Our News & Views

2019 October - Holiday Season in Odisha
2019 October - Holiday Season in Odisha

Hey there, it's holiday mode in Odisha! Dussehra and Diwali Pooja Time in Odisha - Let the fun begin! Super cool to have Sarah and Miriam here this week from New Zealand. We were able to hang out and do some of my favourite things - drink chai while fabric shopping and help them to sew up their own designs.
Read more
2018 December - Graduation
2018 December - Graduation

Another awesome class of graduates from the Holi Boli Sewing Centre.  We teach stitching, pattern making and designing to students.  Most of them take these new skills and get work.  We even get to hire a few of them at Holi Boli for our clothing manufacture side. Graduates of December 2018 The course runs for 4 months. The students learn the very basics such as cutting with scissors and threading...
Read more
2018 July - The Important Choice of Empowering Women

Picture Credit: The Economist In 1967 the UN Member States adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against women.  The articles in the declaration clearly seek to ensure women have equity with men and to have a freedom as a human being to make choices about how to live their life.  In 1979 the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Womenwas...
Read more
2018 March - Necklaces to Empower Women

Hey there lovely people, We are super excited to be joining up with some friends from Jeypore in South Odisha to present you with the traditional bead necklaces made by local women artisans there. Our friends have been operating an NGO in India for about 13 years and have been very active in promoting micro-enterprises in their region that emphasise sustainability, empowerment, education and...
Read more
2018 January - Holi Boli Stitching School on News World Odisha.

Wow!  The Holi Boli sewing school is on the News!  News World Odisha have done a segment on our sewing school in their human interest section of the 6pm News on the 18th January.  The film crew were a lot of fun and put all the ladies at ease.  Thank you to News World Odisha for making us all famous.... at least for a few minutes!  :)  Small English part after 1 min 23 sec.  Enjoy!  :)
Read more
2018 January - Newspaper - "A Stitch in Time"

See original at http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2018/jan/06/a-stitch-in-time-1744787.html A Stitch in Time By By Soumika M Das | Published: 06th January 2018 10:00 PM | Ana with her students at Holi BoliOn an ordinary afternoon at Malipali—a village of 250 families in Odisha’s Sambalpur district—men are out in the fields, women are busy peeling garlic cloves or chopping vegetables, with...
Read more
2019 February - Holi Boli Staff Medical

It was really awesome to have some very very qualified nurses (holding masters degrees and many years experience) come and visit us at Holi Boli from New Zealand. We all took turns to have a medical check up. We all had our Blood Pressures done and number of other tests. We answered a lot of questions. Fortunately, we are all pretty healthy. Our results are all on file for the next check up and we...
Read more
2018 September - New Zealand Fashion Week with Tonic & Cloth
2018 September - New Zealand Fashion Week with Tonic & Cloth

The New Zealand Fashion Week was a real blast.  A dream come true thanks to Tonic & Cloth who choose to partner with Holi Boli to make their clothes ethically with sustainable materials. We are really proud to be working with Tonic & Cloth as they stand for empowering the women and our planet. Jodie has passionately poured her life into getting her label up and running and it has been a privilege...
Read more
2018 June - Summer Sun is Setting

Back to work - YES!  Love all these beautiful fabrics We all have arrived back at Holi Boli after a hot summer ready to work. It is still too hot but the rainy season is starting. The beginning of the monsoons makes life muggy as the rain initially adds wet to the hot. However, the rain promises cooler days ahead so it seems to lift everyone's spirits. We are already down to 40 deg C / 104 deg F...
Read more
2018 February March Fun

A SUCCESS STORY Sisters supporting sisters - the grand opening. Two graduates of the Holi Boli Sewing School started their own sewing shop in a nearby village.  These are the success stories that make teaching sewing so worth it.  It was such an honour to load up the van with Holi Boli staff and go and support the grand opening of the new store.  Well done ladies!  Living empowered! AN INTERESTING...
Read more
2018 January - Another Sewing Class Begins! :)

Holi Boli Sewing School has kicked of 2018After taking a 6 month break to head over to "Sarah the Carer's" wedding in Castor, Alberta, Canada we are back into sewing class. We have extended Holi Boli operations so the school has taken over the house at the back of Holi Boli. Awesome! All the machines have been set up, serviced and students are arriving ready to go. At Holi Boli School there is one...
Read more
2018 January - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR - LOVE FROM US ALL AT HOLI BOLI! We all had some fun at our Xmas/NY staff function. We were missing a few key members due to construction duties at their homes but it was a good turn out and a great day. The Holi Boli staff got together with our Play n Learn (Early Childhood Education Centre) staff and had a picnic at the beautiful picnic grounds and park near...
Read more
2019 October - Holiday Season in Odisha
2019 October - Holiday Season in Odisha

