HISTORY OF TAILORING GRADUATES/ARTISANS AT CHA
Ms. Sok Khieng, 19, was born in Chealea village, Chelea Commune, Bathay District, Kompong Cham Province. She has 3 siblings; her mother was divorced since she was young. Sok Khieng was handicapped by a lack of vaccine (Polio) since she was one year old. She finished at elementary school that was located in her village. Because of her difficulty in traveling for a long way to school and lack of money, she helped a lot of doing homework and cooking food in her family. Whereas her mother tried to find money to support her family and to do farming by herself. So everything that she could help her family was in small part only. Everyday, she always felt that she was adult, and had no skill; therefore, she couldn't help more than this. At that time, she thought that dying was better than living but her mother always consoled her feeling and advised to give good spirit that she should think of everything that she was able to do. Then, she had a great imagination that she wanted to be a good tailor because this work could be done at one place-not only working at home, but also getting income. This idea was in her heart all the time; fortunately, there was a staff from Skill Training School coming to her own house. He knew her through district staff of Bathay Social Department. He came to meet them to recruit the handicapped students to learn skills at Skill Training Program in Phnom Penh. Then, she decided to go to school immediately because her imagination came up, but after that, she changed her mind a little bit because she thought of her family's living standard and she wouldn't leave far away from her mother and home because she had never left from her family since she was born, but she thought about her future and family like other family's living in the village. When she got the approved letter to attend a school, she was very happy to learn skills. At first, when she arrive at school, she seemed that she missed her mother and siblings, but the trainers gave her some good advice, encouragement and warm esteem, so they made her feeling warm enough and made her skill better through one year period of the theories and practice; as the matter of fact, she not only learnt skill at school and workshop more perfectly, but also learn how to run small business that was the way to let her deal with it easily. During her stay at school, she got good experience in both study and social living. When she graduated from school to go home, she started raising her living, and she was a new person for earning her family's income daily, this time is for her to do business in social community in order to deal with her living standard as others. She started setting up a small tailoring stall by getting the profit from workshop at school while she worked for 6-months period. And under the support and help from CHA staff she set up the small tailoring stall. At the time, she knew well living in struggle was valuable. She herself was able to overcome in this struggle and difficulty . Opening this tailoring stall made her deal with her living for a big part of her life; moreover, many customers supported her achievement. Not only this success was getting better, but also her father came back to live with her family. That's why; her family has been in prosperous happiness. On behalf of the disabled people, she is a disabled person who thinks that everybody has the same value. Right now, she doesn't think of the disability because her heart and spirit is not handicapped like her physical well-being. She can work like everybody and participate as gook citizen in the community and the whole society in the future. On the other hand, this success with the advocacy from her family makes her living standard and daily income steady and better in the national society as other families. Now, she needs to export her products so that she can get more income and designs for her family and her whole life better and better.
Landmine Victim at CHA
Ms. Meas Thann, 25 was born in Compong Chhnang Province, where many landmines had been buried, northern part of Phnom Penh City. She stepped on mine while she was clearing the bushes near the railway in her village. She was unconscious while stepping on mine in the afternoon and recovered in the morning at the district hospital, and then she was taken to the provincial hospital about 100kms. After having stayed at hospital for one week, she was operated on for her right leg. At that time, She was crying a lot because she lost her right leg and she thought that her life was meaningless, and she wanted to die. She thought nothing at all but hand a little idea about her family. Then, she came back to her village, but she could not go outside her house because she was shy with her neighbors; therefore, she stayed in and under her house without doing anything beside her housework. She had nothing to do, and depended on her poor family. She thought and imagined that she was hopeless: no friends , no education, no skills and no money. She was waiting for her fate with hopelessness, and she did not know how to get skill and solve her living standard . She decide to attend Skill Training School To get basic skills, and spent one year and a half learning tailoring skill and practicing her skills in the workshop at CHA. She has practiced a lot her skills and improved her designs till she becomes the production manager at CHA. Right now, she is very happy to pursue her skills and continue her life with happiness. She is the main person in CHA PROJECT to guide all artisans and trainees to get basic skills in the program and workshop. She is not shy any more, and she has many friends and can go to market to buy something without shame. She not only helps her family, but also solves her life easily. She still depends to foreign markets and customers to support her items through CHA project because all of them have had difficulties in finding out markets for selling their products in the local country. Most of the disabled people have met market problems, because they have made only handicrafts. She does not have funds to start their own business in the village, so she still works in CHA PROJECT. She has business plan to set up her business by saving money from CHA so that she can run her own business at her house near future. She needs some help from foreign customers to place orders in order that she can get profit to live on for the time being. Soon, she will get her life better and help her poor family with hope like other people. Please see more!
Double Amputee at CHA
Mrs. Hieng Pen, 42, was born in Treuy Mayab Village, Prasat Commune, Suntuk Distrit, Kompong Thom Province, and Northern part of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She was a double amputee from birth in a very poor family who has seven siblings (four brothers and three sisters). Her parents were farmers who lived from hand to mouth. She had not attended a school because she couldn't walk, and the school was far from her house; therefore, she had to stay at her house and was hopeless for her life. She was illiterate, and kept her house cleaned. All of her brothers, sisters and parents went farming far from her house, and left her alone at home. She tried to find firewood behind her house, and gathered them by carrying them on her head. Sometimes, she took paddy to the mill to get rice by using her head to carry it. Her parents were less important in taking care of her because of disability. She couldn't do anything except small things at home. So, her parents bought something and gave to her brother and sisters only do nothing. Her siblings are less important in raising her life, which suffered from disability. She had no skill and literacy to deal with her life. How could she pursue her effort and study? He father died of swollen belly in 1985, and she was burdensome in her life because she was an adult without any skills for her life. After that, she began to imagine finding out Skill Training School in Phnom Penh, she was happy to show her acceptance of attending school to him. While she was at Skill Training School, she also attended literacy class for 12-month period (two hours a day). She not only learnt tailoring subject, but also literacy. She tried to learn hard until she completed her class successfully. When she went back home, all her siblings admired her achievement, which she learnt at school for one year and a half. Then, she thought that her life was meaningful with happiness. She became a skilled person, and can read a little bit, and all the villagers regarded her tailoring as specified skilled person, and can read a little bit, and all the villagers regarded her tailoring as specified skill. At that time, her business, which was opened in from of her house, was improved better and better. And then unfortunately, Cambodia has has imported a large number of second-hand clothes, so she was difficult to improve her business in her village. In August 2001, her mother died of the same illness as her father. She was more upset and did nothing except worry. She didn't know how to deal with her life, so she came to CHA project to ask for help. Right now, she depends on getting income form CHA. Therefore, CHA manager has tried to find markets not only for her, but also for many disabled . CHA also depends on the customers outside Cambodia so that we can pursue our program and continue helping them in meaningful way. We do hope all of the customers will try to find best way to assist us with kindness.
These are some of our artisans & leaders taken in front CHA workshop
Mailing Address: Cambodian Handicraft Association for Landmine and Polio Disabled ( CHA ), House # 40 160., Sagkat Teak Laok 2, Khan Tuol Kok, P.O. Box 1396, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: & Fax # : 855-23-882-720 & Mobile Phones: 855-12-916-796 / 855-12-913-861
Websit: www.bigpond.com.kh/users/wthanchashop
Email: wthanchashop@bigpond.com.kh