July 1, 2025 • 29 mins
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When two seamstress sisters in Nepal decided to use their skills to protect vulnerable girls from trafficking, they sparked a transformative model of empowerment that ripples through communities. In this powerful conversation with Go Global founder Gina Guddatt, we explore how sustainable solutions rooted in local cultures create lasting change for women and children worldwide.
The centerpiece of our discussion is a remarkable sewing school in Kathmandu that recruits at-risk girls from remote villages across Nepal. Girls who might otherwise be sold into trafficking or married off as child brides instead receive comprehensive training in tailoring and business management. Beyond technical skills, they gain independence, dignity, and the means to support themselves and their families. The genius lies in its simplicity – a $120 foot-powered sewing machine becomes a lifetime tool for economic freedom.
We challenge common misconceptions about international aid, revealing why sending money rather than goods creates more impact. When organizations purchase supplies locally, they strengthen regional economies and avoid the pitfalls of shipping costs, customs delays, and cultural mismatch. This principle applies whether supporting projects abroad or in your own community.
Gina's wisdom extends beyond her nonprofit work: "Your joy is not keeping your gift inside you—it's sharing it." She reminds us that true happiness comes from giving back in ways aligned with our unique talents and passions. Whether through time, treasure, or talent, everyone has something valuable to contribute.
Ready to make a difference? Visit goglobalfund.org to learn how you can help provide sewing machines to the next graduating class of young entrepreneurs in Nepal.
Learn more about GoGlobal, the Nepal Project, or donate:
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Fatima Bey (00:04):
This is MindShift Power Podcast, the number one
critically acclaimed podcastwhere we have raw, unfiltered
conversations that shapetomorrow.
I'm your host, fatima Bey, theMindShifter, and welcome
everyone.
Today we have with us GinaGoodett.
(00:26):
She is out of SeattleWashington in the USA and she is
the founder of Go Global.
So how are you doing today,gina Goodett?
Gina Guddat (00:36):
I'm doing great.
Thanks, Fatima, for having me.
Fatima Bey (00:38):
Thank you for coming on.
I've been so excited about thisconversation because you have a
lot to say, so I'd like to diveright into it.
So tell us a little bit aboutyour background.
Gina Guddat (00:50):
Well, my degrees are in psychology.
So I have a master's and abachelor's in psychology, with a
specialist in women'spsychology, but I also have a
degree in nonprofit businessdevelopment, in nonprofit
business development.
So really my passion is givingback and using the gifts and
(01:10):
talents I might have inpsychology or counseling to be
able to do things in theinternational realm.
So, although I do have athriving private practice in
Seattle where I see people 10 to12 hours a day, but in seat or
telehealth, now I also am thedirector of Go Global, like you
mentioned, and so what does GoGlobal do exactly?
(01:34):
Well, we fund existingnonprofits on the ground in
developing countries thatspecifically work with women and
children.
So we're looking forestablished nonprofits that are
run by women whose mission ishelping teenagers, children,
girls in particular, educatingand empowering them and really
(01:59):
in entrepreneurship.
So there's lots of levels thatwe look at as far as survival
and having enough provisions tolive but also thrive, which is
building a healthy future forthem.
So we've done several thingsacross the world, but we're
focused right now in Nepal.
Fatima Bey (02:20):
Okay, so you're focused in Nepal.
What are some of the othercountries that you're in?
Gina Guddat (02:26):
Nepal.
Okay, so you're focused inNepal.
What are some of the othercountries that you're in?
Oh gosh, we've done things inVietnam, cambodia, laos, kenya,
nigeria.
We've done things, a lot ofthings, in India and the red
light district there.
As far as the victims of humantrafficking and sex trafficking,
I've been in Nicaragua, I'vebeen in Guatemala, I've been in
El Salvador, I've been inKyrgyzstan, of all places.
(02:47):
So I think, just a widespectrum of projects where we
can always see women are prettymuch the stability of the
community there, like the womenare the glue and they're raising
up the next generation withtheir kids to make a better
community, and that's what I'minterested in.
Fatima Bey (03:06):
I absolutely, absolutely love every ounce of
that and it really just speaksto my heart.
So give us an example of let'sgo back to Nepal.
Give us an example of one ofthe projects that you fund.
Gina Guddat (03:24):
The project that we're really excited right now,
and I think it's because it'sduplicatable or you could
replicate.
It is a sewing school, and Idiscovered this sewing school
many years ago and went to visitit and was so impressed because
it was started by two sisters,two women who were seamstresses,
(03:44):
who had been taught by theirmother and their grandmother and
they wanted to pass on thisskill to other women.
And it's one of the few thingsthat you can do as a female,
right, like all females do thedomestic work.
Of course, they're the onesthat take care of the children,
the babies, the elderly you knowthe sick and women are, like I
said, sort of the children, thebabies, the elderly you know the
(04:05):
sick and women are, like I said, sort of the glue of the world.
But there's a few things thatyou can do and it's respectable
as far as bringing revenue intoyour family, and sewing,
tailoring, is one of thosethings.
So they had had this skill andthey hatched a plan that they
didn't just want to teach anyonethe skill of sewing.
(04:29):
They wanted to help the victimsof trafficking, or you'd say
the most vulnerable girls thatcould be sold by their fathers,
and give them a skill to keepthem valuable and marriageable,
actually, and so that theywouldn't end up in one of the
(04:49):
hands of the traffickers.
And so, if you can kind ofpicture, not just in Nepal but
all over the world, in manyareas in the world, there's too
many mouths to feed, right, andso if you're the father and you
have a lot of kids, then at somepoint you'll have to offload
some of them so you don't haveto provide for them, and maybe
(05:09):
that's getting them a husband.
And you know, you've probablyheard that we're trying at the
United Nations, which is one ofmy side gigs that I do as a
consultant, to try to outlawchild bride across the world,
and that would be not marryingoff kids, right, and so.
