Basnet grew up in a city where most families were well-off. She graduated from high school and received scholarships to attend WSU. She is studying biology and computer science and plans to go on to graduate school.

Through an organization called Alternative Gifts International, Basnet has found a way she can give other Nepalese children the gift of education.

On Saturday, Basnet participated in Winona's second annual Alternative Gift Market at Central Lutheran Church, where she raised money to help Nepalese children attend elementary school. Schools are sparse in the remote areas of Nepal. Only 47 percent of children are literate, Basnet said.

"A lot of children aren't able to go to elementary school because work becomes more important for survival, Basnet said. "In some cases, children become slaves to labor."

Alternative Gifts International allows people to donate money to a number of organizations worldwide in the name of friends and family members as gifts.

Erwin was attracted to the alternative gift idea because she is able to better someone else's life by honoring a friend or family member with a gift that's tax deductible.

In Haiti, $28 buys 80 mango seeds. Not only do mango trees provide fruit, their roots prevent erosion on hillsides during floods and hurricanes.

"Most people don't even remember what they received for Christmas last year," Erwin said. "But those who receive alternative gifts never forget."

Winona's Alternative Gift Market is open by appointment through mid-December. Call Gretchen Erwin at (507) 454-6199 or Nancy Hauschildt at (507) 452-1764.

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