KeoK’jay: Fair-Trade Eco-Fashion by HIV-Positive Women in Cambodia

In a country fraught with struggle and strife, hope has a new name: KeoK’jay. The socially conscious enterprise offers handmade, fair-trade designs with style to spare, while providing jobs for HIV-positive women in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. KeoK’jay’s woman-empowering business plan has room to grow, too. It’s one of 64—and counting—nominees for Nau’s 2nd Annual Grant for Change, which will award $10,000 to the next big thing in sustainable design.

06/15/10
By Victoria Klein
Ecouterre

Click here for additional information about KeoK'jay

PLANETARY CHIC
From dresses and T-shirts to tote bags and hand-embroidered napkins, all of KeoK’jay’s designs are created with Ma Earth in mind. Organic cotton, hand-woven recycled cotton, and secondhand fabrics are the heart and soul of all the pieces, topped with vintage embellishments and splashes of all-natural dyes.

KeoK’jay’s designs are made from organic cotton, hand-woven recycled cotton, and secondhand fabrics.

KeoK’jay currently employs nine HIV-positive women, who get to work from home on their own schedule. But the job benefits go beyond the women alone. With a consistent income, their children can attend school, ending the poverty cycle so many are stuck within. KeoK’jay also works in association with Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope to provide free healthcare to its employees and their families.

Currently only available by e-mail order or in select shops in Cambodia, KeoK’jay adds fresh meaning to philanthropic fashion. Best of all, it provides its artisans with something money can never buy: dignity.

US Launches Program for HIV/AIDS Victims

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 February 2010

The US announced on Monday a $13.4 million program to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in Cambodia.

More than 700 people gathered for the launch of the program, at a Takeo province pagoda that acts as an orphanage and help center for victims of the disease.

The five-year US program will “offer care to people affected by HIV/AIDS, including people living with the disease and orphans, while also seeking to prevent new infections among groups at high risk of acquiring the disease,” the US Embassy said in a statement.

The program will be run by the Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance, or Khana, which offers training to 60 local organizations and supports more than half the nation’s community-based HIV care teams.

Chhoup Sok Chamrouen, director of technical support for Khana, said the project would provide education to communities, support to orphans and prevention measures in at-risk areas.

“By working with leaders like the monks at Wat Opot, our implementing partner [Khana] is making an enormous contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS in communities throughout the country,” US Ambassador Carol Rodley said at the launch of the program. “The United States looks forward to continuing our support for community initiatives like these.”

The US has provided Cambodia $18.5 million in 2010 for the prevention of HIV among those most at risk and for care and treatment of those infected with the disease, the embassy said.

Christian community helps families affected by HIV/AIDS

Parents craft nativity sets to help provide a living for their families. Kits are sold on Bright Hope's Web site. (BHI photo)

21 August, 2008

Cambodia (MNN) ― When HIV/AIDS hits, it's the end of "life as usual" for families in rural Cambodia.

Because of the mistaken belief that simply being near an infected person can cause contamination, many families face rejection. But there is a place to turn, thanks to Jumpah, a partner ministry of Bright Hope International.

Jumpah provides a community of homes where families take refuge. The ministry assists people in three areas. The Place of Peace houses and supports at least 16 families in which one or both of the parents are dying from HIV/AIDS. From there, the children are taken care of and promised a home at Garden of Joy. It's a home where orphans can stay until they are either taken in by another family member or ready to live on their own. Children are also enrolled in government schools where they have the invaluable opportunity to learn to read and write.

This ministry has a powerful witness for Christ. President of Bright Hope International Craig Dyer says, "When you're in this situation as families are, you're concerned about your kids. Here are these loving people coming alongside saying 'There's a loving God who cares about your life now and for eternity, and He cares about your children. When you pass away, we're going to take your children in.'"

In addition, Jumpah does community development projects in the areas of health, literacy, agriculture, and home care for other families living with HIV/AIDS.

Part of the ministry to parents is an opportunity for them to keep providing for their family as long as they are able. They do this by teaching parents how to craft a nativity set which they sell. It is available on Bright Hope's online store for about $22USD.

Dyer says the craft is simple, "but it's most meaningful, knowing that a family has been cared for. They're providing for themselves, and [others have] an opportunity to minister to them and encourage them in their walk with the Lord, in their journey towards eternity."

Despite the economic gains Cambodia has made after three decades of war, genocide and destruction, rural areas are still waiting to see the changes. Urban workers can make $50USD per month, whereas in rural areas people are often living on less than 50 cents a day. Jumpah and Bright Hope's partnership in this rural community are a stepping stone to see education and compassionate care transform a community socially and spiritually.