But you know, as soon as you'remenstruating as a, as a, as a
(05:31):
kid, and you got your period,then you, you know, you can go
out and have babies of your own.
So that might be 14, that mightbe 13.
Some countries are even um,having kids married at age eight
.
But at any rate, the fatherswant these kids to go and find
another man that can take careof them, right, so that the
father doesn't have anothermouth to feed, and sometimes,
(05:52):
unfortunately, they go to menthat are older than their
grandfathers could be, you know,just in order to have someone
that they say could take care ofthem.
But if they have a skill,something like sewing, then
they're more marketable and theycan actually be single, and
they can be single businesswomen and take care of
themselves and also send moneyback to that father and that
(06:15):
family to help with the youngerchildren.
The things that I am passionateabout is working to stop human
trafficking and sex trafficking.
We also know that these fathers, some knowingly, some
unknowingly, do sell theirdaughters to a trafficker and
usually they think it's becausethey're going to be doing
(06:35):
domestic work, like they'regoing to be a maid, a
housekeeper, a nanny orsomething like that, but
oftentimes they end up in abrothel in the Red Light
district.
So back to the story of the twosisters that started the sewing
school in Kathmandu, nepal.
They put feelers out in all ofthe regions and it's kind of
like counties when you think ofa state into all the counties or
(07:00):
regions of Nepal and startedasking the leaders which girls
are vulnerable, which girls arekind of on the chopping block to
be sold or come from familiesthat are poor, that might be
vulnerable, right.
And they worked with theleaders, they worked with sort
(07:21):
of the midwives, they workedwith the pastors, the ministers,
like anyone who sort of knewthe ins and outs of the
households in each village, andthey committed to sort of like
recruiting a couple girls fromeach region every four months to
come into this makeshift sewingschool at first.
(07:44):
I mean now that it's been goingfor 15 years, um, it's really
quite, quite an industry.
But, um, back then they couldtake, just you know, eight to 10
girls.
Now we still try to keep it to10 to 12 girls and they come in
for four months and they learneverything from measuring to
(08:06):
sewing, to making patterns, topicking out fabric and thread
and all of that.
But in recruiting these girlsthey also had to pay the bus
tickets, right, because think ofsome of the villages were up in
the mountains and some were wayfar to the other side of the
country, of Nepal.
So they had to send a busticket, they had to get
(08:26):
permission from the fathers,they basically brought these
girls in and they housed themfor four months.
Now, if you've ever seen homesin this area in Nepal, india is
the same.
They just kind of build themupward.
So when you start out and youcan afford a house, you might
have one floor and then, as youstart to become more successful
(08:48):
with your crops or youragriculture you're selling your
goods in the market then you canbuild the next floor on top of
that and then the next floor,and then so you'll always see
houses that look undone right,with rebar sticking out the top.
Well, these two sisters gothelp from their brothers and the
community and their uncles andthey put another floor on and
(09:10):
they decided that they wouldhave one floor for themselves
and one floor for the students.
And then, over time, they madeanother floor for a bunkhouse so
that they could create thesewing machine classroom on one
floor.
And then the next floor up wasthe bedding and the next floor
up was going to be, you know,the kitchen.
(09:30):
And then, you know, finallythere's and I've seen it grow
over time, but in the beginningit was very uh, makeshift, you
know you could say, but they didit and they started training
these girls to make the nativecustomary clothes that people
really needed, and not somethingjust for, you know, the tourist
(09:53):
or some kind of little trinketthat you see in airports, you
know, to take home for asouvenir.
These were things that peoplereally needed to buy, and then,
in sending them back to thevillages, and then in sending
them back to the villages, wow,their reputation went up and
suddenly they were esteemed.
And this young she could be 15years old is now able to make
(10:17):
clothes and tailor clothes andfix people's clothes and patch
things, and so we saw this as aas a very successful model.
Right Is, we could keep doingthis and find a way to help this
sewing school, which, inessence, is a rescue center?
Yeah, then we could make a hugeimpact, because then these
girls will then train theirdaughters.
Fatima Bey (10:38):
I I wow, I absolutely love the fact that
these, these two women, decidedto do something from where they
were and that's the most any ofus can do is to do what we can
from where we are and theydecided that they're going to
build the people around them ina business, one at a time.
(10:59):
You can't bring everybody, butyou can do something, and I
think that is a mindset and aprinciple that a lot of us need
to live by, and so so GoogleGlobal funds them right now,
correct?
Gina Guddat (11:15):
Yes, exactly.
So you know money here doesn'tgo very far.
Money in Nepal goes a long way.
So you have to realize that theaverage monthly income in Nepal
for a family is $600 a monthfor a whole family.
(11:35):
So you know, most people arebelow the poverty line, as we
would see them, and are reallystruggling and are dependent on
their own little garden to feedtheir family and whatever it is
that they can sell in the market.
So having someone trained up asa tailor, seamstress, that
monthly income is going to gosky high in their eyes, right.
(12:01):
So when I got ahold of thisproject and I saw how these two
sisters were basicallysacrificing their own home to
house these strangers, inessence, and also it was kind of
risky because their traffickersare out to get some of these
girls because that's their lineof business, right.
So we don't advertise it, wedon't have an address on this
(12:23):
building, we don't tell peopleexactly where it's at, but I saw
that there could be a need fora further expansion of providing
each girl with a sewing machine.
So, as it was, when I saw thisschool, the sewing floor of the
house was set up very nicely,with a board at the front, an
(12:45):
old chalkboard and everybody hada station.
But I thought how about if,when these girls graduate, they
get to take the sewing machinewith them?
Right, because they would goback, they would know how to sew
, but they'd be helping someoneelse or they'd be doing hand
(13:05):
type sewing.
If they were part of a big city,in downtown Kathmandu, they
might end up working for one ofthose big factories just putting
a zipper in, a thousand zippersin every day the same task,
which is how factory work is.
You might get a dime a day fordoing that.
