Who are you?
My name is Clara Garcia Ortés, I was born in the Catalan Pyrenees and right now I live between Nepal, Barcelona and the Costa Brava.
I have always described myself as an NGO with feet, until one day, I realize that the best I could do was do a real NGO and I founded Be artsy.
Describe yourself with 3 words
Tenacious, Respectful, Creative
What do you do?
Right now, for 4 years, I have been running an International cooperation project in Nepal named Rato Baltin Project (red bucket project)
What do you want to do in the future?
To be able to continue with that project and help and empower a lot more of women in that remote part of the world, and at the same time, empower myself to be able to encourage women here too, to respect their bodies and their times. Society puts obstacles on us everywhere, we have to destroy them together!
What have your biggest struggles been as an entrepreneur?
To find money to carry out the projects, and one thing that I have not yet achieved is to find money to put a salary for myself, I have been a volunteer for 4 years!
Tell us about your project “Rato Baltin”
In west Nepal, placing menstruating girls and women in sheds or huts is a centuries-old tradition called chhaupadi. That tradition has been deadly for many women.
During their periods, women are considered impure, forcing them to sleep outside or in small huts built for this purpose. This tradition results in many restrictions on what a girl/women can or cannot do while they are menstruating and after they’ve given birth and it takes away their dignity.
Every year there are some deaths women from hypothermia, suffocation and snake bites and nobody knows of the real number of girls who are raped.
The Rato Baltin project facilitates sexual and menstrual education, creates curiosity and raises questions through participative photography and provides menstrual cups to many women and girls, making their lives a little bit easier.
How can the Planet Venus community help?
Any member of planet Venus who wants to get involved in the organization will be very welcome and any idea to find funding to be able to continue with the project, wonderful!
Right now we have a “Migranodearena” (a crowdfunding) that we need to complete as quickly as possible because I need to start a campaign to find godmothers for some girls to whom we pay for secondary studies and university to avoid getting married and breaking the cycle of poverty in the that are involved.
We need people to associate for stability, so everyone is welcome to join Us!
How do you feel about the Planet Venus community?
When I first saw it, I loved it! I thought it was a very good idea! I really think that we can help and learn from each other.
Congratulations for this incredible project!
