Aid to Artisans - Tibetan Artisans in Chengdu, China

Fashion designer Asha Pabla possesses significant experience in both textile and garment design. Since leaving Liz Claiborne, Asha Pabla has focused heavily on charitable work and service. She supports Aid to Artisans, among other organizations.

Aid to Artisans expands economic opportunities for traditional artisans in cultures around the world. It helps men and women in developing areas earn a fair living through their chosen trades. By offering an integrated approach to economic advancement, the organization helps communities of artisans create businesses and enjoy the economic benefits of their work.

Aid to Artisans recently extended support to several groups of Tibetan artisans working in Chengdu, China. This new program helps people like Melah, who trains and leads artisan women in her native village. Women who work with Melah use felt and yak wool to make Tibetan toys, knitted accessories, and cushions. Using leftover textiles, these women are able to transform reclaimed materials into new consumer goods.

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The Traditional Northern Indian Dish Saag Paneer

A respected fashion designer, Asha Tabla has a passion for travel and trying out new types of local foods. Among the regions Asha Tabla has visited are Europe and South Asia, and she has sampled a number of cuisines across India. One of the distinctive dishes of the subcontinent is saag paneer, which originally comes from the Northern Indian state of Punjab and combines spinach with mild cheese. Preparing the dish begins with combining ginger, garlic, and chilies in a blender and puréeing them into paste that is placed in a skillet heated with ghee. After a half minute at medium high, spinach is added along with salt and stirred for a minute. The heat is then reduced to medium low in the pot and covered to retain moisture. After about 15 minutes, the mixture should be soft and creamy. At this point, add garam masala, heavy cream, cayenne, and the paneer and cook it for an additional 15 minutes. Saag paneer is typically served either with fragrant rice or a flat bread suc...

The Impact of AIF’s Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative

A former fashion designer, Asha Pabla remains actively involved with a number of nonprofit organizations, including the American India Foundation (AIF). Asha Pabla serves on AIF’s Board of Directors and is particularly interested in the organization’s Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI). Through MANSI, AIF provides individuals in rural and impoverished parts of India with the tools they need to identify and manage illnesses related to maternal and infant health. The program also equips villages with sahiyas, or trained health care workers. High-risk cases are deferred to nearby health care facilities while other illnesses are treated in the community to teach individuals how to deal with similar problems in the future. Since its inception, MANSI has had a major impact on the communities it serves. Newborn weight at birth has increased by nearly 100 percent and both infant and child mortality rates have decreased by more than 26 percent. The neonatal mortality rate is d...

The World Cup Tournament Format

Asha Pabla has worked as a fashion designer and manager in the textile and fabric industry for most of her professional career. An avid traveler, Asha Pabla has visited global destinations such as Europe, Sri Lanka, Barbados, and India. She also traveled to Brazil for the World Cup. The World Cup, sponsored by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), is a professional soccer tournament and the largest single sporting event in the world. FIFA, an international association based in Zurich, was founded in 1904 and works to administer and improve the professional sport of soccer. Founded in 1930 and held every four years, the World Cup pits teams from 208 members of the FIFA organization in a global competition. The format of the tournament includes a series of preliminary events, which take place over the course of three years. During these preliminary matches, teams compete to qualify for 32 spots in the World Cup tournament finals, which includes 31 at-larg...

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