You may recall in September 2009, we shared that our main supplier, Hagar Design of Cambodia, was becoming STOPstart.  Hagar International had made a significant decision to "spin off" Hagar On-Time! (HO-T!), their textile business that manufactures all of our Hagar Design products. (Those details for review: click this link) However, the condensed version is that in order to conserve finances for their social programs, Hagar International sold HO-T! to a group of like-minded Australians who operate it under the name STOPStart. Therefore the products we subsequently receive come equipped with the above STOPstart hangtag.

Since a year has passed, we thought we'd report in with the progress of this significant decision. For us, the transition has been virtually seamless. Our largest challenge comes from STOPstart's direction of moving more and more of the management responsibility to Cambodians -- particularly women who have "come up through the ranks". As their English isn't QUITE as good as the folks from Australia and New Zealand, we DO occasionally have some communication "challenges". We are thrilled to have a great working relationship with STOPstart which includes a multi-national collaborative effort to develop new products.

But KVI's connection with Hagar and its social  mission is not simply a "business relationship."As social entrepreneurs, we are as interested and invested in the people behind the products as much as in providing them with economic empowerment and sustainability.

Since our launch in 2005, we at KVI have been closely affiliated with Hagar International and its mission to bring restoration and rehabilitation to Cambodian women and their children who have been rescued from sexual slavery and extreme domestic violence.  We invite you to explore Hagar International, who they are, their social mission, and the lives they touch.  A short Intro to Hagar video will introduce you to its founder and the mission through the eyes of the restored women. Please consider exploring their website and discover the work of Hagar which is now also in Vietnam and Afghanistan.  Finally Hagar USA's quarterly newsletter is available for a quick but valuable read.