Me and Mavis on NewsRadio 93.8 today

I just got an email from Shaffiq, a super nice reporter from MediaCorp who visited Siem Reap last week and contacted me about an interview. I was so surprised to see him sitting on the floor of the Bloom shop when I went to meet him. How atypical of a Singaporean! (Usually the Singaporeans I meet in Cambodia are a little haughty, and obsessed about cleanliness - no way would they sit on a shop floor in Cambodia!) Straightaway I knew I would like this guy. :)

We had a great time, having dinner and drinks almost every day he was here. Shaffiq fell in love with Siem Reap and says he will be back.

Anyway, I introduced Shaffiq to Mavis whom I've written about before. She runs Touch A Life, a food programme here in Siem Reap. Mavis just rented a house this month in order to start some sort of a soup kitchen for the rubbish collectors and other poor and needy people.

Shaffiq interviewed us on tape and edited it for the radio programme - it wasn't 'live', thank goodness! I learnt it was broadcast on radio in Singapore this morning and Shaffiq emailed me the transcript. Here it is:

10/06/10 Helping the needy in Cambodia FTR
Siem Reap, a major gateway to Cambodia, is only about two hours away by plane from Singapore.
It still has the feel of a charming sleepy little town.
However, this may change - thanks to a rise in tourist traffic as the majestic Angkor Wat lies only a stone's throw away.
Despite this development, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia.
Many of its people are still picking up the pieces after enduring years of hardship - from a war with Vietnam that only ended in 1989 to the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime that left some 1.7 million people dead.
Even though most Singaporeans are content to just join the droves of tourists over the ruins of Angkor, some have decided to reach out to needy Cambodians and help them get on with their lives.
Shaffiq Alkhatib caught up with two Singaporean women who are doing just that - and are calling Siem Reap home.
IN: Tucked away...
OUT:...938LIVE
DUR: 5min 21s
TITLE: 10/06 Cambodia FTR
===============
Tucked away along a little street in downtown Siem Reap lies a shop that's only slightly bigger than a bedroom in a typical HDB flat.
But unlike the many stores in the area that mainly offer trinkets to tourists, Bloom sells colourful, handmade bags made from recycled materials such as rice sacks and animal-feed bags.
Its owner is 38-year-old Singaporean, Diana Saw.
She used to draw a six-figure annual salary when she was the regional General Manager for an Australia-based multi-national publishing company.
But a trip to Siem Reap in April 2006 with a friend from a non-government organisation or NGO against child trafficking changed everything.
The NGO, called Riverkids, is run by a Singaporean couple.
"During that four-day holiday, I encountered a mother who sold her newborn baby boy for a hundred US dollars. How can you know about things that go in your own backyard and go on with your lives? And so I decided because I don't have children and I don't have a mortgage, I could easily just move. So I convinced my partner that this is the right thing to do. Now I don't earn anything because I started Bloom with my own savings and I wanted the money to go to the Khmers. But as a business, I've learnt you can't run business that way. So at some point, I have to pay myself a salary."
Ms Saw returned to Cambodia a month later to rent a house.
Another month later, she settled there.
She stresses that Bloom is not an NGO but a social enterprise.
She has hired 15 local Cambodians to make the bags in Phnom Penh and two to take care of the shop in Siem Reap.
" To me, I feel the NGOs here, a lot of them have not left a legacy. If they did their jobs well, they could up and leave and the country will still be able to operate without them. But I don't think that's the case in Cambodia. If the NGOs were to up and leave, a lot of people will lose their jobs and it's still one of the poorest countries in the world. So for me, I want the benefits to accrue to the poorest...And the other thing I noticed is when people get donations, they have this welfare mentality. And I think if people need jobs, you give them jobs. Teach a man to fish rather than throw him a fish."
Ms Saw pays her employees a minimum of 70 US dollars for a 40-hour work week.
In Cambodia, similar workers usually get 20 US dollars less and they slog for 48 hours a week.
"I follow Singapore law. They have 14 days sick leave a year, plus 14 days public holidays. So they've got 28 days paid annual holidays. And that's why nobody resigns from Bloom basically."
Business may be "blooming" now.
But Ms Saw still encounters cultural differences that sometimes hinder her noble intentions.
"For me, it's always the culture. You adapt or you'll die! If people are interested in doing business in Cambodia, you really need a very good local partner or friend. I was very lucky. Even my landlords have been very helpful to me. People have been very generous. I've got many good Cambodian friends - from my landlords to my staff to even former staff. They've come back to help me whenever I have a problem."
Another Singaporean, 55-year old Mavis Ching, prepares free meals for the needy in Siem Reap.
She usually finds it difficult to communicate effectively with the Cambodians as they speak Khmer, and she isn't fluent in the language.
"But there are enough people who I know speak enough English to help me by. Otherwise, when you reach out from the heart, it's easy to get things done."
The former piano teacher is the founder of an NGO, called Touch A Life.
Ms Ching, who arrived in Cambodia in June 2008, now whips up about 2,500 meals a month.
She would then hop on a motorcycle to distribute them to the residents of nearby villages.
"In Cambodia, I cook meals which I offer to poor people. I think they deserve to have a free meal once in a while. They're vegetarian-based meals, vegetables with proteins coming from eggs and tofu. I had two different kitchens to cook in. One was in the kitchen of a hospitality school - the Shinta Mani Hotel and another one was in the kitchen of a disabled group of people. I decided to help them by having them cook for me so it was a means of income for them. But now the hotel is being renovated for expansion, so that one is out and the disabled people have moved to the village."
Because of these changes, Ms Ching has decided to use her own kitchen.
She wants to operate a meal centre from her own home this month to serve about 100 needy people a day.
Ms Ching will open her doors to them three times a week.
Two days will be set aside to distribute food to the villagers.
"I can tell you the total expenses, including transport, it's about 1,500 US dollars a month. (And where do you get your income from?) It's from well-wishers, friends, family, people who feel moved to help."
Some of her Cambodian friends pitched in - they transformed the verandah of her rented bungalow into an eating area for the needy.
They also built four wooden tables and eight benches, and transformed her backyard into a kitchen area spacious enough to prepare large amounts of food.
It also comes with a sturdy new shelter with a thatched roof so that Ms Ching and her volunteers can cook in comfort.
Ms Ching and Ms Saw are glowing examples of individuals who have left the comfort of home to do their part to help the needy.
I'm Shaffiq Alkhatib for 938LIVE.
end

