Daughters Project- Center for Global Impact, Cambodia
As mentioned in previous posts about my time in Cambodia last year, I had the chance to see some really great projects in action. One such project is Daughters, a project for young women located just outside of Phnom Penh and run by the Center for Global Impact. They are doing some great things in providing training and opportunity for work and personal growth for women who may not otherwise have the opportunity. Here is what the CGI website has to say about the project:
CGIDaughters is a division of Center For Global Impact, a U.S. faith-based relief and development organization. It is a two-year residential program. We offer life-skills training, education, health care, money management and professional seamstress training all through the lens of Jesus Christ. Our product line is handmade with fair-trade principles.
I had a great time visiting the project on a few different days. My friends are involved in it on many levels, so I was able to experience the project in a variety of ways. From running errands for fabric and picking up labels for purses to playing a role in English classes and seeing my friend, Katy, lead them in Bible study. I also saw them meet their goal of making 100 clutch purses to receive a reward of Dairy Queen ice cream. It was great motivation for them! CGI is doing some great things to help women succeed in Cambodia!
The daughters’ workshop
The women at work
One of the many purses made during my time there.
Katy leading English class
They reached their goal!
Katy and I with some of the Daughters after English class.
I also had the chance to visit the home where the Daughters live on another side of the city.
byTavi: Center for Global Impact, Cambodia
When I was in Cambodia this past summer, I was able to visit the workshop of byTavi outside Phnom Penh. It was really fun for me to be there and to meet Tavi, since I had attended a trunk show of byTavi products and have since worn an ID card holder made by one of these women everyday at work. Rather than putting it in my own words, I’ll share the Center for Global Impact‘s description of this successful project:
A faith-based micro-enterprise initiative of Center for Global Impact (CGI), byTavi teaches at-risk, impoverished women how to sew handbags and other accessories. Employed by CGI, the women receive fair wages while their products are marketed internationally.
Through this program these women have grown in confidence and joy as they provide for their families in a healthy way. In addition to learning marketable skills, these women are also surrounded by the love of Christ through CGI’s trusted Cambodian Management Team and other international partners.
Founded in 2009 by CGI’s president Chris Alexander and a meek woman by the name of Tavi, this program provides a unique opportunity to empower the poor and prevent human trafficking.
Please click over to the above links to learn more about what Center for Global Impact is doing in Cambodia to help women succeed. Here are some photos from the byTavi workshop. Enjoy!
Here are the elephant purses in the works.
This is Tavi (for whom the project is named) working in the workshop.
Bags ready to go to the U.S.
A bonus of being onsite was that I got to give a custom order! This is my rice bag in the making by Nary.
The Market in Battambang, Cambodia- June 2012
The day after I went up the mountain to the Killing Caves outside Battambang, I was able to visit the Battambang market with a kind woman from the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery on her daily market run. She has a very efficient system to her market run, which includes visiting regular vendors who she knows and having the Tuk Tuk driver appropriately parked and ready to come assist in retrieving the good when they’re ready. She has friends with whom she leaves some of her buys to pick up on the way out, so she doesn’t have to carry everything around with her. I appreciated her willingness to slow down a bit so I could capture some of the many sights of the market with my camera. Please note that if you don’t enjoy the sight of raw meat, you may not want to proceed to some of the final photos… don’t say I didn’t warn you! 🙂
First, a photo of the lovely, kind woman who took me to the mountain and allowed me to tag along with her at the market the next day:
my wonderful market guide
This is where the Tuk Tuk driver dropped us off.
I have no idea how she sat there by the grill with long sleeves on in the Cambodian heat.
Yes, I believe those are yellow chickens… and yes, I wish that the pajamas as normal day wear trend would reach the U.S.
I love tropical fruit.
Buddhists monks walk around in the mornings asking for donations for the temple.
I can’t remember what these are… i think it might be some kind of fish paste? Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
They sell everything in those markets!
A meat section… not exactly the USA supermarket meat department!
Yes, I did take a photo of the pig heads and I posted it here… just want you to get the full experience like I did!
And finally we picked up a treat for the girls at the restaurant- fried bananas.
The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in Battambang, Cambodia
As promised, it’s time to share about the great things happening in Cambodia that I was able to see this past June and July when I visited. (Click here to see the previous posts from my trip, in succession.)
The Center for Global Impact has a fantastic thing going on in the city of Battambang in northern Cambodia. Their website describes it well, so I’ll quote them here: “The Culinary Training Center (CTC) is the largest project undertaken by CGI to date. Students are enrolled in a two-year training program that will prepare them to enter into the most distinguished kitchens in Cambodia. The CTC plays a significant role in establishing a successful strategy for developing future employment opportunities for orphans, at-risk, and formerly trafficked women .”
My friends, Katy and Alan, and I were able to spend a few days in Battambang seeing The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in action. It was so fun to hang out with the head chef and teacher, Ryana, and get to know the girls in the school a bit. During those days, we ate a lot and I had a fun adventure at the market and on a bamboo train that I’ll post about in the future. The food was SO delicious and the atmosphere was very comfortable. It was fun to see how much business they were getting after the few short months they had been open. Check out their website here.
I hope you enjoy a look at this great project that is providing work for some wonderful young women in Cambodia! Oh, and since you probably can’t stop by for a food sampling anytime soon, please check out the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery Cookbook available for purchase here. You won’t regret it!
The food there is seriously delicious. I’m still craving the pickles and sauce (bottom left photo). You really should go buy their cookbook (see link above). 🙂
They had a big group that day!
Chef and teacher, Ryana, does a great job keeping things running smoothly.
The girls are able to build relationships with each other and volunteers. Through the school, they also have life skills and English classes, culinary teaching, and devotional times with mentors.
They sell byTavi items there, another project of The Center for Global Impact.
Place-mats out to dry.
This makes you want to go buy the cookbook now, doesn’t it?
The tuktuk is a moving advertisement for them. It goes to the market at least once a day! Stay tuned for a blog post about the sights, sounds, and smells of a Cambodian market. 🙂
Coming Soon: Cambodia Through My Lens
Greetings from Cambodia!
My Internet/computer access is very limited right now, but I wanted to check in and say hello.
I’m having a fantastic experience and can’t wait to share pictures from my time here when I return. Some things I’ve learned in my time here include:
-Cambodia is hotter than all get-out… seriously, Indiana has nothing on Cambodia when it comes to the heat/humidity factor.
-it reminds me a lot of parts of Thailand, but it’s also very unique. (a popular quote here fits well: “same same, but different”)
-I wish I could capture the sounds, smells, and tastes in addition to the photos I’m taking.
Here are some highlights I look forward to sharing pics from:
-Angkor Wat temples
-getting a fish foot massage
-Center for Global Impact’s training restaurant The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in Battambang
-a Killing Cave where 10,000 Khmer Rouge killings took place on top of a mountain
-an acrobat circus training school show
-my visit to the morning market with a lovely Khmer woman from the restaurant this morning
I hope you’re having a great summer. I’ll try to check in again soon!
jenni mansell photography 