We are pleased to announce that a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the book Nomad Knits - A Collection with Nomadnoos, released in February 2024, have been donated to an NGO that supports nomads in Mongolia.
Nomad Knits is a pattern book in collaboration with Nomadnoos, a yarn manufacturer that produces yarns in an environmentally sustainable cycle. This time, we wanted to support Mongolian nomads who raise sheep and camels, the fiber for yarn, and Coty Jeronimus, the representative of Nomadnoos, introduced us to La Mensa e il gregge, a Swiss NGO, to which we donated.
La Mensa e il gregge was founded in 2004 and has been supporting the families of young nomadic breeders in Mongolia for 20 years. Its main project is renting out herds of sheep and cattle to nomads whose livelihoods are in need. The nomads become more self-reliant and responsible by increasing their herds and using them economically. Once the end of the 3 - 4 year loan period is over, the herds have grown to a substantial number, and the original animals are returned and then loaned to another family. In this way, young families are encouraged to remain on the land of their ancestors and continue the traditional lifestyle that has been handed down for generations. La Mensa e il gregge has assisted about 50 families so far, and eight families are currently participating in the project. At the same time, the NGO also supports education by building elementary schools, kindergartens, and multipurpose cultural centers; offering scholarships to university students; and operating mobile libraries.
For more information on La Mensa e il gregge, please visit their website. The website is in Italian, but you can read it using Google Translate.
For every book sold in 2024, we donated 150 yen, for a total of 196,200 yen (1162.50 Swiss francs). We thank you very much for your contributions. We would like to continue donating in 2025 and look forward to your continued support.