Bloom in the Blackberry Bold Ad

The ad came out in yesterday's "Today" newspaper. I thought the team did a good job and I had a fun time at the photoshoot. I was told to look pensive, and at one point I remember I looked blank and the creative director said I looked like I was about to be hit by a meteor (or flying pigs!), hahaha!

Blackberry was nice enough to give me a Bold (in place of a "talent fee", I suppose, since I'm not quite a talented model) and they are talking to someone from Cambodia's CamGSM to get me set up over there. I used the phone to take photos at Memphis, a nightclub in Phnom Penh, and it had a flash so resulted in better pictures than Heike's (our German customer) iPhone, which doesn't have a flash. I'm still trying to get used to the qwerty keypad though. My thumbs are too fat! By many accounts it is a good phone and I have had five offers for it already :)

The shoot was taken in January and the location is the (only) train station in Singapore, the Tanjong Pagar Train Station. It's a beautiful train station and trains still run regularly from Singapore all through Peninsular Malaysia, even though train travel has become much less popular (the trains kept breaking down is what I remember as a child taking the train to Malaysia to see relatives).

I flew back specially to Singapore at my own expense just for two days for the shoot. I did it because I want to generate awareness about Bloom and our mission: "Help the poor, help the planet."

PS: I wonder if it was a coincidence - the "Migrate to Australia" ad being placed near me, since I am a Singaporean who left Singapore for another country too...!

www.adevelopedworld.com

I just saw the interview I gave for the site www.adevelopedworld.com. I mistakenly assumed it's Singapore-based but it's actually an international collaboration. From the site: "A Developed World is an action-oriented social publication that uncovers the stories behind the work of social entrepreneurs and visionary leaders, who are changing lives around the world."

You can read the Bloom's story here.

The site is worth exploring and there is an impressive list of interviews with social entrepreneurs and volunteers from all over the world. I was interested to read about the work of the The Freedom Theatre in the Jenin Refugee Camp. The Freedom Theatre tries to help children in Palestine heal from their traumatic experiences through creative writing.

