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From Bombs to Bangles: Jewelry Rebuilds Economy in Cambodia

jewelry rebuilds economy in cambodiaCambodian artisans are turning the same brass once used to murder into a symbol of peace and resilience, a stand against the violence that once overtook their country. Artisanry and design have deep roots in Cambodian history. However, the Khmer Rouge destroyed centuries of creative artifacts and left Cambodia’s economy in shambles. Cambodia is now littered with bombshell casings from the Khmer Rouge-led Cambodian genocide, the Vietnam War and a bombing ordered by former U.S. president Richard Nixon. But jewelers are reclaiming their nation through craft, turning these casings into beautiful pieces of jewelry as a stand against the violence that overtook their country. Their jewelry rebuilds the economy in Cambodia and reduces poverty along with it.

What Was the Cambodian Genocide?

April 17, 1975 marks the dark day that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge began destroying the Cambodian people. Pot’s goal was to rebuild Cambodia in the image of Mao’s communist model in China. However, this led to the murder of an estimated two to three million people in the historic Killing Fields. Between the murders and thousands of starvation deaths, 25% of the Cambodian population died in three years.

This loss devastated the country’s creativity culture, leaving a mere 10% of artists alive. The Khmer Rouge also banned all creative art forms that did not politically benefit them. In addition, the regime destroyed all of Cambodia’s cultural traditions. In order to rebuild the country, its people have looked to the arts.

Rajana Association of Cambodia: Jewelry Rebuilds the Economy in Cambodia

Local jewelers collect pieces of mines, bombs and bullets and upcycle them into beautifully cut brass rings, necklaces and bracelets. They also work with a Cambodian organization that trains people how to properly remove old landmines so that the jewelers can use the material. Rajana jewelers pride themselves on preserving Cambodian style and culture by staying away from Western designs. This not only demonstrates the artisans’ pride in their country’s culture but also their attempt to replenish the art destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.

The Rajana Association of Cambodia began in 1995 as a project under a UK-based NGO, Cambodia Action, which employed young Cambodian refugees at a camp in Thailand. It became its own independent company in 2003 and has since grown into a prominent and successful organization in Cambodia and worldwide. As such, its jewelry rebuilds the economy in Cambodia while preserving its culture.

By successfully expanding their company, the leaders of Rajana have also transformed the lives of their jeweler partners. With an outlet to work from home, the artisans make a living wage while caring for their families. Rajana also established several shops across the country solely run by Cambodian staff in order to sell the products. This income has helped send children to school, provide food for their families and purchase transportation.

Artisans Help Economies Grow

Artisan work has played a crucial role in opening the economy in post-conflict Cambodia to the global market. This rise in jewelry work has not only helped revive Cambodian tradition but also promoted commerce, trade and employment. Cambodia’s GDP has grown to $27 billion in 2019 from $588 million just before in the genocide in 1974. Jewelry manufacturing has contributed $4.8 million to the country’s GDP and employed over 3,500 people, making it a leading factor in the economy’s sustainable development. What began as a way to revive cultural traditions after the genocide has proven to be a driving component in changing the course of Cambodia’s history: the country’s poverty rate has continued to fall as employment rates rise, and is now at about 13% as of 2014 compared to almost 50% in 2007. Thus, jewelry both rebuilds the economy in Cambodia and reduces the poverty its citizens face.

Beautiful Jewelry Reduces Poverty

Several fair trade shops sell Rajana products online, including Ten Thousand Villages and Oxfam. These shops pay their artisans fair prices for their products, thus helping them establish better lives for themselves and their families. It is incredibly important to support international artisans. This fair trade keeps not only their economies alive but also their culture and history. In all, this jewelry rebuilds the economy in Cambodia through cultural preservation, resilience and creativity.

– Stephanie Russo
Photo: Flickr

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5 Places to Ethically Shop Online

Ethically Shop
Fighting poverty can seem an impossible task, but the truth is that organizations exist all over the world working to alleviate suffering by providing employment. It is also easy to partner with these organizations by ethically shopping. Below are five places to ethically shop while alleviating poverty in their countries.

