Empower At-Risk Girls in Cambodia

In April this year, we were honored to be a part of Fashion Revolution Week, a global movement to bring more transparency to the fashion industry. The movement calls on large fashion brands to share the full details of their supply chain, while also encouraging smaller ethical brands to share the stories behind their producers. 

As a social business / non-profit hybrid, Senhoa was thrilled to use the Fashion Revolution platform to share the stories of our survivor artisans. We created a short video highlighting both their skill as jewelry designers and producers, as well as their strength as independent, self-sufficient women.

 Senhoa Fashion Revolution Video

In addition to the artisans featured on the video, a few others shared with us what it means to be a part of the Senhoa team in an interview we did with them.

Why is Senhoa important to you?

“Senhoa helps both me and other women to be free from the types of social discrimination we commonly face in Cambodia. It provides us a job, an opportunity to get an education, and a chance for women to become a new person.”

“Senhoa helps me achieve my goal and change my future to become a valuable person. It helps my family to get away from any judgment from society.”

Does the jewelry you create hold any special meaning for you?

“It teaches me to have persistence and self-confidence, and it shows how hard I have worked and paid attention to each collection when I finish.”

“I like that I can make jewelry even though I don’t have an education. Unlike with other jobs, I can still make jewelry even though I can’t read or write.”

What else would you like to share about your experience with Senhoa?

“Before coming to work at Senhoa I was hopeless and never expected to have skills that could benefit others. After working here, Senhoa helped to build my soft skills—such as confidence and hard work—and my hard skills in designing and creating new jewelry styles. I can hardly believe the person I have become.”

Recently, we welcomed a new trainee to become a part of Senhoa’s female-powered artisan team; Julie* joined us in January and has been progressing very well in the jewelry skills training program.

Julie’s family is originally from Battambang province in northwest Cambodia, from a small and poor village. When she was young, her family agreed to go to Thailand a seek work, though a network of human traffickers who promised them the opportunity to make more money working in a factory there. Julie was young and stayed at home while her parents and most of her siblings worked long hours in a factory for the equivalent of less than $10 per day. They could not earn enough to cover their basic living expenses and were constantly living in fear of being caught by the Thai police, so they eventually returned to Cambodia and moved to Siem Reap.

Here in Siem Reap, Julie began working at a Karaoke bar – a line of work in Southeast Asia which often puts women at risk of sexual exploitation, in an environment with alcohol, drugs, and men who can get aggressive with the women. She began dating someone she met at the karaoke bar and would often stay out late drinking with him, until one day they were in a motorbike accident and Julie suffered a mild head trauma. She eventually recovered in the hospital, however she experienced some memory loss from this incident and her family took care of her while she recovered. Following this incident, both Julie wanted to begin working in a safer environment; this is when another non-profit organization in Siem Reap referred her to the Senhoa program as an opportunity for income generation and women’s empowerment through life skills training courses.

Julie has now been part of the Senhoa jewelry skills program for two months, and will graduate to become a full-time Senhoa artisan at the end of March. She is a quick learner and loves socializing with the other members of the team. As she continues to improve her skill level, she looks forward to making more advanced pieces and being able to help support her family members even further. We are glad to have Julie as the newest member of the “Senhoa family!”

 *Name has been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.  

• Julie's intricate wire wrap work (DOCX)