Build a Weaving Center for Radical Grandmas

Support courageous female activists and their fight against a gold mine

In the mountain village of Na Nong Bong in Northeast Thailand, villagers have been fighting the environmental destruction caused by mining companies for over 10 years. When a nearby gold mine leaked cyanide and other dangerous chemicals into local streams, villagers discovered that they had dangerous levels of cyanide in their blood. They can no longer drink their own water, as they had always done before. The mining company even tried to sue villagers for slander because they protested the mine. Despite all this, they continue to fight.

To fund this grassroots anti-mining movement, Na Nong Bong’s community leaders -- the fearless village grandmas -- weave handmade scarves to sell at local markets. These resilient lady weavers, known as the Radical Grandma Collective, create gorgeous scarves with a purpose.


In Na Nong Bong, looms are a symbols of resistance. These lionhearted women are able to both support themselves through weaving and be creative agents of change despite mining corporations’ attempts to silence their voices. Our dollars will go a long way in Thailand, so we are helping them raise money for a center that will provide a workplace for weaving and a communal meeting place for the villagers to coordinate their movement. This ‘Social Fundraiser’ intends to amplify their movement, through sharing their story of strength and resistance. With your donation, we can bring their vision of a center dedicated to weaving and activism to life.


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Na Nong Bong villagers have already devoted countless hours and resources to fighting the mine, but they still need financial support to make their dream a reality. The grandmas aspire to have a physical space to share their story with others and, together as a collective, to weave threads of social change.


Building this structure is projected to cost $7,000. Why does the weaving center need to be built? Its purpose is to:


  1. Improve weaving productivity, which will help the grandmas generate a steady source of income so they can spend more time using their talents for community activism. One scarf takes 6 hours to make, but its earnings cover 2 days of living expenses for a Na Nong Bong weaver. That frees up a lot of time for organizing!
  2. Provide a space where the grandmas can weave together and maintain equipment. Weaving is more fun when you can talk with your friends! Currently each grandma stores her loom at her house, and consequently each grandma must weave alone. Having a communal place where the grandmas can weave as a collective will strengthen the social capital within the village.
  3. Create a safe space where the activists can meet and organize together.


Donations are tax deductible.


Keep up with all things RadGram!

Website: www.radicalgrandmacollective.com

Instagram: @radicalgrandmacollective 

Facebook: Radical Grandma Collective


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