The LifeStitches Project

The LifeStitches Project sells beautiful tabletop décor and other fabric products. Arua, Uganda is home to a vibrant and extensive fabric market. The LifeStitches workshop utilizes the fabrics to create skillfully sewn products. Brightly patterned tablecloths, potholders, aprons and bags show off the culture and skill of the women who create them.

LifeStitches began as a support group for women with HIV/AIDS. In Uganda, 1.2 million citizens have HIV/AIDS.  According to the website’s “LifeStitches Uganda Documentary,” 95% of “children living with HIV acquire it from their… mother.”

The documentary goes on to explain that, tragically, deep stigma often causes the women to stay silent about their condition. In 2000, a hospital worker, O’daru Grace Yiti, faced the dreaded diagnosis. Three years later, she brought other women living with HIV/AIDS together to support one another. They met “under the mango tree on the hospital grounds” and created a community for each other.

Two years later, Katherine Gnauck, M.D came to Arua and met the support group. She noticed a need for economic stability since the women faced such a strong stigma. Together, Gnauck and the support group began a project for the women to support themselves and their children.

Now, the women struggling with AIDS/HIV in Arua, Uganda have a place to make a living. Their products are available online via an Etsy shop.

Aarong

Aarong, an incredibly popular retail chain in Bangladesh, is another business that provides a way to ethically shop. Aarong sells clothing, jewelry and leather merchandise along with many other products.

The heart behind Aarong, according to its website, is to provide a “productive outlet for the marginalized artisans while celebrating quality work.” In order to accomplish this goal Aarong gives people training to become artisans. Shondhya Rani Sarkar joined Aarong to provide for her son. She worked her way up and is now training new employees. Aarong has helped over 65,000 artisans like Shondhya.

Aarong originally started as just a few artisans that BRAC, a development organization, employed to create unique goods. The beginning, in 1976, was quite slow, but over the course of time, Aarong became a well-known brand. Still employing local artisans, Aarong’s products are both ethical and well-made.

Its website provides an opportunity to ethically shop. It also has an app available for more convenient shopping.

Azizi Life

For home décor and kitchen wares in addition to bags and jewelry, the Rwandan company, Azizi Life, is a wonderful place to ethically shop. Its woven bowls and baskets have both simple and intricate designs, giving options for every style. In addition, the wooden kitchenware gives an artistic flair to everyday objects.

Azizi Life strives to build a family of businesses that would then feed into local efforts to alleviate poverty within the local community. With its roots in the organization Food for the Hungry, Azizi Life grew into a self-sustaining business that provides employment to artisans across Rwanda. In fact, Rwandan artisans create each of the products at Azizi Life.

Jeannine Umutoniwase became CEO in 2016 when the founder, a member of the nonprofit that founded the business, wanted to hand it over to local leadership.

The organization hopes to assist with “the national vision for growth and development.” According to its website, three of Azizi Life’s hallmarks are commitments to fair trade, sustainability and the environment. In addition, the artisans use natural products, and the company even ships the products in recyclable packaging.

To ethically shop at Azizi Life, visit its website.

Vi Bella

Vi Bella offers an easy way to shop ethically for jewelry, sewn and home products. Lovely and simple, the products span from stylish handbags to beaded earrings. Vi Bella also offers a wide selection of home décor.

Vi Bella started in 2011 when the founder, Julie Hulstein, saw terrible devastation in Haiti after a major earthquake. Because of the sudden poverty, she saw a need to sell goods from Haitian craftsmen. Additionally, she wanted to sell them at a fair wage and to a larger client base. Vi Bella offers a way for craftsmen to sell their products overseas.

Not long after, the organization expanded to Mexico and the U.S., employing over 60 craftspeople.

Vi Bella’s products are available on its website.

Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages is a store that sells beautiful handmade gifts from all over the world. With the aim to end generational poverty and bring about social change, Ten Thousand Villages sells everything from soap from Israel to hammocks that artisans made in Nicaragua.

The organization started in the 1940s when a few women from La Plata, Puerto Rico met an American by the name of Edna Ruth Byler. The women needed a go-between to export their embroidery. It started simply with Byler bringing products home to sell. Those simple acts resulted in Ten Thousand Villages, which, over 70 years later, is still thriving by employing local artisans all over the world who otherwise would have little means to export their goods.

