Embracelets For Books

Support Rural Women and Girls in Cambodia Through Your Embracelets © Purchase

2011-03-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Pauline Johns, Director Om Chamnap and I, plus our special guests Robin and Claire from Australia, made a special trip to the Takeo village of Trapeang Thum in Takeo district and were amazed by the creativity of our group of 10 women and one boy enrolled in the ‘Embracelets’ © Program there.

Yes! – We have one 16 year-old male student, Pros, in the program. He comes from a particularly impoverished family in a nearby village and makes income for his family by hunting frogs (for food) at night. A couple of months ago he had been hired to clean our yard. He and his younger brother would work away at cleaning up the property while we were running the initial week-long Embracelets © program.

Pros would pick up the off-cast pieces of string off the ground and started weaving bracelets. Much to our surprise, he had the ability to weave beautiful, intricate bracelets! Where he ever learned this, I don’t know – but it wasn’t long before we made him a ‘teacher’ and he was showing the women how to weave his designs.

That started the creativity ball rolling and soon all the women were creating their own unique designs in every color combination imaginable. Some of the string bracelet designs incorporate leather - some with colorful beads. Rings, keychains, pens, schoolbag ornaments – you name it – they invented a way to weave it!

Everyone who arrived at the program two weeks ago had a small bag of creations to give us. All string, materials and tools were supplied for them through the program. As they each turned in their bag of creations, they were given $5.00 for their efforts. That’s a total of $10 that each woman received – a generous stipend when you consider that the average daily salary for working 12 hours in a sweltering rice field is $1.00.

But that is just the beginning of the benefits that this ‘Embracelets’ © program will realize for these women and other rural women and girls like them.

These creative designs will now be sold in Canada and Australia and all the money from sales will go back into the program to fund the educational needs of these 10 women and one boy. Funds will also go towards enrolling other women into the program in Takeo and Battambang provinces. In Koas Krala district in Battambang province, special consideration will be given to enroll landmine-affected female family members into the program.

From sales in Canada and Australia, these first 11 participants will be supplied with school uniforms and supplies and perhaps even bicycles for the children of the mothers enrolled in the program. Students in the program will also receive the same.

‘Embracelets’© is a program of Banyan Learning Tree – a registered organization in Cambodia: http://banyanlearningtree.blogspot.com/ . In Canada, 'Embracelets for Books'© a copyrighted and registered program of A Mine Free World Foundation http://www.aminefreeworld.org/.

In Ontario, Embracelets© will be available for purchase at all Rotary Wheels for Learning presentations: http://rotarywheelsforlearning.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-presentations.html

In Australia, contact Pauline Johns to purchase or help sell some Embracelets©: paulinej1@mac.com

You can help support this program through your purchase of an item or perhaps even take a few Embracelets© products to sell to your family, friends and co-workers. They make a wonderful gift. Each item is packaged in a bag with a colorful insert describing the program. Many thanks to Dan Blix for the creation of these colorful inserts: Dan's Advertising Design: http://dansadvertisingdesign.blogspot.com/

For more information, please contact Lisa McCoy at: schoolsforcambodia@gmail.com or 705-687-8538.

Embracelet Program for Rural Women in Takeo Province, Cambodia

2010-12-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, A Mine Free World Board members Pauline Johns and I spent an enjoyable week teaching 11 women in Trapeang Thum, Takeo province how to weave 'Embracelets'.

The course was a resounding success as by the end of the week the women were teaching us the innovative new designs and patterns that they invented!

The project, conducted under our new Cambodian registered organization 'Banyan Learning Tree' taught these women a new skill and provided them with some income.

Last year, over $200 was raised by Embracelet sales in Canada. This money was brought back to Cambodia to buy supplies and provide capital for 11 women to carry on the program.

The women came to our village house in Takeo every morning for one week. At the end of the week, the women were each paid $5 for the items they made during the week. They were also given a small bag of supplies, string, beads, scissors and leather, so they could continue making the woven items in their spare time at home.

In February, Pauline and I will go back to the village and gather up the items the women made, at which time they will be paid another $5.00. This may not sound like a lot of money, but at village level, where a rice farmer makes $1.00/day working in the hot sun from 5am to dark, this bracelet income is added income which goes a long way for a village family.

The program is a lot of fun, and also builds the women's self esteem through the sense of pride they feel with the beautiful items they create. It's a wonderful outlet for their creativity and a chance to learn a little English from us.

I return to Canada in April with a suitcase full of these lovely items which will be sold at presentations and by mail order in Canada.

The money raised will go towards educational supplies for the young women in the program. For the older women, educational supplies,school uniforms, school fees - perhaps even bicycles - will be provided for their children.

You'll be amazed by the beautiful items shown on this blog, and I'll be happy to provide any groups in Muskoka a presentation on this program and bring along the items that the village women here in Cambodia have made.

Thanks to Muskokans, Dan Blix, Bill and Dora Rathbun and Jay and Linda Harrison for all the woonderful support of this program.

Buy an ‘Embracelet’ and Support Rural Cambodian Women and Children

2009-04-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

100% of your ‘Embracelet’ purchase goes towards funding educational supplies and programs for women and their childre. To order your hand-woven ‘Embracelet’, call Lisa McCoy at 705-687-8538, or email at schoolsforcambodia@gmail.com . ‘Embracelets’ are also available by mail order, and will be shipped by Canada Post – the most economical choice. Most ‘Embracelets’ fit in a letter-size envelope. Please add the cost of shipping from Canada to your total. Prices are listed below. Cheques are made out to ‘Lisa McCoy’ – please write ‘Embracelets’ in the memo field, and send to:

‘Embracelets For Books’, Box 53, Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, P1P 1T5

Shipping Costs for each Embracelet:

Within Canada -- $0.60
To U.S.A. -- $1.10
International -- $2.00
If you wish, please specify a color or color combination preference.

Thank you for helping the women and children of Cambodia realize and embrace their educational dreams!