But how about if they couldhave a sewing machine and
actually set up a shop and havepasser buyers come and drop off
(13:29):
things they needed to haverepaired or fixed, or that they
could commission something theyneeded to have sewn for a
celebration or anything likethat?
So that is kind of what westarted doing.
Is how about if each girlactually got a sewing machine
and we we surprised them.
They don't know this, they,they, they're really like
(13:51):
working so hard for four monthsto graduate and get this
certificate which to them it'slike a college degree you know,
for them it's they don't haveeducation, so they make a very
nice certificate.
We get them any rate.
They're super surprised to getthe sewing machine and get back
on the bus and the long two dayjourney home or whatever it's
going to be to start up shop.
So we've added components onhow to run a business, how to
(14:14):
purchase fabrics, what kind ofscissors that you need, yes, and
so really expanded the abilityfor them to succeed as business.
Fatima Bey (14:24):
So this is so, oh, my God, so awesome.
So you're not only not only arethey taking girls out of, out of
less than desirable situations,bad situations, but teaching
them an employable trade, butgoing a step beyond that and
teaching them entrepreneurship,because that, to me, is where
the gems are.
That is where the gems are,that is what can make the
(14:48):
biggest difference in theirlives.
Taking people out of badsituations is beautiful.
It's one thing, but it'sanother thing to teach them how
to be sufficient and prosper forthemselves where they are and
not trying to Americanize them,which is, unfortunately, what
some American organizations dois try to Americanize them or
(15:10):
have them do things that areWestern.
They don't live in Westerncivilization.
They live where they are, and Ibelieve that people should
prosper where they are, and weshould teach them and help them
to do that where they are nottrying to make them to be like
us and in everything you'reexplaining I hear that and so Go
Global helps to fund all ofthat.
(15:31):
You're a part of making thathappen, and that is key.
So let me ask you this question, because this is something
people tend not to think ofenough.
As you're helping them wouldwell wishes and your good,
well-mannered, well-intentionedheart would that buy sewing
machines.
Gina Guddat (15:55):
No Hopes and dreams , do not get it done.
As you have said before on yourshow, it might motivate you but
it doesn't get it done.
So sewing machines in Nepalcannot be dependent on
electricity.
So, yes, it takes real funds to, in this example, this project.
(16:29):
Buy sewing machines, but theyhave to be the kind of sewing
machines that are purchased inthe region, that are the treadle
kind that you power with yourfeet and I don't know if anyone
even knows this anymore.
My grandmother had one of thesekind of sewing machines, but
you literally use your feet topaddle it and that makes the
(16:50):
needle go up and down.
And we buy those.
They buy those from themanufacturer from that region
who delivers those and installsthem for $120 a piece.
Oh wow, are you serious?
That is cheap, it is so cheap.
Fatima Bey (17:11):
I know.
I know how much they reallycost as a seat dress.
That's a drop in the bucket.
Gina Guddat (17:15):
And they'll say, well, we'll donate you a sewing
machine.
Fatima Bey (17:18):
I said no, don't do that because the cost of me I
was just going to ask you thatit's going to far outweigh the
benefit and they don't know howto use them.
Gina Guddat (17:26):
And there's no electricity and you know so we
try to use the local economy um,together with a project so that
everyone's benefiting.
So the manufacturer of thesewing machines, the delivery
people that set up the sewingmachines you know all of that is
purchased within that region.
(17:47):
And the fabrics you know peoplehave tried to donate fabrics
from like quilting clubs, fromtheir church.
No, thank you.
They need to buy the fabricsfrom the region because it helps
to fund those textile makersthat are right in that area.
So, yes, it does take realmoney, not just hopes and dreams
.
It was a great idea, it washatched on the ground with a
(18:11):
real need and it's sustainable.
And so $120 buys one machineand we have, you know, 10 to 12
girls every four months.
And that is such a reasonableask from funders, from anyone
that wants to help, from anyonethat wants to raise money in
(18:32):
their school to buy one sewingmachine for one girl.
That could pass this on, by theway, to hundreds of other
people.
Yes, yes, right.
And these sewing machines arenot like today's sewing machines
, where people, you know they,get tired of one electronic and
they throw it in the dump andthey get the next best, greatest
thing that's shiny.
Oh no, they'll have that sewingmachine for their life and
they'll probably pass it on totheir grandkids, it'll probably
(18:53):
still work.
Fatima Bey (18:54):
I want to go back to what I said earlier, because
you literally just gave me aperfect example of the, the
point that I want to drive home.
As an American, we think, ohwell, I have fabric, I have
thread, I have all these sewingsupplies.
Why don't I just set, send themto her so she can ship them
(19:15):
overseas?
That's the.
That's a prime, detailedexample of the American mindset.
I'm talking about Um sendingstuff over, and I know this
because I have.
I know this because I havelooked at sending stuff over uh
to other countries as well asfar as sewing supplies and come
to realize I'm better off givingthe money because then they can
(19:38):
buy it locally oh yes, peopledon't understand when you ship
stuff to just about, and itdoesn't matter what country it
is.
If you ship stuff to just aboutanywhere in the world, it's a
bajillion dollars and that costsmore.
And not only that, but let mealso explain this to the
audience, and I know you knowthis already when we decide that
we want to ship somethingoverseas, with our good hearts
(20:00):
and good intentions, you have noguarantee it's going to make
there.
A lot of these mail services inthese other countries are
corrupt as hell and they have noguarantee he's going to make
there.
A lot of these mail services inthese other countries are
corrupt as hell and they takewhat you send and keep it.
This is why money is actuallybetter, and this is not just
about Gina's organization.
If you're going to donate toany organization, especially if
(20:20):
it's overseas, I strongly urgethat you actually give them
money instead, because then theycan buy it in their local
economy.
They have control of it.
Nobody can take it out of theirhands at the airport or at the
shipping dock or wherever it isfor that country.
Gina Guddat (20:38):
These are things that really happen, Right, Gina?
Yes, I can speak to it.
