Kalaguthi and SOFON

OUR OBJECTIVES

KALAGUTHI (Nepal Srijanatmak Kala Guthi) is an agency of SOFON to implement SOFON's training programs in Nepal. It started operating in Nepal in 1977 and was officially registered in 1984. Its objectives are

to assist people to learn creative skills,

to modernize the technology in handicraft design to create artifacts that symbolize the traditional Nepali style without sacrificing its cultural values,

to seek traditional Nepali artists and to create an environment for them to preserve their talent in traditional Nepali art,

to provide scholarships and training to modernize technology,

to develop and promote international exchange of artists and students,

to develop designs to assist other organizations of like interest,

to provide quality assurance through the publication of Nepali handicraft design catalogues, and

to establish a library of creative art collections for the benefit of students and local artists.

SOFON (The Society of Friends of Nepal) is a Canadian registered charity, registered in 1987 in the Province of Alberta, Canada. SOFON's objectives are

to promote skills training to relieve poverty in the underprivileged communities in Nepal;

to increase awareness, within the SOFON constituency, of the problems of underprivileged communities in developing countries;

to administer and operate overseas development programs and projects to develop craft skills within the underprivileged communities of Nepal;

to generate necessary funds to support the Society's activities;

to identify and organize suitable volunteers to participate in the Society's development projects;

to arrange for the technical training in Canada of individuals from host countries for the pursuit of the Society's development projects as required; and

generally, to act as a link between volunteers interested in participating in the development projects, funding agencies, donors and the governments and non-government organizations in host countries where the projects are undertaken.