In 1995, the GreenHeart Foundation funded and initiated textile training for local artisans in six northern villages. In these efforts, the goals were to provide an alternative to sex slavery for young girls, fund bomb removal teams to clear unexploded ordnance from civilian land, and fund much-needed village infrastructure, most prominently facilities for clean drinking water and education.
As we have done in Laos and we hope to expand our mission internationally, our goal will remain the same; utilizing the power of art to transform lives.
The GreenHeart Foundation provided training, initiates new production, and assist in the marketing of textiles from six villages in North Eastern Laos. We are committed to using locally grown natural fibers and dyes and maintaining traditional techniques.
The GreenHeart Foundation also supports community education at all levels, with special emphasis on the preservation of Lao cultural heritage through the textile arts. This enables local women to build sustainable livelihoods in an area plagued by child trafficking and opium production. We also recognize the priority of unexploded
ordnance (UXO) bomb removal, and actively
promote an awareness campaign to promote
safe UXO bomb removal. Along with establishing
teams to safely remove these ordinances. The GreenHeart Foundation has consulted on
many projects including:
USAID (U.S. Agency for International
Development)
Lao America Project
Lao Women’s Union
Consortium/LEAPSS (Lao Economic
Acceleration Program for the Silk Sector)
For nearly 40 years the largest private Buddhist Art Heritage Collection from Bhutan has been stored away and never revealed. This Collection consists primarily of antique Buddhist textiles and
other sacred religious artifacts from Bhutan totaling over 300
items. The GreenHeart Foundation seeks to exhibit, preserve, and study these sacred textile pieces and artifacts, as well as inform
future generations of the importance of its cultural heritage.
Regarding condition and minor repairs to any of the traditional
price senior collections some pieces have been restored and
repaired resulting from minor damage from mice, moths, and
mildew and should not decrease the value of the piece
significantly. The GreenHeart Foundation is developing the means required to Relocate, Inventory, Conserve, and Exhibit (R.I.C.E) the
Bartholomew Collections of rare Bhutanese and Lao textile art. We are the proud caretakers of one of the world’s biggest collections of sacred Bhutanese textile art.