Ten Thousand Villages provides a simple and often inexpensive place to shop on its website.

There are dozens of organizations that offer ways to ethically shop. In addition to the five above, there are a great many that have the heart to pull themselves and their neighbors out of poverty all while celebrating beautiful art and style.

– Abigail Lawrence
Photo: Flickr

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10 Reasons Why People Should Shop Fair Trade

Why people should shop fair tradeOver three years ago, Cathy Marks was hired for the managing position at the fair trade store, Ten Thousand Villages, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When the previous company she worked for, a franchising company, was sold, Marks was temporarily unemployed. During this time, she decided to look for a career in “something more meaningful.”

Having shopped at Ten Thousand Villages in the past, Marks said she was “intrigued as a customer” from the positive impact Ten Thousand Villages makes in preventing global poverty. It didn’t take long before she applied for the position. Since then, Marks is enjoying her job in the fair trade industry. She says her favorite part is telling stories about the artists to customers because the stories allow customers to make connections between specific artisans and their culture with their products.

Marks believes fair trade is necessary because it helps people in developing countries have higher standards for their communities, their homes and their educational systems. Here are 10 reasons why people should shop fair trade.

10 Reasons Why People Should Shop Fair Trade

  1. Fights Global Poverty and Hunger – Fair trade guarantees workers are paid at least a “minimum floor price,” or the amount it costs for them to produce their product. This standard ensures workers are not living in poverty, resulting in them being able to live comfortably with an income that fulfills their basic household needs such as food and clothing. On top of that, it also ensures workers have a surplus sum of money which they are able to save for future needs.
  2. Empowers Workers – Because fair trade ensures workers are living above the poverty line, workers are able to spend less time worrying about where their next meal is coming from, and more time planning for their future. Instead of depending on others for help, they have control over their own lives. They have the ability, time and resources to make choices for the good of themselves and their community.
  3. Positively Impacts Communities – On top of their wages, workers in the fair trade industry are also given premiums. Premiums are funds that workers can put toward whatever they feel will best benefit their community. For instance, workers can use premiums to better their community’s educational system, healthcare system, environment, recreational facilities or water access. This ensures better conditions and futures for workers’ communities.
  4. Ensures Safe Working Conditions – Fair trade protects workers’ basic human rights. It ensures they work reasonable hours and work in an environment that is free of harmful chemicals and substances. Marginalized and vulnerable populations are equally protected under fair trade standards. Workers are paid a wage that allows them better health and better nutrition.
  5. Prohibits Child Labor – Fair trade standards ensure no forms of child labor and child slavery are used on farms. Children under the age of 18 are then able to attend school and lead healthier lives. The fair wage gives workers the resources they need to ensure their children receive proper nutrition.
  6. Protects Women’s and Minorities’ Rights – Fair trade ensures that women and minority workers are not discriminated against. No matter the workers’ age, race, religion, gender or ethnicity, all are treated equally. All are guaranteed fair wages and ethical working conditions.
  7. Promotes Environment Sustainability – Fair trade products are created using limited amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. They are not genetically engineered and utilize the most efficient amount of waste, water and energy as possible. In addition, many fair trade products are made from recycled materials. This helps preserve our planet’s natural resources.
  8. Keeps Indigenous Cultures Alive – When people shop fair trade, they get to experience multiple cultures from across the globe without having to go overseas. Each product, whether it be clothing, coffee beans, baskets or jewelry, comes from an artisan who spent their time and talent crafting the product. Through fair trade, artisans are able to keep their culture alive, share it with others and pass it down to the younger generations.
  9. Supports Ethicality – When shopping fair trade, people make a statement about how they think employees in developing countries should be treated– with fairness and equality. They are saying they believe all farmers and artisans should be paid at least minimum wage for the products they produce and that all farmers and artisans deserve to live a comfortable, healthy life. Buying fair trade raises awareness of the issue of unethical labor tactics.
  10. Meaningful Impact – Every time someone consumes a fair trade product, they are fulfilled, since they know their purchase is helping someone across the globe live a life free from poverty.