It reminds me of the time we had some visitors to Singapore who were from the former Yugoslavia. I honestly cannot remember the ethnicity (whether Bosnian, Serbs, Croatian) of the teenagers who came to Singapore to act out their lives in self-written plays. They had visited Yio Chu Kang secondary school to meet with Singapore counterparts to share their experiences and my friends and I had volunteered to organise the programme. This must have been 10 years ago. What I do remember is how every single one of the Yugoslav students knew someone who had died in the war. I wonder how they are now.

Bloom on Singapore radio

I was interviewed by Stanley Leong of News Radio 93.8 in Singapore this morning. It was a 'live' interview, which was interesting--no opportunity for edits!

A friend of mine taped the interview halfway when she realised I was on air and she even made a video. You can listen to it here on youtube. I'm sorry for saying so many "umms"!

The programme is called The Living Room and I was interviewed as part of a series on Cambodia. You can find out more about the radio programme here.

Bloom in Singapore magazine

I was featured in a Singapore woman's magazine, Her World, in the September 2008 issue. I never did put the article on this blog but I found out that it was uploaded by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) which "aims to help the development of communities outside of Singapore through the Singapore Volunteers Overseas (SVO) programme."

So you can read my story, and that of the Bloom women here

Setting up a Workers' Cooperative in Cambodia

Me (front left) and the Bloom team.

This is an interview I gave to Singapore-based www.adevelopedworld.com. Currently in Singapore there is a flurry of interest and activity (some state-sponsored) in social entrepreneurship--there is even a "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" competition. I'll write more on Singapore and this "sexy" topic (to use a term from my journalist days) in another post.

1. Tell me about your organization Bloom and how it addresses problem(s) you are trying to solve in Cambodia.

Bloom is a social enterprise set up in September 2006 to provide jobs for poor Cambodians, especially women. I first came to Phnom Penh for a holiday with my friend Dale Edmonds, who runs Riverkids Project (www.riverkidsproject.org) and during that trip I witnessed an impoverished mother trying to sell her new-born baby for USD100. The woman was subsequently jailed and I decided there and then I would start a business that would provide good wages for single mothers--may they never know such desperation.

2. Coming from Singapore where social entrepreneurship is still poorly understood, what was your inspiration to establish Bloom?

I am not so concerned with social entrepreneurship. From day one I have been aiming to set up a workers' cooperative. A workers' coperative is a cooperative owned and democratically controlled by its employees. There are no outside owners in a worker cooperative -- only the workers own shares of the business. This is why I have rejected cash offers in exchange for equity--I want Bloom to remain in the control of our workers.

In a workers' cooperative, workers own the business, govern and grow it. They control the resources and determine the work processes and the prices of their products and services. Before Bloom can get to the stage of a workers' cooperative though, our Cambodian team needs to learn business skills so the cooperative will be viable. As well, they need funding. These are the areas where I can play a part. This is the reason why I am completely transparent with the workers about Bloom--if the cooperative is to work, they will need to know *everything* about running the business. If you really want to know more about workers' cooperatives, you can find out more from Spain's Mondragon Cooperative Corporation. The MCC is Spain's seventh largest corporation and the largest in the Basque Country. In 2006 the MCC contributed 3.8% towards the total GDP of the Basque Country.

3. What were the initial challenges you faced (e.g. cultural differences, red tape, personal sacrifices etc.) ? How did you overcome them?

Language is a big challenge. The people I hire are poor with little education. Some are illiterate, so the only way to communicate with the team is to learn to speak Khmer. Other problems especially for a Singaporean is the initial shock at how lawless this place can be--you need to adapt fast and play many things by ear or you won't survive. You need to be clear what your ethics are--do you, for instance, pay a bribe so you can continue with your work or do you think you're thereby feeding a corrupt system? Do you keep your head down and avoid trouble or do you speak up when you see injustice? When you move to a new place, you need to figure out the rules governing that particular society.

