Mr. Hay Kim Tha-(Cambodian)

Personal History:

Mr. Hay Kim Tha was born in Phnom Penh in a poor family.  He had 2 older sisters,2 older brothers, 3 younger brothers and one younger sister.  Most of them died during the Khmer Rouge Regime.  Right now, he still has one older brother and one older sister.  During the Khmer Rouge Regime (between 1975 to 1978), Kim Tha and his family were forced to move from Phnom Penh and went to live in a remote village in Pursat Province, northem part of Phnom Penh, where his mother, 2 sisters and 4 brothers were killed when Kim Tha was 16.  He later returned to Phnom Penh and echoed the instability of times in moving from job to job before he came into contact in 1991 with NGO project whose Cambodian Branch was in its second year of operation,  a part of NGO, Kim Tha actually studied leadership designs, sewing and weaving abroad, including Chiang Mai and Bangkok in Thailand, while in India he learned weaving designs and in new Zealand Western fashion in 1995, when he returned to Cambodia, he asked himself what he could do as Cambodian Designer, and chose to study traditional designs in the several of Cambodia, working to establish himself as a designer for the workshops for the disabled.  "We export little products to other countries such as the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Singapore, Thailand, France, and Canada.  Kim Tha wants to dispel the gloomy image and spread the beauty of Cambodian fashion worldwide" Cambodian designer/ Director Hay Kim Tha's challenge continues.

He has been a Social Worker, Director and Coordinator at Skill Training Program for Landmine and Polio Disabled in Phnom Penh City since the beginning in 1991, and for most of that time he has been in charge of the Tailoring, Carpentry and Weaving Workshops.  It is largely on account of his skills that all the staff feels confident to pursue this new project of Cambodian Handicraft Association (CHA) for Landmine and Polio Disabled Cambodia.

He will be responsible to the director for all things related to the activities of the project, production, sales, customer relations and financial management of the workshops, program management and the whole association.  His accounts and inventory will be subject to regular audits for the duration of CHA's involvement, with the highest concern going to the welfare of the beneficiaries.                         Continue!