Just recently I was in Indiaand this is another show, Fatima
but I was delivering thousandsand thousands of condoms in the
red light district, At any rate.
I was shocked because someonein the States wanted to set up a
(20:59):
library for this area ofdisadvantaged women so that they
could have some resources andbooks.
And they sent it in those bigcontainer shipping boxes, I
guess, and they were on a shipin the harbor in India for five
(21:20):
years.
What?
Because the customs would notlet those books into the country
because they thought, I believe, that they could make, like
what you said, make money off it.
And just the tariffs andeverything else alone it wasn't
a donation the shipping cost ofthose books, the sitting in the
(21:42):
harbor for five years probablythey're going to get sold off
anyway and the tariffs that thenonprofit that wanted to have
the library books wouldn't havebeen able to cover that anyway,
Right?
And so it was a really, reallybad idea.
And then I asked them and let'sjust not forget the fact that
these books are probably writtenin- English.
Fatima Bey (21:59):
Good point, gina.
Another.
Another point of I want to andthis is not just about Americans
.
Sometimes we want to westernizeother people's cultures and you
know we think as Americans, wethink like Americans, so we
think everywhere else is likeAmerica, when in fact almost
nowhere else in the world islike America.
And you know there'ssimilarities in other places,
(22:21):
like England or Germany, butthey're still just very
different.
And I just want to make surepeople understand.
For those of you listening, youmay be well intended, you might
want to send stuff over, butyou're better off and it'll be
(22:42):
less waste if you send money,because then that money can
purchase.
And I strongly agree with, asyou said, promoting the local
economy.
We're always saying in thiscountry, buy local, buy local.
Well, they should buy local tooin Nepal or in China or in
Guatemala or Kenya name acountry.
(23:04):
You know they should buy itright.
Gina Guddat (23:07):
Exactly, and you know the fact, with the money
too is what I like about the waywe all set up Go Global my
board and I and my daughters youknow I have four daughters, so
they're all involved innonprofit work as well is that
anyone that makes a donationgets a tax write-off because
it's a United States nonprofit,it's a 501c3.
(23:29):
However, I can then turn aroundand, in very specific legal
ways, get that money into thehands of the two sisters and the
sewing school, where they canthen, in their currency, have
full power to purchase thosesewing machines and what they
(23:51):
need in the sewing school, andso I feel like it's a win-win on
both sides.
Fatima Bey (23:54):
I love that so, so, so much, and you know I'm a
seamstress so I got to.
You know that's my wheelhouseis sewing, and I love the fact
that these girls are learning atrade that's going to help them
to prosper and not just survive,and that's what everybody
should have, or at least get tothat point.
(24:14):
So, gina, I want to ask you forall the youth out there who are
listening right now all overthe world, what advice do you
have for them?
Gina Guddat (24:27):
all over the world.
What advice do you have forthem?
Wow, I, my advice is use yourinterests, use your talents, use
your gifts, use what comesnaturally to you, use what's on
your DNA to further the good inthe world by giving back.
And I don't know what that is.
(24:47):
You know what that is,everybody knows what that is,
but something will resonate withyou and what I found in my life
and also working with mypatients, is that happiness,
true happiness, really alwayscomes from giving back, and it
doesn't matter how much you haveor how little you have.
(25:08):
It could be time, treasure ortalents.
And I always tell people youknow there's one of those three
things.
You know you either have time,you either have a talent, or you
maybe you have a littletreasure, but in one way or
another, there's going to be aproject for you and you may
start your own nonprofit someday.
(25:29):
You might start out mentoring,you might be volunteering right
now somewhere local, and you cando local, you can do state, you
can do national or you can dointernational work Right, but
always, and I taught all of mykids that are now in their mid
thirties, and I taught all of mykids that are now in their mid
thirties.
Your joy is not keeping yourgift inside of you.
(25:50):
It's, it's sharing it.
It's getting it out there, right.
So, uh, that's my best advice.
Fatima Bey (25:56):
I literally just posted, uh published a blog this
morning about the gems insideus.
That's too funny.
I literally just did.
So how can people help you, howcan listeners help you?
Gina Guddat (26:12):
yes, if they would like to help specifically with
the sewing school, um, you cango on our website, it's
goglobalfundorg, and um sureFatima will post it and you can
donate any amount that you wanttowards the sewing school and a
sewing machine.
(26:33):
And I have people do $5 andthat's great, and so if you want
to help directly and you wantone sewing machine to go to one
girl, we have a graduating classthat's going to need sewing
machines here, I think the endof August, and then we'll have
another one again around theholiday time.
So it's it's a revolving.
You know, once these girlsgraduate, then another 12, we're
(26:55):
going to come right on in.
They've got a waiting list.
We know who the vulnerable are.
We know who the willing heartsare that really want to be part
of the program.
It's starting to get outactually, where women and girls
are starting to learn.
Oh, my goodness, there's thisplace way over in the other side
of the country.
I want to go.
So if you want to sponsor asponsor a student, you, you
(27:17):
definitely can by going onto ourwebsite.
Fatima Bey (27:20):
Well, gina, I want to talk to you for about 17 more
hours, but neither one of uscan do that right now.
I absolutely love you andtotally believe in what you're
doing.
You're doing a lot of what Iwant to do in the world and I
really admire you for doing it.
I know it's not easy.
We only see the front facingpart that we're talking to right
(27:41):
now, but I know behind thescenes there's a lot of work
that goes into what you do and alot of blood, sweat and tears
that goes into creating it.
So for, on behalf of all theyoung women in the world that
you help, thank you, thanks forhaving me.
And now for a mind shiftingmoment.
(28:05):
I want to point out something toyou that is an overarching
principle that I really want tomake sure you understand.
While Go Global does a lot ofthings that I absolutely love
and respect, do you have localpeople or groups, organizations,
that are also making adifference for the next
generation, that are also makinga difference for the next
(28:26):
generation when it comes tooverseas?
Yes, money is the absolute bestway you can give, aside from
going over and volunteering yourtime and services.