3. How do you get the community involved in supporting your efforts?

Which community are you referring to? I work with the community of ethical consumers through guerilla marketing. I have no advertising and marketing budget, so I have to spread the word about Bloom creatively. I have a Facebook group with more than 200 members and Amnesty International ordered a lot of bags from us after stumbling across my blog. Bloom's customers are largely ethical consumers--in that way we are somewhat preaching to the converted, but I hope through this group of "opinion leaders" (to use a marketing term) other consumers will realise there is a way we can shop without hurting other people. As I say in the Bloom Manifesto, "We believe if you know the truth, you would not be an accessory to the exploitation of workers." I genuinely believe that most people would not want to be involved in something, much less buy it, if they know that someone else was hurt in the making of that item.

4. What is your greatest source of inspiration?

To see justice for working people all over the world, and by justice I mean fair wages and fair working conditions. I watched a fascinating movie the other day starring Vanessa Redgrave and Angelina Jolie. It's called "The Fever" and it tells of a posh English woman who has never thought about things, specifically economic relations, as she swans through life, buying white linen sheets and collecting art. She realises, quite out of the blue, that the coat she wants to buy from a shop did not just materialise from nowhere. The coat has a history--the culmination of all the work that went into the making of the coat, the people who made them and how much they were paid and the conditions under which the people made them. This determined the value of the coat, not some arbitrary price set by the department store. But modern day consumerism detaches consumers from all this. We see a coat and we only think, "I like that coat; it's not expensive" without thinking further how the coat came to be and why it is priced what it is.

4. What is your greatest achievement so far? Tell us about an incident which has made your sacrifices worthwhile.

Getting the order from Amnesty International. Amnesty is an amazing organisation and if you have watched JK Rowling's speech to this year's graduating class at Harvard, you will know she talked about how life-changing working at Amnesty was for her. You can watch the speech on youtube or read it here: www.harvardmagazine.com

This is what she said and I am repeating it because I find it powerful:

"Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places.

Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces can lead to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid.

What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy."

As for sacrifice, I don't see any of what I am doing as a sacrifice. If you believe strongly in something, you will take steps to achieve it. The hardest thing is living your life truthfully and not making excuses.

6. What is your vision for the future?
The future of Bloom? For it to be a successful workers' cooperative.

7. What do you see as the greatest challenge that lies ahead, in reaching your goals?

So many. Mainly the organisation of the workers' cooperative. People are so different, with different motivations that it is impossible to get them to cooperate without conflict. The role of the manager can also be confusing for workers, if they see themselves to all be on the same level. Also, people have to put aside their own self-interest for the sake of the cooperative. One scenario for example, is the workers wanting to keep all the profits instead of reinvesting it into the business. I am taking things one thing at a time though. The first step is to ensure the workers are also good entrepreneurs in addition to being good employees. Workers have to be helped and trained so that they understand their duties as a boss as well as those as a worker.

8. What are some of the ways in which people from around the world can help you achieve them? (this could be in volunteering, funding, advocacy, contributing specific skills etc.)

Be conscious; be aware of the economic relations that exist between people. Take time to think about important matters. As an educated person, you really have a responsibility to lead your life consciously.

Social Entrepreneurship and SIngapore Students

This is an email interview I gave to four students from Anderson Junior College (AJC) in Singapore who are planning a project on social entrepreneurship. "All of us chose this project because we strongly believe that it is possible to infuse business with a social motive and an excellent example would be yourself," wrote one of them, Sophial Foo.

It's an interesting project, combining theory and practice. I was interested to learn that JC students (17-18 year old) are actively thinking about social enterprises. In Sophial words: "A brief outline of our project; social entrepreneurship is a relatively new industry in Singapore and our project aims to raise awareness and at the same time develop a spirit of social entrepreneurship on JC students. We have come up with a 3-phased programme. In Phase 1, the students will attend a talk on social entrepreneurship. In Phase 2, the students will visit poor elderly people once a week for a month. In Phase 3, students will set up their own "mini-businesses" and the profits will go to the organization supporting the poor elderly people that they visited."

Really fantastic.

Anyway, here's the Q and A:

1. After visiting Cambodia and witnessing a mother trying to sell of her child for money, what made you give up your job to start a social enterprise? Was there a reason? Why not the convention method in Singapore, donation drives etc?

