Tropical Greetings from Cambodia! 

 

Yes, we are still here, prepping for Week # 2 in Cambodia and then off to visit Asian Threads of Napanat, Thailand before our flight home on April 10th.

 

Our first week in Cambodia was primarily devoted to meeting with our largest supplier, STOPstart ("STOP the trafficking and START a new life.") You know them as the creators of our vibrantly-colored recycled rice bag products as well as our elegant fabric bags. STOPstart's predecessor (Hagar Design) was one of our first suppliers when we began Kingdom Ventures and we made our first visit here in 2006. During that visit, the women who do the sewing just happened to be working on our order when we visited them on the sewing room floor!

 

As in all relationships, one has to be deliberate and invest time. This past week we frequently visited the sewing room floor, fostering trust through our genuine interest in those who sew for us. Through our translator we were able to briefly explain our role as well as publically thank them for their excellence in making the products. Once again, everyone happened to be working on products from OUR soon-to-ship order during our visit! It truly is exciting to see our products being constructed right in front of us!

 

Rather than more words, come along with us in pictures and video as we see several of our soon-to-ship bags being made. (Please note we personally asked permission of the workers to take photos and video, which they graciously granted.)

 

A number of our new bags are made from this "Fruit & Veggie" bag that STOPstart found for us last year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the fronts of the bags before and after the white strips are added.

 

 

 

 

One of the workers sewing the Fruit & Veggie strips onto the back of the bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duo can be ordered NOW from our website for delivery in early June. Click the picture to order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another of the "Fruit & Veggie" bags coming is the Dudie. We were amazed at the number of steps required to make this little bag. This video shows how the cloth trim is installed on the bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dudie is also available to pre-order from our site by clicking the picture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there's our Rainbow Tote, shown here near final assembly, and (below) stacked and ready for packing!

 

Just a few final pictures of the factory and the workers leaving after the end of their workday.

 

 

 

 

A tuk-tuk (motocycle-taxi) is the most common form of transportation in Cambodia if you don't own a motorbike.

"You may choose to look the other way,
but you can never again say you did not know."

~ William Wiberforce (1759-1833) ~

British politican and abolitionist

This (ad)Venture is a bit different because we're in the MIDST of our Far East Trip. In fact, I'm writing this from a bungalow in Kep, Cambodia as we take a couple days away from our meetings in Phnom Penh.

Because we wanted to share mostly about our visit with the dear people at STOPstart, we've "lengthened" the main article and left out all the other articles this month. But for those of you who need even MORE, be sure to follow our Facebook page AND look for a more extensive set of posts on our website after we get home.  

It's important that we remind you that while KVI is "all about the people", our ability to create sustainable jobs for them is directly tied to our ability to market their products, which is where you, dear readers, come in. If you believe in what we're trying to do at KVI, please consider us for your gift-giving needs - and be sure to encourage your friends to come along on the journey as well. We (and all our artisan friends) thank you for your support and your purchases!

 

Wishing you a GREAT month!

  

Rebecca & Glenn Fadner

"Making a Difference!" 

 

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