If that's not possible for you,$5 is Give something for the
people who are doing the work,but beyond that, are there other
(28:49):
ways that you can give.
Who's making a difference inyour state, in your providence,
in your neighborhood, in yourtown, in your village, in your
area?
Who's making a difference there?
I bet they could use yoursupport and for them they might
not need money.
For them, they might need youto volunteer, they might need
(29:13):
your time.
Money can buy a lot of things,but some things money can't buy.
So I want you to think abouthow you can make a difference in
the world by making adifference around you.
A difference in the world bymaking a difference around you.
(29:34):
You've been listening toMindShift Power Podcast For
complete show notes on thisepisode and to join our global
movement, find us atFatimaBaycom.
Until next time, alwaysremember there's power in
shifting your thinking.
This is MindShift Power Podcast, the number one
critically acclaimed podcastwhere we have raw, unfiltered
conversations that shapetomorrow.
I'm your host, fatima Bey, theMindShifter, and welcome
everyone.
Today we have with us GinaGoodett.
(00:26):
She is out of SeattleWashington in the USA and she is
the founder of Go Global.
So how are you doing today,gina Goodett?
Gina Guddat (00:36):
I'm doing great.
Thanks, Fatima, for having me.
Fatima Bey (00:38):
Thank you for coming on.
I've been so excited about thisconversation because you have a
lot to say, so I'd like to diveright into it.
So tell us a little bit aboutyour background.
Gina Guddat (00:50):
Well, my degrees are in psychology.
So I have a master's and abachelor's in psychology, with a
specialist in women'spsychology, but I also have a
degree in nonprofit businessdevelopment, in nonprofit
business development.
So really my passion is givingback and using the gifts and
(01:10):
talents I might have inpsychology or counseling to be
able to do things in theinternational realm.
So, although I do have athriving private practice in
Seattle where I see people 10 to12 hours a day, but in seat or
telehealth, now I also am thedirector of Go Global, like you
mentioned, and so what does GoGlobal do exactly?
(01:34):
Well, we fund existingnonprofits on the ground in
developing countries thatspecifically work with women and
children.
So we're looking forestablished nonprofits that are
run by women whose mission ishelping teenagers, children,
girls in particular, educatingand empowering them and really
(01:59):
in entrepreneurship.
So there's lots of levels thatwe look at as far as survival
and having enough provisions tolive but also thrive, which is
building a healthy future forthem.
So we've done several thingsacross the world, but we're
focused right now in Nepal.
Fatima Bey (02:20):
Okay, so you're focused in Nepal.
What are some of the othercountries that you're in?
Gina Guddat (02:26):
Nepal.
Okay, so you're focused inNepal.
What are some of the othercountries that you're in?
Oh gosh, we've done things inVietnam, cambodia, laos, kenya,
nigeria.
We've done things, a lot ofthings, in India and the red
light district there.
As far as the victims of humantrafficking and sex trafficking,
I've been in Nicaragua, I'vebeen in Guatemala, I've been in
El Salvador, I've been inKyrgyzstan, of all places.
(02:47):
So I think, just a widespectrum of projects where we
can always see women are prettymuch the stability of the
community there, like the womenare the glue and they're raising
up the next generation withtheir kids to make a better
community, and that's what I'minterested in.
Fatima Bey (03:06):
I absolutely, absolutely love every ounce of
that and it really just speaksto my heart.
So give us an example of let'sgo back to Nepal.
Give us an example of one ofthe projects that you fund.
Gina Guddat (03:24):
The project that we're really excited right now,
and I think it's because it'sduplicatable or you could
replicate.
It is a sewing school, and Idiscovered this sewing school
many years ago and went to visitit and was so impressed because
it was started by two sisters,two women who were seamstresses,
(03:44):
who had been taught by theirmother and their grandmother and
they wanted to pass on thisskill to other women.
And it's one of the few thingsthat you can do as a female,
right, like all females do thedomestic work.
Of course, they're the onesthat take care of the children,
the babies, the elderly you knowthe sick and women are, like I
said, sort of the children, thebabies, the elderly you know the
(04:05):
sick and women are, like I said, sort of the glue of the world.
But there's a few things thatyou can do and it's respectable
as far as bringing revenue intoyour family, and sewing,
tailoring, is one of thosethings.
So they had had this skill andthey hatched a plan that they
didn't just want to teach anyonethe skill of sewing.
(04:29):
They wanted to help the victimsof trafficking, or you'd say
the most vulnerable girls thatcould be sold by their fathers,
and give them a skill to keepthem valuable and marriageable,
actually, and so that theywouldn't end up in one of the
(04:49):
hands of the traffickers.
And so, if you can kind ofpicture, not just in Nepal but
all over the world, in manyareas in the world, there's too
many mouths to feed, right, andso if you're the father and you
have a lot of kids, then at somepoint you'll have to offload
some of them so you don't haveto provide for them, and maybe
(05:09):
that's getting them a husband.
And you know, you've probablyheard that we're trying at the
United Nations, which is one ofmy side gigs that I do as a
consultant, to try to outlawchild bride across the world,
and that would be not marryingoff kids, right, and so.
But you know, as soon as you'remenstruating as a, as a, as a
(05:31):
kid, and you got your period,then you, you know, you can go
out and have babies of your own.
So that might be 14, that mightbe 13.
Some countries are even um,having kids married at age eight
.
But at any rate, the fatherswant these kids to go and find
another man that can take careof them, right, so that the
father doesn't have anothermouth to feed, and sometimes,
(05:52):
unfortunately, they go to menthat are older than their
grandfathers could be, you know,just in order to have someone
that they say could take care ofthem.
But if they have a skill,something like sewing, then
they're more marketable and theycan actually be single, and
they can be single businesswomen and take care of
themselves and also send moneyback to that father and that
(06:15):
family to help with the youngerchildren.
The things that I am passionateabout is working to stop human
trafficking and sex trafficking.
