away clothing and other materials they produce, as well as donating their labor and providing vocational training to other local women.  All product and service donations will be documented and valued at retail.  Their loan is repaid when they have donated an amount equal to the original grant through in-kind product and service donations. 

The members of this Cooperative are also its owners and share in the profits of the studio.  After the first startup year, the Cooperative will start a training program aimed at Tibetan women who, with their children, are begging on the streets.  A portion of profits from the sale of products will pay these women a small stipend while they are learning to sew, and will also cover childcare and school tuition for their children.