I have never seen Maria as exhausted as she is since returning from India on Sunday. She is sleeping 15 or 20 hours a day, and can only be up for a few hours at a time. She is getting better and stronger, but the trip took a physical and emotional toll on her, which is, I know, to be expected.

She is getting there, and I am watching over her, bringing food and tea and encouragement. I wanted to share with you some images of the very beautiful Every Day Tote Bags she brought back from the Women’s Interlink Foundation in Kolkata, which she visited when she was there.

She has 10 of these beautiful (and eco-friendly) bags, each one custom-made and signed from one of the young women learning to make crafts and other art forms that they can sell in order to feed themselves and their families. The proceeds will go right back to India.

In India, many young women are at risk. Prostitution is legal there, and many women are taken or voluntary enter the sex trade in order to live. Some are sold to sex traffickers by their own families.

The purpose of Maria’s trip was to help these women, so she brought back these tote bags in order to sell them, and then send the money back to Kolkata so it can be used to help them and other women.

These Tote-Bags are very personal for Maria, she met these girls, talked to them, watched them work.

I think she is planning to charge $50 plus shipping for each of these bags – they are very function but very beautiful and each one is unique and reflects the young woman who made it. In sense, the same idea behind much of Mara’s own work. She is still recovering, not in a position to ship or process anything, we will probably make a video about it later in the week and she will sell them when she is able.

If you wish to contact her, you can do so by writing to her at [email protected]. But you might not get a reply for a few days. I love these bags, there is something special and appealing about them. She has begun writing on her blog, today she wrote a piece called “What I Am Feeling: Kolkata Dairy.” You can follow that here.

Very exciting times here, we are grateful to be alive.