One Weave began with a simple conviction: talent is everywhere — opportunity isn't. We fund the tools, training, and support that let young people and survivors weave a future of their own making.
For over 40 years, Wally Metts taught at Spring Arbor University, leading students on more than a dozen cross-cultural trips to Asia and spending a sabbatical as a consultant at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. He saw poverty up close — and began imagining a hope grounded in economic and educational opportunity.For over 40 years Wally Metts taught at Spring Arbor University, leading more than a dozen cross-cultural trips to Asia and a sabbatical at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. He saw poverty up close — and imagined a hope built on real economic and educational opportunity.
On those trips, his contact in Mumbai was Smeeta Khandalkar, who showed him firsthand what that hope looks like in practice. Across the subcontinent he met people making a difference day after day — small, steady investments in tribal groups and minorities who had few resources and fewer opportunities, yet met the smallest investment in their future with hospitality and energy.His contact in Mumbai was Smeeta Khandalkar, who showed him what that hope looks like in practice — small, steady investments in communities with few resources, met with remarkable energy.
That vision, built over two decades of relationships across South Asia, became One Weave: a Michigan-based 501(c)(3), founded in early 2026, to turn those relationships into a lasting structure for change.Two decades of those relationships became One Weave: a Michigan-based 501(c)(3), founded in early 2026, built to last.
We believe in partnership, not charity. Dignity is achieved through skill — a trade that allows you to build a life, rather than relying on a temporary handout. Every person is a thread; when woven together with training, tools, and community, these threads create a tapestry strong enough to support a future. This is not just a slogan for us. It's our guiding principle.Partnership, not charity. Dignity comes through skill — a trade you can build a life on. Every person is a thread; woven together with training, tools, and community, threads become a tapestry strong enough to hold a future.
One Weave is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and our work is just beginning. We seek to engage, empower, and support survivors of modern-day slavery — including human trafficking and child sexual abuse — and at-risk individuals and communities living in impoverished areas. We work to raise awareness and facilitate empowerment through sustainable employment, education, skills development, counseling and therapy, medical support, and other social development initiatives — advancing social justice, hope, and freedom on both national and global levels.One Weave is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3). We support survivors of modern-day slavery and at-risk communities through sustainable employment, education, skills training, counseling, and medical support — advancing social justice, hope, and freedom.
We create a tapestry of hope for individuals facing social upheaval, economic injustice, and violent oppression — empowering them through vocational training, educational opportunity, and sustainable markets. Our goal is to advance hope and freedom on a global scale.
We envision a world that offers equal opportunity to all.
Vocational training for at-risk youth in the settlements outside the city.
Training for caste-marginalized youth from Tamang, Dalit, and Janajati communities.
Restoration services for survivors of exploitation, delivered with trusted local contacts on the ground.
Wally holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Michigan State University, where his research focused on the power of narrative in everyday conversation. He taught at Spring Arbor University for over 40 years and led more than a dozen cross-cultural trips to Asia. Those years built a conviction that hope, to last, has to be grounded in real opportunity.
Smeeta brings over two decades of experience in organizational transformation and aftercare for survivors of violent oppression, including trafficking and exploitation. She founded Hopeagain Consultancy Services, served as CEO of Jeevan Aadhar Transformative Aftercare Services, and contributed to the UN Special Rapporteur’s report on best practices in survivor aftercare. She is pursuing a PhD in Transformational Leadership at Bakke University.
An advocacy executive and author based in Addis Ababa, Gorden directs the African Union Office for the All Africa Conference of Churches — faith-driven human rights work across three continents.
Production manager at Michigan’s oldest theater, Jen has spent her career building spaces where people find safety and connection. Four trips to India shaped her heart for this work.
A Dubai-based logistics professional, Neeta builds her work on relationships and problem-solving. For her, logistics is the profession — serving others is the purpose she brings to One Weave.
We’re looking for founding partners to help build the infrastructure behind this vision and ensure its longevity. There are also opportunities to invest in specific projects in India, Nepal, and the Philippines.