Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of numerous donors and volunteers who have generously donated their time and funds for the development of Kalaguthi and its projects and programs.
The SOFON’s training programs have been generously supported by the Governments of Canada and the Province of Alberta through their agencies, CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) and WRF (Wild Rose Foundation), respectively, with matching grants. The Alberta Gaming Commission facilitated fund-raising through casinos. We greatly appreciate the contributions of these organizations
We also want to express our gratitude to
- Professor Nasir Ahmed, a master weaver of the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology in Varanasi, for assisting us with Kalaguthi’s textile training program with two/three on-campus visits every year over the last 25 years;
- Dr. Chikkanna and Mr. Rudranna Gowda of the Central Silk Board of India for assessing and assisting us with Klaguthi’s Sericulture program;
- The Government of India for the donation of a silk twisting machine and other assistance;
- Mrs. Jan Hopkins from the Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) organization of U. K. for assistance with Kalaguthi’s textile training program;
- UNDP (United Nations Development Program) for assistance with our post-cocoon training program and for sponsoring Ms. Chandra Thenwwara of Sri Lanka to develop textile in Nepal training 36 volunteers from different parts of Nepal at Kalaguthi; and
- the Government of Nepal, through the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), for approval of Textile and Sericulture curricula and for Kalaguthi’s affiliation with CTEVT.
Finally, we thank the many friends and well-wishers that have continually inspired us.