Friends,
The last month in Phnom Penh, Cambodia has been amazing. All the children are in school, and thanks to one very special private donor, they are all receiving complete dental work and vaccinations. Every Sunday they have painting and drawing class followed by traditional khmer dance class. The kids’ spirits have been high with so many fun and educational activities going on daily. The kids know that they are not being forgotten, and this bit of encouragement will make all the difference for their futures and the future of Cambodia. We completed a month of jewellery skills training with 17 girls and 2 boys at the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights (CCPCR). it has been an amazing experience for everyone in the shelter and we are expanding to become Khmer Creations, a holistic model of jewellery skills training and life skills training aimed at helping rescued young women living in shelters have greater opportunities for their futures. Please read on to find out more about the project and how exactly Khmer Creations came into being.
WHO EXACTLY ARE THESE CHILDREN?
The roughly 17 girls and 2 boys are all between the ages of 11 – 18 years old and at some point were trafficked into Phnom Penh to work in brothels. Extreme poverty, loss of a parent, domestic violence, alcoholism, gambling, and presence of pornography in a village are the main factors that pave the way to the abuse and sale of a young girl into prostitution. The girls in the shelter have been lucky enough to be discovered and rescued by police, child protection services, or sometimes by a compassionate client.
THE JEWELLERY PROGRAM
Making jewellery with these kids has been a huge success. I am a jewellery designer in California and while traveling through Asia I got the idea to start jewellery-making workshops as a form of art therapy with Cambodian girls living in shelters. Antonia was already working with the girls at CCPCR organizing art, dance and English classes, so it was a natural match. We decided to work together to organize and implement the jewellery program. I purchased a bulk supply of beads, stones, string, wire, pliers and cutters and organized two structured classes per day, three days per week. In our month long program, we taught the kids weaving, knotting, wire wrapping, and stamping techniques and allowed them to keep all of the jewellery they crafted. They could not have been happier to learn a new skill and proudly display their artwork around their wrists or neck. I can say without doubt that this has been an extremely positive experience for all of the kids. We listen to music, sit in a small circle, and even through our language barrier, we are able to express much praise and encouragement to the kids, and they openly show their enthusiasm. It is a time during the day when we can all forget any worries and cares in this struggling part of the world and they can be budding young artist instead of young abuse victims stuck in a shelter.
COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO JEWELLERY WORKSHOPS
As Antonia and I shared news of our workshop, interest grew among the expat NGO community. Everyone wanted us to conduct jewellery workshops in other shelters around Phnom Penh, and they also wanted to purchase the jewellery the kids at CCPCR were making. With this spark of interest, Antonia and I did some market research and realized that there is virtually no mid-priced jewellery in Phnom Penh. Only very cheap plastic jewellery from china that is sold in the markets, and a small population of goldsmiths setting locally mined rubies and sapphires into rings. We immediately saw the potential of selling to expats, NGO workers, tourists, and upper class Cambodian families, university students, and internationally through fair trade shops
THE NEXT STEP: “KHMER CREATIONS”
Many organisations are committed to reversing the damage of abusers, yet, in a country still overwhelmed by recent civil war, real opportunities for those living in shelters remains limited. There are few jobs available in Phnom Penh. Youth living in shelters usually find themselves working in a sweatshop or in a home as a domestic servant earning $40 per month. We are creating a new option for these young women, Khmer Creations.
Through vocational skills training in jewellery making and a holistic model of life-skills training; Khmer Creations is opening up young women and girls to new choices that can change their lives. We empower rescued women living in shelters by providing them with all the necessary skills and materials to create quality products and an established network within which to sell them at a fair price.
Please help us to expand and develop this vital service and help young women to help themselves.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
CONTACT us if you have serious interest in coming to Cambodia to work on this project,
DONATE if you can afford to donate a little money to this cause,
EMAIL if you have any connections to marketing and sales of fair trade jewellery, or if you have any feedback or information you would like to share with us.
annieaukeman@yahoo.com
antoniamarison@yahoo.co.uk
and please, pass this along to all those who might be interested.
Ou kun! (Thank You)
