Here we go!

From: Maiwenn
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Having our products included in the latest edition of Courrier International is another one of the great outcomes of Friends-International and Mith Samlanh’s Home Based Production project. It is not just the training and skills that the team has provided to the families, but also the very strong relationship and trust that is exists between the team and the families.

One of the reasons orders like this are so important to us, is that it means that we can have more families join the Home Based Production project and as a result, more kids are able to go back to school. It’s a very positive and successful way for these families to break out of the cycle of poverty.

It all started when one of our other clients ‘Equite’ put us in contact with Courrier International. We were excited at the prospects of a partnership but were not expecting to ever see our products for sale in their magazine like this!

When we got the order for 900 pieces we almost fell off our chairs! Lucky for us the teams love a good challenge.

This order was a difficult one though.

First we had to select the right pages of the old editions of the magazine to be used in making the products. This had to be done by the French speaking members of the team who spent hours pouring over magazines and choosing appropriate pages (tough job!). We set up production lines at our workshops in Andong and Pteah Tooit in Cambodia, so that different parts of the products could be made by different groups of parents, depending on their particular skills.

The experience was really rewarding for all the families and teams involved – it was certainly an exercise which has built an even stronger sense of team spirit and cooperation.

Once all the products were finished we thought the hard work was over, but trying to send the products from Phnom Penh turned out to be a delicate affair! (If anyone reading this is from a transport/shipping company, please get in contact with us!)

Right. So, what s next…?

To see the products visit the Courrier International website