Eastern Vibration
Kathmandu, Nepal
S
M
inging bowls have a long tradition in eastern
healing and wellness. Christine Hays had spent
most of her working life in the spa and wellness
world, but it was repeated visits to the Kingdom
of Nepal that led to the start of Eastern Vibration. The company
sells handmade singing bowls, Tingsha bells and other Nepalese
tribal wares, all made by local artisans with a portion of the profits
helping to support poor Nepalese families.
It was during one of these visits that a chance conversation
with a street child revealed just how difficult life for some women
in Nepal had become: “There are many street children and most
don’t go to school as they are on survival mode, just wanting
food,” says Hays. “One day, I asked a child why he wasn’t in
school, his response: ‘How will I eat if I go to school?’ We ended
up getting close to three particular children and we found their
mothers who were struggling and fending for themselves, sending
the children out into the streets as they couldn’t afford taking care
of them.”
The women who Hays found were making necklaces and
selling them to tourists, making around US$5 to US$10 a day to
feed themselves and their children. In many cases, they were not
making enough to feed their children, hence, the stark choice
many youngsters faced between getting an education and having
enough to eat. It’s a choice that many women throughout the
world face, and many will go hungry in order to give their children
a chance to break out of the cycle of poverty.
Although Hays, along with her son Jahmaal, started Eastern
Vibrations in 2012, it was the 2015 earthquake in Nepal that
really brought the importance of her work home. Even the
dwelling she shared with her son was destroyed by the quake,
leaving them without shelter or food. Hays describes her feelings
at the time she managed to escape to India as “survivor’s guilt,”
something that inspired her to do what she could for those that
she left behind in Nepal. “In the aftermath of the earthquake that
devastated the lives of so many in Nepal, we are looking to
extend the range of products and the families we support.”
Hays also notes that the aftermath of a significant event like
the April 2015 earthquakes in Nepal takes years to heal, but the
media moves on in weeks, even days. One thing that has
remained constant is the support of the spa industry: Ready Care
Industries has contributed enormously by purchasing a significant
amount of necklaces each month since June and has been gifting
them to spa directors in their circuit. Six Senses Spas in Qatar and
Sri Lanka have also been contributing, all of which has made a
significant contribution to Eastern Vibration’s efforts to rebuild a
school destroyed by the quake.
The long-term outcome of the efforts of Hays, her son and
Eastern Vibration will take years to come to fruition. What is
certain is that many Nepalese lives, particularly those of women
and children, will be improved, thanks to the support of the spa
industry.
TOP TIP: “Actions need to be strategic and intentional. Reach out to as many people as you
can through social media, making sure those that you need to contribute know what they
are contributing to.”
40 PULSE
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March/April 2016