Aji's is a social enterprise that empowers elders to live healthy and happy lives by providing a platform to showcase their skills and knowledge.
Aji’s has been featured on South China Morning Post, Yahoo! News, BBC News, The Kathmandu Post, Setopati, and more.
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After a successful knitting and crocheting workshop at Nirmal Batika Academy last year, we organized another workshop this year on February 15, 2020 at Paropakar Orphanage Girls’ Hostel in Bhimsensthan, Kathmandu. Paropakar Organization which manages Paropakar Orphanage Girls’ Hostel is one of Nepal’s earliest NGOs founded by social worker Daya Bir Singh Kansakar.
Read MoreIt’s mid-december and christmas shopping is in full swing. Below are some great suggestions of meaningful and useful gifts that’ll help decorate your home and keep you warm. As with all Aji’s products, these wonderful handmade items are made by home-based elderly makers in Nepal.
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Dhaka Handkerchief by Aji’s Maker Ram Kumari Shrestha
The Nepali Dhaka fabric is most prominently seen in the Dhaka topis (hats) worn by men in Nepal along with their traditional daura surwal attire. The Newari community in Kathmandu has made this versatile fabric their own by wrapping it in a layer of soft muslin cloth and using it to create a variety of different products. Given the long history of this fabric in Nepalese culture, it is no surprise that this is the fabric of choice for many elderly makers of Aji’s community.
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Aji’s makers along with students from Nirmal Batika Academy and Aji’s Co-founder Lorina.
On September 12, 2019 we organized our very first knitting and crocheting workshop at Nirmal Batika Academy in Kathmandu taught by the skillful makers of Aji’s community. We had 74 year old Nina Pathak, 73 year old Sushila Sthapit, 64 year old Ram Oyaru Shrestha, and 58 year old Shakuntala Rana teach 25 girls and boys from grade 7 and 8. This event was made possible by a generous grant we received from IFAD Staff Help Fund for which we are very grateful!
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Participants and instructors showing off the Yomaris they made.
Our elders have a wealth of knowledge to share, particularly the traditional skills which are in danger of being forgotten and lost. As a way to pass on these skills, we here at Aji’s collaborated with #MakerKT to kick off our first of many workshops called Legacy Series. The first one was on Yomari making and took place on 25 August 2019 at Raithaane.
Read MoreA frequent question we get asked by friends visiting Kathmandu is “What unique Nepali gifts or souvenirs can I buy to take home with me?” Please allow us to offer a few suggestions. What makes these gifts unique? They are handcrafted products that are rooted in our history and culture, and you know exactly who made it: home-based elderly makers with incredible life stories.
Read MoreWritten by Aji’s Maker Pragya Shakya
यो गीत एउटा लबस्टोरी को गीत हो | म ११/१२ वर्ष को हुँदा "ख प्याखं" भनेर टोल टोलम़ा मंच बनाएर नाच देखाउने चलन थियो | त्यतिखेरै टिपेको गीत यो हो | यसको रचनाकार को हो मलाई थाहा छैन, यो गीत को सिर्सक के हो पनि मलाई याद छैन | शब्दहरु चाही याद छ | म प्रज्ञा देवी शाक्य हो | म श्रीबहालमा बस्छु |
Read MoreChinese money plant on the left accompanied by the spider plant sitting in a Dori Plant Hanger made by Shiro.
Written by 67 year old Shiro Moktan, maker of Dori Plant Hanger
I have a long and ardent love affair with plants. The excitement and sense of fulfillment on discovering a new leaf or a bud is incomparable. Fill your house with plants and you will never regret it. I am no horticulturist but I am an expert on how plants touch our lives emotionally and spreads overall happiness.
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Live #AskAnAji session with Aji's makers — with Jagat Ratna Tuladhar, 86, Champa Devi Tuladhar, 76, Sushila Sthapit, 73 and Ram Maya Maharjan, 66 at Maitidevi, Kathmandu.
We have received many messages asking how one can involve their parents and grandparents with Aji’s. So we thought we’d lay it out for you in this post.
Read MoreIn the short time that we got to know her, she left a lasting impression on all of us, including Aji’s team members, the journalists that interviewed her, people who bought her Mheecha pouches, and people who got to know her through videos and articles about her.
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Gabriela Rojas stirs the “Common Pot”.
I would like to share a story of a remarkable 103 year old woman. My Aji, mi abuela Gabriela, who just won the latest award of her life. She was recognized as a Golden Colombian, an award given by her city to people who have dedicated their lives to their community’s well being.
Read MoreWritten by Aji’s Maker Shiro Moktan.
What does it mean to be a woman over fifty years years old in Nepal. Does the greying hair and wrinkles on her face mean the beginning of the end of her life or is it the beginning of a new life?
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Shiro Moktan with her granddaughter Tanieshaa Shrestha
Written by Aji’s Maker Shiro Moktan
Change is the only constant in life. Global changes are too big an issue to be talked about. I am affected by what is closer to home. The changes in Nepali women. Women of my time were strong, brave and intelligent. There were struggles to be faced on a day to day basis as there is today. Women were challenged physically, emotionally and psychologically and it is the same today. What changed?
Read MoreOur second #AskAnAji question comes from Lirisha Tuladhar who is pursuing her Bachelors in Public Health. She is currently on a two month WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) training in Gorkha district in Nepal. She asks: “Despite hardships, what motivates you to move forward in life and stay happy? How can the young generation get motivated to stay positive in moving forward in life?”
Read MoreAll over the world modern replacements like processed foods have taken over many traditional recipes that were once an integral part of global cultures. As an attempt to bring back the memories of those forgotten foods and with the hope that they will make their way back to the dining tables, we collected answers from elders around the world to our first #AskAnAji question. The older generation have enjoyed eating and making these cuisines in the past and are now sharing with us the delicious memories and recipes.
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70 year old Aji’s maker Juju Ratna Tamrakar in his terrace workshop. Photo by Keshav Thapa.
Our vision for Aji’s is to empower the elderly by providing a platform to showcase their skills and knowledge. Aji’s enables the elderly to make and sell products through our online store, share their stories and experiences on the Aji’s blog and events, and connect with the younger generation via campaigns such as #AskAnAji.
Read MoreOur first #AskAnAji question comes from Prashanta Khanal, environmentalist and entrepreneur based in Kathmandu. He asks “What are the traditional cuisines/delicacies that they (elderly) ate when they were kids and those are now almost forgotten. How often they used to make momo when they were kids-- or is it the late trend?”
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