The Dual Season – Understanding Monsoons

The monsoon season is a dynamic phenomenon that impacts life in many areas of the world. A monsoon is a seasonal change in wind patterns, resulting in extreme wet and dry seasons throughout the course of the year. Though they do exist in parts of North America, they are most commonly associated with nations along the Indian Ocean. It is no surprise then that those in Wayanad, near the Southwestern coast of India, are greatly

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The Story of the Bag (from the perspective of the bag)

Hello!  I take great pride in being one of Profugo’s breathtaking bags!  This creation story is very unique and extremely special.  Read on to learn about how I was created and all the amazing steps that went into making me. My journey first began as fabric, purchased from a small-scale fabric maker.  They have been dying fabrics, like me, in their families/villages for many generations! I’m a fabric from Andhra Pradesh (Kalamkari) known for creating

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Who’s Who in Profugo?

The year is 2008. Jenny and Ashwin Koleth, along with friends, have spent countless hours on the ground and in the office preparing to launch their non-profit. They have seen the devastating effects of powerlessness in many places around the world, and they have decided to spark change. They are hopeful that all the work they have done will pay off, improving the lives of community members in southwestern India. Just a year after they

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Beatrice’s Adventures in India

I will never stop marveling at the remarkable capacity of airplanes to transport one all the way across the world in a matter of hours. I completed the 10,000 mile journey to India over the course of three separate flights – starting in New York and traveling first to Frankfurt, then to Singapore, and finally to Bangalore. It is odd to travel so far through the dimensions of both space and time. The highways here

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A Field Fellow’s Arrival

The feeling before new adventure.  Why isn’t there a word in the English language for this?  Excitement.  Fear.  Happiness.  Nervousness.  Exhaustion.  All muddled together in what a dear friend would describe as “emotional fullness.”  That’s the best phrase I’ve got. I, a rather emotionally-full and extremely bedraggled human, stumbled out of the Bangalore airport at 4:00 am on Thursday, September 19.  I had passed through the trials and tribulations of the 30 hour journey thus

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