We also know that these fathers, some knowingly, some
unknowingly, do sell theirdaughters to a trafficker and
usually they think it's becausethey're going to be doing
(06:35):
domestic work, like they'regoing to be a maid, a
housekeeper, a nanny orsomething like that, but
oftentimes they end up in abrothel in the Red Light
district.
So back to the story of the twosisters that started the sewing
school in Kathmandu, nepal.
They put feelers out in all ofthe regions and it's kind of
like counties when you think ofa state into all the counties or
(07:00):
regions of Nepal and startedasking the leaders which girls
are vulnerable, which girls arekind of on the chopping block to
be sold or come from familiesthat are poor, that might be
vulnerable, right.
And they worked with theleaders, they worked with sort
(07:21):
of the midwives, they workedwith the pastors, the ministers,
like anyone who sort of knewthe ins and outs of the
households in each village, andthey committed to sort of like
recruiting a couple girls fromeach region every four months to
come into this makeshift sewingschool at first.
(07:44):
I mean now that it's been goingfor 15 years, um, it's really
quite, quite an industry.
But, um, back then they couldtake, just you know, eight to 10
girls.
Now we still try to keep it to10 to 12 girls and they come in
for four months and they learneverything from measuring to
(08:06):
sewing, to making patterns, topicking out fabric and thread
and all of that.
But in recruiting these girlsthey also had to pay the bus
tickets, right, because think ofsome of the villages were up in
the mountains and some were wayfar to the other side of the
country, of Nepal.
So they had to send a busticket, they had to get
(08:26):
permission from the fathers,they basically brought these
girls in and they housed themfor four months.
Now, if you've ever seen homesin this area in Nepal, india is
the same.
They just kind of build themupward.
So when you start out and youcan afford a house, you might
have one floor and then, as youstart to become more successful
(08:48):
with your crops or youragriculture you're selling your
goods in the market then you canbuild the next floor on top of
that and then the next floor,and then so you'll always see
houses that look undone right,with rebar sticking out the top.
Well, these two sisters gothelp from their brothers and the
community and their uncles andthey put another floor on and
(09:10):
they decided that they wouldhave one floor for themselves
and one floor for the students.
And then, over time, they madeanother floor for a bunkhouse so
that they could create thesewing machine classroom on one
floor.
And then the next floor up wasthe bedding and the next floor
up was going to be, you know,the kitchen.
(09:30):
And then, you know, finallythere's and I've seen it grow
over time, but in the beginningit was very uh, makeshift, you
know you could say, but they didit and they started training
these girls to make the nativecustomary clothes that people
really needed, and not somethingjust for, you know, the tourist
(09:53):
or some kind of little trinketthat you see in airports, you
know, to take home for asouvenir.
These were things that peoplereally needed to buy, and then,
in sending them back to thevillages, and then in sending
them back to the villages, wow,their reputation went up and
suddenly they were esteemed.
And this young she could be 15years old is now able to make
(10:17):
clothes and tailor clothes andfix people's clothes and patch
things, and so we saw this as aas a very successful model.
Right Is, we could keep doingthis and find a way to help this
sewing school, which, inessence, is a rescue center?
Yeah, then we could make a hugeimpact, because then these
girls will then train theirdaughters.
Fatima Bey (10:38):
I I wow, I absolutely love the fact that
these, these two women, decidedto do something from where they
were and that's the most any ofus can do is to do what we can
from where we are and theydecided that they're going to
build the people around them ina business, one at a time.
(10:59):
You can't bring everybody, butyou can do something, and I
think that is a mindset and aprinciple that a lot of us need
to live by, and so so GoogleGlobal funds them right now,
correct?
Gina Guddat (11:15):
Yes, exactly.
So you know money here doesn'tgo very far.
Money in Nepal goes a long way.
So you have to realize that theaverage monthly income in Nepal
for a family is $600 a monthfor a whole family.
(11:35):
So you know, most people arebelow the poverty line, as we
would see them, and are reallystruggling and are dependent on
their own little garden to feedtheir family and whatever it is
that they can sell in the market.
So having someone trained up asa tailor, seamstress, that
monthly income is going to gosky high in their eyes, right.
(12:01):
So when I got ahold of thisproject and I saw how these two
sisters were basicallysacrificing their own home to
house these strangers, inessence, and also it was kind of
risky because their traffickersare out to get some of these
girls because that's their lineof business, right.
So we don't advertise it, wedon't have an address on this
(12:23):
building, we don't tell peopleexactly where it's at, but I saw
that there could be a need fora further expansion of providing
each girl with a sewing machine.
So, as it was, when I saw thisschool, the sewing floor of the
house was set up very nicely,with a board at the front, an
(12:45):
old chalkboard and everybody hada station.
But I thought how about if,when these girls graduate, they
get to take the sewing machinewith them?
Right, because they would goback, they would know how to sew
, but they'd be helping someoneelse or they'd be doing hand
(13:05):
type sewing.
If they were part of a big city,in downtown Kathmandu, they
might end up working for one ofthose big factories just putting
a zipper in, a thousand zippersin every day the same task,
which is how factory work is.
You might get a dime a day fordoing that.
But how about if they couldhave a sewing machine and
actually set up a shop and havepasser buyers come and drop off
(13:29):
things they needed to haverepaired or fixed, or that they
could commission something theyneeded to have sewn for a
celebration or anything likethat?
So that is kind of what westarted doing.
Is how about if each girlactually got a sewing machine
and we we surprised them.
They don't know this, they,they, they're really like
(13:51):
working so hard for four monthsto graduate and get this
certificate which to them it'slike a college degree you know,
for them it's they don't haveeducation, so they make a very
nice certificate.
We get them any rate.
They're super surprised to getthe sewing machine and get back
on the bus and the long two dayjourney home or whatever it's
going to be to start up shop.
So we've added components onhow to run a business, how to
(14:14):
purchase fabrics, what kind ofscissors that you need, yes, and
so really expanded the abilityfor them to succeed as business.
