Color Silk Enterprise

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Color Silk Enterprise: Silk Weaving

Takeo, CambodiaTakeo, Cambodia
Year Founded:
2009
Organization type: 
for profit
Project Stage:
Growth
Budget: 
$100,000 - $250,000
Website:
http://colorsilkcommunity.wix.com/colorsilk-cambodia
Facebook: 
https://www.changemakers.com/colorsilkcommunity
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Color Silk ail to empower communities through sustainable development of silk weaving work for economically empower rural women by provide them an employment 

,income generation

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if women status will be changed if rural community developed?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

-There are no employment opportunity in the rural areas where women can access -No formal/professional train to new generation especially for women -Women and young generation immigrates to capital city and aboard to seek for new jobs. -Not sustainable job and income generation to support their daily family life. -Women have no chance to earn income and participate in social work, no equal voice in term of economic and skill.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Color Silk aspires to set up the first ever formal Silk Weaving Training Center in Cambodia to train talented young and middle age women the skill to weave as weaving is the second big source of income after farming. Color Silk will support of  Will recruit vulnerable / low income women from different villages and train them  The training is free of charge.  Equip local women the skills to weave, so they can use these skills to generate more income to support themselves and their family through weaving work.  The program makes sure that enough supporting system is made available: training, raw materials, capital to start up and finally the markets to wavers.

Awards

Mekong Women Entrepreneur Challenge Award, Cambodian Young Entrepreneur Awards 2015
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

Color Silk provides and creates sustainable rural jobs for women weavers and protects the weaving heritage and village culture by maintaining and developing unique silk weaving while generating income and improving the livelihood of silk weavers in isolated areas. Color Silk with the theme and mission to empower communities through sustainable development and value creation fully sponsors this silk weaving training center as part of their contribution to: -Women empowerment in Cambodia. -Job creation and Income generation for women in rural community -Rural economic development -Poverty reduction and immigration -Reducing the rate of migration to work oversea and to capital city. -Preserve a Cambodian silk heritage

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

-450 women were trained and they are now become an expertise weavers -They can earn approximately 150-300 USD dollars per month. - 30% of women in the village not intent to immigrate any more. -4050 beneficially of household family are stay safe and live with better situation . -Women situation are now improved, women are more brave and enjoy participate in social work to develop their community. -women Skill and knowledge are improved -women health and life is better In the future impact will be - 1500 women will be trained and able to weave in order to earn income in 2020 -1350 women weaver are graduated and start to earn income end of 2020. -Expanse operation area up to 45 villages by the end of 2020 -women income will increase up to 350USD per month -25%of young women can find a safe job and earn income in community

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

The program aspires to set up the first ever formal Silk Weaving Training Center in Cambodia to train talented young and middle age women the skill to weave as weaving is the second big source of income after farming. To deliver weaving skill training to group of less educated women, poor household farmers living in remote areas to have opportunity to work in their community and improve their livelihood and living in dignity through silk weaving work.
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

-Color Silk will contribute 20% of net income each year to the program to ensure it operation run well and sustainable run -Color Silk expanse market both local and international market to ensure all products made by women sustainable market. -Color Silk increase sale up to USD 1 million each year. -Color Silk will partnership with potential partners to get technical support such as design, dying and color mixed.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

Inter into international market is a key challenges such as production capacity, quality and pricing. So to be outstanding competitive in term of productions, quality price and design Color Silk will approached by produce a unique of Naturally dyed silk products that distinguish itself from other silk makers and its competitions through the use of 100% natural dyes, 100% handmade. The products apply to the need of customer who cares about their health and saving the environment and hand made products to enlarge the social impact and environmental protection.
Team

Founding Story

Vanntha, a Founding Director of the Color Silk, she got a master degree in Business Administration from Royal University of Law and Economics Science in 2009. In 2010, she received she was selecteted as Global Youth Social Entrepreneur from YouthActionNet, Washington D.C USA. She used to work with private companies and NGOs leading and managing projects related to social development and career development. Vanntha has achieved a great deal through her talents and motivation .She conceptualized and launched Color Silk in a country that was ravaged by the Khmer Rouge and in an environment that presents many challenges to women, who do not have equal status in society.

Team

1- Mrs. Yeiy Chreng, board member Ms. Yeiy Chreng, 60 years old, she is a widow because her husband was died in Khmer Rough Regime. Ms Cheng was selected from community as board members with Color Silk for 2 years. She has more than 35 year experiences in silk weaving process skill. She is very good at dying color and designing new patterns both traditional and modern styles. She also is responsible to train new weavers as well. Currently she lives with her daughter and grandchild. 2- Ms. Reagan Hudgens, member of Board of Directors Reagan is American and she currently work as Director of Sales at Adgregate Markets, Privately Held; Information Technology and Services industry, Distributed commerce / social commerce company. Evangelizing and selling emerging social commerce technology solutions. Our solutions enable companies to merchandise and sell products within Facebook and anywhere they may have customers, focusing on Internet Retailer Top 500 companies, luxury brands and travel companies, responsible for developing client relationships, business models and optimized social commerce programs. 3- Mrs. Hok Chandy, Production and Community Development Manager Mrs. Chandy, 50 years old, has more than 20 years in silk weaving skills and working with silk community in providing training and searching new methodology in dying method. She was attending several training with local NGOs.
Background
Please confirm how you heard about the Unilever Awards:

email

Please confirm your role in the initiative (eg Founder/co-Founder) and your organisational title:

Founder of Color Silk Enterprise

Which of the 8 UN Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) pre-selected for this competition does your solution relate most closely to? [select all that apply]

No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Responsible Consumption and Production.

Leadership and the Unilever Awards
Please provide examples of any previous entrepreneurial initiatives you have pioneered.

I has a strong facilitation skill, strong business concept as well as networking while working with private companies and NGOs to lead many projects related to rural development and career development. I am good at communication with different types of people in community level and project team level. The project brings new methods and updated designs to local weaving community to reply to markets’ need. I am one of the women from rural , so I understand the plight of the women and people in these villages and I am committed to improving the lives of entire communities of people through weaving work because community women lack of necessary hard and soft skills to earn a living; and illiteracy among them is another issue. Even with the auspices of skills development trainings, it's hard to communicate and the message being conveyed is hard to get crossed because of low education. It takes patience, persistence and time to improve them. My passionate about empowering these women and young girls by training them and creating paths for entrepreneurship and i finally create new methodology by development women silk products for internal market need.

Beyond your existing team, who else are you working with to achieve your objectives, eg partners, advisors, mentors?

- ICCO Corporation is the interchurch organization for development cooperation. ICCO Works in 44 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2013, ICCO Cooperation provided grant supported to Color Silk to run 3 programs " Technique silk training, silk workshop and seri-culture program"

- Développement sans Frontières (DSF) is a French NGO to provide international volunteers for market and development.

- Georgetown University (USA) gets free consultant and free oversea market research from their Graduate students.
- Starbucks Foundation is our international donor, through Starbucks Share Planet Grant, through YouthActionNet program collaboration between the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and the Starbucks Foundation.
http://youthactionnet.org/index.php?fuse=showresourcedetails&resourceid=...

- Raffle International College: this partnership is aim to get their students helping to design our silk products and get their interns students to joint.

-The Artisans’ Association of Cambodia (AAC) is a Fair Trade association that supports organization handicraft who are working with vulnerable people . http://aac.org.kh/

- Government, Ministry of Commerce, Trade Promotion Department (TPD). TPD support in both local and international exhibition aims to promote local product especially handmade products. www.tpd.gov.kh .

-Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA) networking, training and capacity building for women.

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