I had already given up my job and was travelling around the region when I came to Cambodia (I didn't quit my job to come here to do this). The reason I decided on a social enterprise is because I thought long and hard about the problems I saw and what the best way to help would be. I decided it was by providing fair paying jobs to adults. You can help children but if their parents don't lead stable lives, their children will never be stable. The people in desperate situations are that way because of grinding poverty. You can donate money and throw them a fish now and again, but I decided it would be better to teach them to fish. With a good job, people feel more secure, have confidence in the future and can start to think about dreams and plan to achieve those dreams.

2. What do you think about the current status of social entrepreneurship in Singapore?

I haven't been living in Singapore for the past 2 years so I have no idea what the situation is like now. I am aware there are government initiatives like Social Innovation Park but I have no idea how successful it is in promoting social entrepreneurism. At the end of the day, I think social entrepreneurism is not something that can succeed through prodding and incentives. You have got to want to do it badly enough to be committed to principles of fair play while at the same time be fully aware you will be facing the same pressures that apply to "regular" businesses.

3. Do you think that there is a mindset issue in Singapore? (Singaporeans would rather donate to charities and don't really believe in the sustainability of social enterprises)

It is funny, I met a Cambodian man who told me about his friend who studied in Singapore and therefore knows many Singaporeans. He said these Singaporeans will not be "used to" Cambodia, because it is unclean and hot and without paved roads etc etc, so they would rather donate money than come here. The thing that struck me was how earnest he was, when telling me this, like there was no judgement at all, merely stating a fact. I don't know how to describe how I feel about this. It seems to me there is such a big divide--between the people who live in poor and those in rich countries. I was struck at how poor people feel ashamed of their lives, when it is not something they should be ashamed about. It is often not their fault that they ended up in such a situation.

4. What are your thoughts on the future development of social entrepreneurship in Singapore?

I have no idea. I do think, though, that wealth affords people the luxury of contemplation, and as Singaporeans become richer and can afford to think beyond bread and butter issues, there will be more people questioning what they want out of life. And for many people, this questioning will lead them to doing charity work. You see it already in people in their 50s and 60s and older, who are established and want to help others. At the end of the day, I think many, many people realise that this is what is really important in life: spending time with the ones you love and helping others achieve their dreams--not your 5 Cs (note to readers not familiar with Singaporeans' obsession with the 5 Cs: Cash, Credit Card, Condominium, Car and Country Club membership). "All my possessions for a moment of time." - Elizabeth I's last words.

Many people, Singaporeans and others, have told me they admire me, or envy me, and wish they could do the same. I get the feeling that there are so many people who would like to do what I am doing, but there are things stopping them. If Singaporeans would be more confident in themselves and pursue what they want instead of living out the scripts handed to them by society, their parents and friends, I think there will definitely be more social entrepreneurs in Singapore.

5. What do you think about our project? In your opinion, would it be good or effective to raise awareness in this way?

I think it's very exciting and would love to see you succeed in your project. That would be so brilliant, if you can support, or contribute to supporting the old folks home. It's not a nice thing to always have to beg for donations and money. I used to get calls from fundraisers, when I was working, and you could tell they did not enjoy pestering you, but they had to do it because they just need the money. So good luck with the project!

6. Do you think our project is feasible?
Yes, for sure. You just need passion and dedication to make it succeed.

Let a Hundred Handbags Bloom

This blog entry was written by my friend John Weeks, an artist and editor based in Phnom Penh. His entry is full of pictures of the Bloom shop in Siem Reap and was picked up by Cambodia News on www.cambodia.org (You can search under "news") -- which surprised both John and I! I thought Bloom was such a small outfit, it wouldn't get noticed, so that really made my day. PS: John has the distinction of having Cambodia's oldest running blog. Check out the entry on Bloom here.

http://jinja.apsara.org/index.php/2007/11/28/let-a-hundred-handbags-bloom/


Visiting Siem Reap gave me a chance to catch up with Diana Saw of Bloom, who’s recently relocated from Phnom Penh. There are plenty of craft shops jostling for position in Cambodia, but only one chronicles the ups and downs of its work on a regular basis.

These bags are made from really tough plastic used for transporting all kinds of goods. Instead of ending up in a landfill, they’re a durable and unique souvenirs.

You can find more traditional styles and patterns made of silk…

And other goodies as well.

It seems at times that the environment in Cambodia is geared for big business, not small players, so it’s nice to see someone giving it their all. Great to catch up and talk about blog stuff, business ideas and the changes in Siem Reap.