Fatima Bey (14:24):
So this is so, oh, my God, so awesome.
So you're not only not only arethey taking girls out of, out of
less than desirable situations,bad situations, but teaching
them an employable trade, butgoing a step beyond that and
teaching them entrepreneurship,because that, to me, is where
the gems are.
That is where the gems are,that is what can make the
(14:48):
biggest difference in theirlives.
Taking people out of badsituations is beautiful.
It's one thing, but it'sanother thing to teach them how
to be sufficient and prosper forthemselves where they are and
not trying to Americanize them,which is, unfortunately, what
some American organizations dois try to Americanize them or
(15:10):
have them do things that areWestern.
They don't live in Westerncivilization.
They live where they are, and Ibelieve that people should
prosper where they are, and weshould teach them and help them
to do that where they are nottrying to make them to be like
us and in everything you'reexplaining I hear that and so Go
Global helps to fund all ofthat.
(15:31):
You're a part of making thathappen, and that is key.
So let me ask you this question, because this is something
people tend not to think ofenough.
As you're helping them wouldwell wishes and your good,
well-mannered, well-intentionedheart would that buy sewing
machines.
Gina Guddat (15:55):
No Hopes and dreams , do not get it done.
As you have said before on yourshow, it might motivate you but
it doesn't get it done.
So sewing machines in Nepalcannot be dependent on
electricity.
So, yes, it takes real funds to, in this example, this project.
(16:29):
Buy sewing machines, but theyhave to be the kind of sewing
machines that are purchased inthe region, that are the treadle
kind that you power with yourfeet and I don't know if anyone
even knows this anymore.
My grandmother had one of thesekind of sewing machines, but
you literally use your feet topaddle it and that makes the
(16:50):
needle go up and down.
And we buy those.
They buy those from themanufacturer from that region
who delivers those and installsthem for $120 a piece.
Oh wow, are you serious?
That is cheap, it is so cheap.
Fatima Bey (17:11):
I know.
I know how much they reallycost as a seat dress.
That's a drop in the bucket.
Gina Guddat (17:15):
And they'll say, well, we'll donate you a sewing
machine.
Fatima Bey (17:18):
I said no, don't do that because the cost of me I
was just going to ask you thatit's going to far outweigh the
benefit and they don't know howto use them.
Gina Guddat (17:26):
And there's no electricity and you know so we
try to use the local economy um,together with a project so that
everyone's benefiting.
So the manufacturer of thesewing machines, the delivery
people that set up the sewingmachines you know all of that is
purchased within that region.
(17:47):
And the fabrics you know peoplehave tried to donate fabrics
from like quilting clubs, fromtheir church.
No, thank you.
They need to buy the fabricsfrom the region because it helps
to fund those textile makersthat are right in that area.
So, yes, it does take realmoney, not just hopes and dreams
.
It was a great idea, it washatched on the ground with a
(18:11):
real need and it's sustainable.
And so $120 buys one machineand we have, you know, 10 to 12
girls every four months.
And that is such a reasonableask from funders, from anyone
that wants to help, from anyonethat wants to raise money in
(18:32):
their school to buy one sewingmachine for one girl.
That could pass this on, by theway, to hundreds of other
people.
Yes, yes, right.
And these sewing machines arenot like today's sewing machines
, where people, you know they,get tired of one electronic and
they throw it in the dump andthey get the next best, greatest
thing that's shiny.
Oh no, they'll have that sewingmachine for their life and
they'll probably pass it on totheir grandkids, it'll probably
(18:53):
still work.
Fatima Bey (18:54):
I want to go back to what I said earlier, because
you literally just gave me aperfect example of the, the
point that I want to drive home.
As an American, we think, ohwell, I have fabric, I have
thread, I have all these sewingsupplies.
Why don't I just set, send themto her so she can ship them
(19:15):
overseas?
That's the.
That's a prime, detailedexample of the American mindset.
I'm talking about Um sendingstuff over, and I know this
because I have.
I know this because I havelooked at sending stuff over uh
to other countries as well asfar as sewing supplies and come
to realize I'm better off givingthe money because then they can
(19:38):
buy it locally oh yes, peopledon't understand when you ship
stuff to just about, and itdoesn't matter what country it
is.
If you ship stuff to just aboutanywhere in the world, it's a
bajillion dollars and that costsmore.
And not only that, but let mealso explain this to the
audience, and I know you knowthis already when we decide that
we want to ship somethingoverseas, with our good hearts
(20:00):
and good intentions, you have noguarantee it's going to make
there.
A lot of these mail services inthese other countries are
corrupt as hell and they have noguarantee he's going to make
there.
A lot of these mail services inthese other countries are
corrupt as hell and they takewhat you send and keep it.
This is why money is actuallybetter, and this is not just
about Gina's organization.
If you're going to donate toany organization, especially if
(20:20):
it's overseas, I strongly urgethat you actually give them
money instead, because then theycan buy it in their local
economy.
They have control of it.
Nobody can take it out of theirhands at the airport or at the
shipping dock or wherever it isfor that country.
Gina Guddat (20:38):
These are things that really happen, Right, Gina?
Yes, I can speak to it.
Just recently I was in Indiaand this is another show, Fatima
but I was delivering thousandsand thousands of condoms in the
red light district, At any rate.
I was shocked because someonein the States wanted to set up a
(20:59):
library for this area ofdisadvantaged women so that they
could have some resources andbooks.
And they sent it in those bigcontainer shipping boxes, I
guess, and they were on a shipin the harbor in India for five
(21:20):
years.
What?
Because the customs would notlet those books into the country
because they thought, I believe, that they could make, like
what you said, make money off it.
And just the tariffs andeverything else alone it wasn't
a donation the shipping cost ofthose books, the sitting in the
(21:42):
harbor for five years probablythey're going to get sold off
anyway and the tariffs that thenonprofit that wanted to have
the library books wouldn't havebeen able to cover that anyway,
Right?
And so it was a really, reallybad idea.