Like Marks encourages her customers, these 10 reasons show why people should shop fair trade. By shopping fair trade, workers’ rights are protected. They are treated equally and paid fairly. They are able to attend school and live in a comfortable, healthy environment. Their cultures are kept alive. When someone shops fair trade, they are helping keep the industry alive. Through a simple Google search, people can find a fair trade store near them to shop at and join the fight.

– Emily Turner
Photo: Fair Trade Product by Emily Turner

Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Model

Fair Trade Model
Stopping into any Ten Thousand Villages store, there are multicolored products as diverse as the countries they are produced in. The Akron-based company runs on a Fair Trade business plan with craftsmen in over 38 countries. With over 65 years of business, Ten Thousand Villages has become one of the most prominent Fair Trade businesses in the world.

Many of the artisans employed by Ten Thousand Villages are underprivileged and the long-term contracts with the business create opportunities to alleviate their poverty. Many of the people who receive contracts are women who generally have fewer opportunities in their countries.

As a founding member of the World Free Trade Organization, Ten Thousand Villages has formed a business plan that is being used as a template for other companies with business dealings in poorer nations. Fair Trade models enable the craftsmen to be paid reasonable salaries, generally much higher than those they would be paid by businesses in their home country.

The payment is given in two parts: half when the order is placed and the rest after the product is completed. Together, the artists negotiate a deal with the company to cover their costs of production, as well as an adequate fee.

Through the contracts with Ten Thousand Villages, the artists are able to provide health care, education and nourishment to their families which they might have otherwise not had access to. The trickle-down effect of Fair Trade lasts for generations. More children are able to continue their education and then have more opportunities than the previous generation.

The contracts typically last several years, which provides a stable source of income for the artisans, as well as reliable products for the stores. The products are a homage to the unique cultures and materials accessible.

Though Ten Thousand Villages was one of the pioneers of the Fair Trade model, said model has proliferated to over 350 organizations in more than 70 countries united in the WFTO. One of the cornerstones of the Fair Trade model is to eliminate global poverty through raising wages to livable standards; so far, Ten Thousand Villages is helping achieve this goal.

–Kristin Ronzi

Sources: Ten Thousand Villages, WFTO
Photo: Blogto

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5 Ways to Fight Poverty with Your Wedding

fight poverty
It’s summer. That means wedding season and wedding season means thousands of couples will be getting married across the country. If you, like them, are in love and about to walk down the aisle, here are five ways you can fight poverty with your wedding:

1. Forgo traditional gifts.

Use your big day to fight poverty by asking guests to donate money to advocacy organizations such as The Borgen Project. Follow these instructions on how to set up a page to donate your wedding. 

2. Register with fair trade companies.

If you are financially unable to forgo gifts, then make a fair trade registry and make sure your gifts have a purpose and are ethical. Companies such as Amani ya Juu, Serrv and Ten Thousand Villages offer registries you can use to support impoverished workers from Kenya to Guatemala to Vietnam.

3. Have a dollar dance.

In many cultures, the bride and groom traditionally have a dollar dance where they tell guests they can pay a dollar or two to dance briefly with the bride or groom. Pick a few fun songs and set up baskets on both sides of the dancefloor. Donate the money from your dance to your cause of choice.

4. Take a responsible, eco-friendly honeymoon.

Every time you travel, you have the opportunity to help the people around you. Take a honeymoon that not only makes memories for you and your spouse but also creates a better place for locals to live. Use websites, like Responsible Travel,to make sure you support conservationism and human rights while you “travel like a local.” Companies, like Tribes, plant trees on your behalf and guarantee living-wage incomes to local employees.

5. Give to charities instead of favors.

Instead of giving your guests personalized candles or bags of coffee, make donations in their names to The Borgen Project or nonprofits like it. Through Heifer International, you can donate shares of larger animals for $10 to $85 or flocks of chicks for $20. Your wedding could provide eggs from hundreds of chickens to impoverished families across the world.

– Sally Nelson

Sources: The Borgen Project, Amani, Serrv, Ten Thousand Villages, Responsible Travel, Tribes, Heifer International
Photo: Wikipedia