Skip to content
Fast & Free Delivery over $45 How fast will I receive my order? ZIP Code: - Receive it More Info

Walk with Us: Purpose in Action

3 Min Read
Walk with Us: Purpose in Action
Updated on September 18, 2020

At Traditional Medicinals, we believe that the quality of our teas is a direct result of our commitment to farmers. Our vision is to build lasting relationships with farmers, provide them a living wage, and support them as they strengthen and empower their own communities.

This year, on the International Day of the Girl, we are supporting our nonprofit partner, WomenServe, to Walk for Girls and Water, an initiative to raise awareness of the gender inequity and water crisis facing girls and women in Western Rajasthan.

We are in the business of creating positive change.
It’s the most important thing we make, and it’s how we measure our success.

Over the last 10 years, we have supported senna farmers in Rajasthan, India by partnering with nonprofit organizations like WomenServe whose mission is to increase water access, health and hygiene, education, and economic empowerment. It’s through the hard work of these nonprofit partnerships that we are able to support vital programming for food and water security, health care, education, and employment to reduce poverty for the communities where senna farmers live and work.

nioma senna farmers
senna field women

Senna is a key ingredient in our Smooth Move® teas, one of our first products formulated in the 1970s by Traditional Medicinals’ co-founder Rosemary Gladstar. This perennial herb with beautiful yellow flowers thrives in the hot desert air of Western Rajasthan, one of the driest places on earth, where temperatures can reach as high as 122°F. The hot climate and lack of water in the desert are a constant challenge, among many others, that rural communities in Rajasthan face. Women and girls can walk up to 10 hours a day in the grueling desert heat to provide water for their families, crops, and livestock. With long hours spent walking, women are unable to earn additional income to support their families, and girls who spend every day walking are not able to attend school.

Water security has an incredible impact on these communities.
It’s the first step to create lasting change.

Building on traditional water harvesting techniques, WomenServe has constructed and maintained nine village naadis (rainwater catchment ponds), built over 500 taankas (rainwater catchment tanks), and supported the repairs of khadins (agricultural rainwater systems).

gavra

Before receiving her taanka, Gavra would wake at 3 am, balance two pots on her head and walk six-miles to collect water, not once but five times a day. Now with her taanka she is growing food, and her family is not hungry. With 10 extra hours a day, Gavra has a new job, a new life, and so many possibilities.

Once these basic needs of water and health are met, women and girls have the time to pursue education or income generation and make valuable and meaningful contributions to their families and their communities. WomenServe estimates that in 2018 alone, implementing these simple water harvesting techniques, saved Rajasthani women and girls 200,000 hours of walking.

Today, in these communities where Traditional Medicinals has invested in supporting nonprofit programs over the last 10 years, women are starting new jobs, girls are attending school, and as a result, entire communities are transforming.

Be a part of this transformation.
Walk with us.

From your first cup of morning tea to the end of a farmer’s day, Traditional Medicinals works to create a positive impact throughout every step in the life cycle of our herbal wellness products, from growing and harvesting herbs, all the way to your cup.  

Sign up to walk at https://womenserve.org/walk-for-water/

Spread the word: Follow WomenServe on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Share why you’re walking or why you care about girls and water, using #iwalkforgirlsandwater and #dayofthegirl

 

You might also enjoy...

Shop All
Popular
traditional medicinal smooth move herbal supplement A cup of senna tea sits next to an opened box of Smooth Move® Tea on a rustic wooden table, surrounded by leaves and roots, offering gentle overnight relief.

Smooth Move® Tea

This blend gently relieves occasional constipation overnight, generally within 6-12 hours
Popular
Smooth Move<sup>®</sup> Capsules box and capsule bottle A box of Smooth Move® Capsules, providing natural constipation relief with senna-based herbs and leaves, is elegantly displayed on a wooden surface.

Smooth Move® Capsules

Gently relieves occasional constipation overnight, generally within 6-12 hours

Related Articles

View All

Herbal Basics: Adaptogens 101

We can all agree that sometimes our natural rhythm falls out of step. We live in a world where it is easy to take on too much, flaring up stress,...

Dandelion Date Shake

By Sarah Kate Benjamin of The Kosmic Kitchen If you've never had a date shake you're in for a real Southern California treat. Invented in the 1930's by a date...

A Conversation with Nioma Narissa Sadler: Empowering Women and Transforming Communities

Author: Jules Benefico Join us for an insightful conversation with Nioma Narissa Sadler, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, and Goodwill Ambassador at Traditional Medicinals®. Nioma is not only...

Voices Are For Using, Not Losing™: Get to know Jake & Shelby Singer/Songwriter Duo

Jake & Shelby, the dynamic pop duo aged 18 and 19, are rapidly climbing the music charts with their mature and fresh sound, drawing inspiration from John Mayer, Madison Cunningham,...

Identity Herbalism with Erin Masako Wilkins of Herb Folk Medicine

Erin Masako Wilkins is an Asian American herbalist and acupuncturist. She has been a practicing herbalist for over a decade specializing in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. She aims to...

Celebrating the Holidays and the Planet

Tis the season of green! We are proud to announce that we at Traditional Medicinals have joined forces with the Environmental Media Association (EMA), using our voices to elevate eco-consciousness...

Q&A with Rosemary Gladstar, “Godmother of Modern Herbalism” and Traditional Medicinals Co-Founder

Photo taken by Danielle Cohen Meet Rosemary Gladstar, known as the godmother of modern herbalism, she has captivated a global audience with her wealth of knowledge and passion for herbal...

Voices are for Using, Not Losing™: Tips from a Celebrity Voice Coach

Meet RAab Stevenson, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, arranger, producer, artist and developer. Robert “RAab” Stevenson has worked with some of the most famous voices and producers heard on pop radio...

How Tea can Protect Ecosystems: FairWild collection with the BBC Storyworks Commercial Production

Climate change is altering landscapes. It’s harming global ecosystems and the people who depend on them. Over 40% of medicines found in western pharmacies are derived from plants, many of...

Vegan Green Tea Matcha Ice Cream

Ice cream is the quintessential summer treat, and is even better when we can make it ourselves at home using whole food ingredients and an easy recipe that doesn’t require...

How to Become an Herbalist

Are you feeling called to explore the herbal path? Whether your intention is to begin a career in herbalism or simply to support the health and well-being of yourself and...

Herbal Podcasts for the Herb Nerd

Whether at home, road tripping, gardening, commuting or lounging at the beach, there’s always time to dive into the world of plant medicine, and herbal podcasts offer a convenient way...