And then I asked them and let'sjust not forget the fact that
these books are probably writtenin- English.
Fatima Bey (21:59):
Good point, gina.
Another.
Another point of I want to andthis is not just about Americans
.
Sometimes we want to westernizeother people's cultures and you
know we think as Americans, wethink like Americans, so we
think everywhere else is likeAmerica, when in fact almost
nowhere else in the world islike America.
And you know there'ssimilarities in other places,
(22:21):
like England or Germany, butthey're still just very
different.
And I just want to make surepeople understand.
For those of you listening, youmay be well intended, you might
want to send stuff over, butyou're better off and it'll be
(22:42):
less waste if you send money,because then that money can
purchase.
And I strongly agree with, asyou said, promoting the local
economy.
We're always saying in thiscountry, buy local, buy local.
Well, they should buy local tooin Nepal or in China or in
Guatemala or Kenya name acountry.
(23:04):
You know they should buy itright.
Gina Guddat (23:07):
Exactly, and you know the fact, with the money
too is what I like about the waywe all set up Go Global my
board and I and my daughters youknow I have four daughters, so
they're all involved innonprofit work as well is that
anyone that makes a donationgets a tax write-off because
it's a United States nonprofit,it's a 501c3.
(23:29):
However, I can then turn aroundand, in very specific legal
ways, get that money into thehands of the two sisters and the
sewing school, where they canthen, in their currency, have
full power to purchase thosesewing machines and what they
(23:51):
need in the sewing school, andso I feel like it's a win-win on
both sides.
Fatima Bey (23:54):
I love that so, so, so much, and you know I'm a
seamstress so I got to.
You know that's my wheelhouseis sewing, and I love the fact
that these girls are learning atrade that's going to help them
to prosper and not just survive,and that's what everybody
should have, or at least get tothat point.
(24:14):
So, gina, I want to ask you forall the youth out there who are
listening right now all overthe world, what advice do you
have for them?
Gina Guddat (24:27):
all over the world.
What advice do you have forthem?
Wow, I, my advice is use yourinterests, use your talents, use
your gifts, use what comesnaturally to you, use what's on
your DNA to further the good inthe world by giving back.
And I don't know what that is.
(24:47):
You know what that is,everybody knows what that is,
but something will resonate withyou and what I found in my life
and also working with mypatients, is that happiness,
true happiness, really alwayscomes from giving back, and it
doesn't matter how much you haveor how little you have.
(25:08):
It could be time, treasure ortalents.
And I always tell people youknow there's one of those three
things.
You know you either have time,you either have a talent, or you
maybe you have a littletreasure, but in one way or
another, there's going to be aproject for you and you may
start your own nonprofit someday.
(25:29):
You might start out mentoring,you might be volunteering right
now somewhere local, and you cando local, you can do state, you
can do national or you can dointernational work Right, but
always, and I taught all of mykids that are now in their mid
thirties, and I taught all of mykids that are now in their mid
thirties.
Your joy is not keeping yourgift inside of you.
(25:50):
It's, it's sharing it.
It's getting it out there, right.
So, uh, that's my best advice.
Fatima Bey (25:56):
I literally just posted, uh published a blog this
morning about the gems insideus.
That's too funny.
I literally just did.
So how can people help you, howcan listeners help you?
Gina Guddat (26:12):
yes, if they would like to help specifically with
the sewing school, um, you cango on our website, it's
goglobalfundorg, and um sureFatima will post it and you can
donate any amount that you wanttowards the sewing school and a
sewing machine.
(26:33):
And I have people do $5 andthat's great, and so if you want
to help directly and you wantone sewing machine to go to one
girl, we have a graduating classthat's going to need sewing
machines here, I think the endof August, and then we'll have
another one again around theholiday time.
So it's it's a revolving.
You know, once these girlsgraduate, then another 12, we're
(26:55):
going to come right on in.
They've got a waiting list.
We know who the vulnerable are.
We know who the willing heartsare that really want to be part
of the program.
It's starting to get outactually, where women and girls
are starting to learn.
Oh, my goodness, there's thisplace way over in the other side
of the country.
I want to go.
So if you want to sponsor asponsor a student, you, you
(27:17):
definitely can by going onto ourwebsite.
Fatima Bey (27:20):
Well, gina, I want to talk to you for about 17 more
hours, but neither one of uscan do that right now.
I absolutely love you andtotally believe in what you're
doing.
You're doing a lot of what Iwant to do in the world and I
really admire you for doing it.
I know it's not easy.
We only see the front facingpart that we're talking to right
(27:41):
now, but I know behind thescenes there's a lot of work
that goes into what you do and alot of blood, sweat and tears
that goes into creating it.
So for, on behalf of all theyoung women in the world that
you help, thank you, thanks forhaving me.
And now for a mind shiftingmoment.
(28:05):
I want to point out something toyou that is an overarching
principle that I really want tomake sure you understand.
While Go Global does a lot ofthings that I absolutely love
and respect, do you have localpeople or groups, organizations,
that are also making adifference for the next
generation, that are also makinga difference for the next
(28:26):
generation when it comes tooverseas?
Yes, money is the absolute bestway you can give, aside from
going over and volunteering yourtime and services.
If that's not possible for you,$5 is Give something for the
people who are doing the work,but beyond that, are there other
(28:49):
ways that you can give.
Who's making a difference inyour state, in your providence,
in your neighborhood, in yourtown, in your village, in your
area?
Who's making a difference there?
I bet they could use yoursupport and for them they might
not need money.
For them, they might need youto volunteer, they might need
(29:13):
your time.
Money can buy a lot of things,but some things money can't buy.
So I want you to think abouthow you can make a difference in
the world by making adifference around you.
A difference in the world bymaking a difference around you.
(29:34):
You've been listening toMindShift Power Podcast For
complete show notes on thisepisode and to join our global
movement, find us atFatimaBaycom.
Until next time, alwaysremember there's power in
shifting your thinking.
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.