If you’re in Siem Reap, give it a look for yourself on ‘Pub Street’.

Interview with entrepreneur.com.sg

Singapore’s Social Entrepreneur Diana Saw makes things BLOOM in Cambodia
Posted by GingerFebruary 21, 2008

http://entrepreneur.com.sg/wordpress/?p=219

[Please visit the URL above to see pic]
The picture shows Diana Saw (on the far front left) working with the Bloom team in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They are adding sequins to some of the bags which they will sell at the Bloom Shop. Read on to find out how you can help not by donating, but by being a discerning consumer.

(1) You started Bloom in September 2006, how long was that after your Cambodia holiday which shocked you into action?

The decision was swift as it was simple: move to Cambodia to provide jobs for poor women. I first visited Phnom Penh in April 2006 and was back the next month to look for a house. My partner and I relocated to PP the following month, in June. Not knowing anyone or anything about business in Cambodia, it took me three months before I started Bloom.


(2) What in particular did you see that made you want to do something? (We’re wondering if you’ve gone to other 3rd world Asian countries and seen similar? If yes, what was different about Cambodia?)

My first visit to Cambodia was with Dale Edmonds, who runs Riverkids Project, an anti-child trafficking NGO. I accompanied Dale as she successfully intervened in a attempted sale of a baby by her mother. I felt pity for the impoverished mother who was subsequently jailed. So where RK helps children, a laudable job in itself, I decided I would help poor women–may they never know such desperation.

(3) How did you start the BLOOM social enterprise? Did you have a local partner? Was there a lot of red-tape? What were the toughest challenges?

I approached the job placement arm of an NGO in Phnom Penh (PP). There are many NGOs who train poor Cambodians, but what this country needs is jobs. You can train people all you like, but if no one employs them, you’ll have frustrated skilled people who are unable to use their skills. Or you may end up with a situation like the Philippines, where university graduates have to become domestic helpers in foreign countries.

I didn’t have a local partner. It is easy for foreigners to start a business in Cambodia–hardly any red tape. Just pay USD260 a year for a business visa. Then you have to apply for a business licence and pay various taxes. People can worry or complain about the corruption in Cambodia, but it is no more than a nuisance.

CHALLENGES:
1. language
2. cultural misunderstandings
3. lack of infrastructure (internet is hugely expensive and the post and telephone networks,
unreliable)
4. lack of proper healthcare
5. for a social enterprise operating in Cambodia, the challenge is taking on the many NGOs (who get donations) on the one hand, and capitalist (profit-obsessed, so with lower costs) businesses on the other.

(3) Apart from hiring and training locals, have you considered setting up cooperatives/micro-financing like those done by Muhummad Yunus in Bangladesh?

Bloom has a savings plan for staff. Every month staff are encouraged to put away a percentage of their income which goes towards buying a sewing machine. Bloom will then subsidize the cost of the machine. With the machine, workers will be able to become small business owners, supplying bags not only to Bloom, but to other sellers, like small shops in the tourist markets.

(4) Have you considered selling your designer bags in Singapore or via online? Would Phnom Penh have the postal facilities for this?

My friends are really sweet, organising Tupperware type parties for Bloom bags. You can also buy them from www.riverkidsproject.org, and all profits Dale makes goes towards RK. The biggest hindrance to our growth is the high courier charges from Cambodia. (USD14 a kg to Singapore for a parcel below 10kg). Having said that, we do have customers who buy bulk, in SG, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and France, who find it worthwhile to pay for courier charges.

(5) Many schools in Singapore are moving towards CIP (Community Involvement Projects) themed overseas trips instead of the usual tours. Is there any area they can help you in? (Off the top of my head, they can help you a lot with publicity about the café and your bags and possibly sell some of the merchandise back here in Singapore)

I think those are good ways to help, but the main thing is to spread awareness about workers’ rights and what it means to be an ethical, or intelligent, consumer. Young people should not simply purchase things but give a thought as to where those things come from and who made them and how were the workers treated when they made them. I really doubt anyone wants to be an accomplice in the exploitation of workers. At garment factories in Cambodia, for instance, workers are paid a minimum wage of USD50 a month, for a 48 hour work week. How much did you pay for your branded T-shirt that says “Made in Cambodia” on its label? How much did the teenage girls who made the shirt get paid?