Hey there, it's holiday mode in Odisha! Dussehra and Diwali Pooja Time in Odisha - Let the fun begin! Super cool to have Sarah and Miriam here this week from New Zealand. We were able to hang out and do some of my favourite things - drink chai while fabric shopping and help them to sew up their own designs.
Read more
2019 February - Holi Boli Staff Medical

It was really awesome to have some very very qualified nurses (holding masters degrees and many years experience) come and visit us at Holi Boli from New Zealand. We all took turns to have a medical check up. We all had our Blood Pressures done and number of other tests. We answered a lot of questions. Fortunately, we are all pretty healthy. Our results are all on file for the next check up and we...
Read more
2018 December - Graduation
2018 December - Graduation

Another awesome class of graduates from the Holi Boli Sewing Centre.  We teach stitching, pattern making and designing to students.  Most of them take these new skills and get work.  We even get to hire a few of them at Holi Boli for our clothing manufacture side. Graduates of December 2018 The course runs for 4 months. The students learn the very basics such as cutting with scissors and threading...
Read more
2018 September - New Zealand Fashion Week with Tonic & Cloth
2018 September - New Zealand Fashion Week with Tonic & Cloth

The New Zealand Fashion Week was a real blast.  A dream come true thanks to Tonic & Cloth who choose to partner with Holi Boli to make their clothes ethically with sustainable materials. We are really proud to be working with Tonic & Cloth as they stand for empowering the women and our planet. Jodie has passionately poured her life into getting her label up and running and it has been a privilege...
Read more
2018 July - The Important Choice of Empowering Women

Picture Credit: The Economist In 1967 the UN Member States adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against women.  The articles in the declaration clearly seek to ensure women have equity with men and to have a freedom as a human being to make choices about how to live their life.  In 1979 the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Womenwas...
Read more
2018 June - Summer Sun is Setting

Back to work - YES!  Love all these beautiful fabrics We all have arrived back at Holi Boli after a hot summer ready to work. It is still too hot but the rainy season is starting. The beginning of the monsoons makes life muggy as the rain initially adds wet to the hot. However, the rain promises cooler days ahead so it seems to lift everyone's spirits. We are already down to 40 deg C / 104 deg F...
Read more
2018 March - Necklaces to Empower Women

Hey there lovely people, We are super excited to be joining up with some friends from Jeypore in South Odisha to present you with the traditional bead necklaces made by local women artisans there. Our friends have been operating an NGO in India for about 13 years and have been very active in promoting micro-enterprises in their region that emphasise sustainability, empowerment, education and...
Read more
2018 February March Fun

A SUCCESS STORY Sisters supporting sisters - the grand opening. Two graduates of the Holi Boli Sewing School started their own sewing shop in a nearby village.  These are the success stories that make teaching sewing so worth it.  It was such an honour to load up the van with Holi Boli staff and go and support the grand opening of the new store.  Well done ladies!  Living empowered! AN INTERESTING...
Read more
2018 January - Holi Boli Stitching School on News World Odisha.

Wow!  The Holi Boli sewing school is on the News!  News World Odisha have done a segment on our sewing school in their human interest section of the 6pm News on the 18th January.  The film crew were a lot of fun and put all the ladies at ease.  Thank you to News World Odisha for making us all famous.... at least for a few minutes!  :)  Small English part after 1 min 23 sec.  Enjoy!  :)
Read more
2018 January - Another Sewing Class Begins! :)

Holi Boli Sewing School has kicked of 2018After taking a 6 month break to head over to "Sarah the Carer's" wedding in Castor, Alberta, Canada we are back into sewing class. We have extended Holi Boli operations so the school has taken over the house at the back of Holi Boli. Awesome! All the machines have been set up, serviced and students are arriving ready to go. At Holi Boli School there is one...
Read more
2018 January - Newspaper - "A Stitch in Time"

See original at http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2018/jan/06/a-stitch-in-time-1744787.html A Stitch in Time By By Soumika M Das | Published: 06th January 2018 10:00 PM | Ana with her students at Holi BoliOn an ordinary afternoon at Malipali—a village of 250 families in Odisha’s Sambalpur district—men are out in the fields, women are busy peeling garlic cloves or chopping vegetables, with...
Read more
2018 January - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR - LOVE FROM US ALL AT HOLI BOLI! We all had some fun at our Xmas/NY staff function. We were missing a few key members due to construction duties at their homes but it was a good turn out and a great day. The Holi Boli staff got together with our Play n Learn (Early Childhood Education Centre) staff and had a picnic at the beautiful picnic grounds and park near...
Read more