*******
If you want to follow how Diana & BLOOM are doing, she blogs about how things are progressing here: www.cambodiacalling.blogspot.com
If you’re in Cambodia, visit the:
BLOOM Workshop at No. 29B, St. 163.
BLOOM shops at #808, Russian Market, Phnom Penh and on Pub Street,
Siem Reap (above KHMER PLACE and beside GOODYSAURUS restaurants).

Interview with expatinterviews.com

I'm rubbish at marketing myself on this blog, so I've decided to post the published interviews and stories on Bloom, starting with this one, which was published almost a year ago! www.expatinterviews.com

Singaporean expat Diana runs a social enterprise while living in Cambodia

Posted May 10th, 2007 by adminCambodia

Diana and her partner did not move from Singapore to Cambodia to earn money for themselves, but to help the locals by employing them. Living in the city of Phnom Penh, they've found like-minded foreigners who want to create better living conditions for the Khmers. Diana discusses her projects and several aspects of her expat life in this part of Southeast Asia.

-Where were you born?
Singapore

-In which country and city are you living now?
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my partner

-How long have you been living in Cambodia?
Since June 2006

-What is your age?
35+

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Cambodia?
I decided to live in Cambodia after my first visit in April 2006. Shocked by the poverty, I planned to return to Cambodia to start a social enterprise, firstly to provide jobs for poor people but ultimately to turn a successful business over to Cambodians. Bloom Cafe and Bag's profits go to staff and back to the business allowing us to train more people.


-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
No, it's easy to apply for a business visa. Cost me USD260 for a year.


-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No it was easy. I bought insurance in Singapore, before I went to Cambodia. I contracted dengue within four months of arriving here so that came in handy.

-How do you make your living in Cambodia? Do you have any type of income generated?
I don’t earn a salary here. My partner and I did not come to Cambodia to make money, but to provide jobs for Khmers. We plonked in our savings into the two social enterprises and only hope to get back our capital at the end of the day. The income is supposed to come from the businesses, Bloom Bags and Bloom Café. But as they are new, we are not profitable yet.

-Do you speak Khmer and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Yes, I speak Khmer. I bought a book when I arrived and made an effort to self-study every night. It was important for me to learn as none of the workers at Bloom Bags speaks English.

I think it is extremely important to learn the local language and customs if you want to feel part of the local society. I do not understand expats who live in a foreign land and expect the locals to accept them when they don’t even make an effort. If you want to make friends with locals, speaking the language definitely endears you—I sometimes get discounts at the market! If you agree language describes the world we live in, then speaking the local language will help you understand the local mindset and culture a lot more.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, I do miss home and family and friends. I am lucky to have my partner here with me. My two Cambodian puppies also keep me entertained. For fun, I volunteer at Riverkids Project (www.riverkidsproject.org) and take walks along the riverside.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
My plans are to hand over the businesses to Bloom’s Cambodians workers once we are profitable and to have a good rest.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I’ve rented a house near Toul Sleng Museum for Bloom Café and for Bloom Bags, I share with Riverkids Project, as Bloom’s trainer also provides vocational training to teenagers at risk of being trafficked.

-What is the cost of living in Cambodia?
You can live very cheaply in Phnom Penh and also very well. You can get a small apartment for USD150. Food is cheap and you can buy a second-hand motorbike for USD500. A couple will get on by fine on USD1000 a month. On the other hand you can live like a king in your villa and travel in your Hummer.

-What do you think about the Cambodians?
Khmers are very friendly and enjoy talking to foreigners. Many of them speak English. Westerners often talk about getting the “Rock Star treatment” just because of the way they look. Khmers just love foreigners. A cynic would say it is our money they love, but I disagree.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Cambodia?
People are very friendly and helpful. That for me is the best thing about living here. Also, meeting like-minded expats. Many expats are here to help Khmers, so it’s great to learn from them and to know there are many people who care about making a difference.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Cambodia?
Not really. I’m relatively new here and probably need tips from other expats in Cambodia instead!

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Cambodia?
You can find out more about Bloom, Riverkids, and Cambodia on my blog, Cambodia Calling.

Jetstar magazine article on Bloom (click on image to read)