Singapore’s Social Entrepreneur Diana Saw makes things Bloom in Cambodia
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.
…
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.
…
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.
Related: Bloom Bags Blog – Using Capitalism to Make the World Better – Make the World a Better Place – Kiva – Provide a Helping Hand – Aim for everybody to gain: workers, customers, suppliers, shareholders… – Obscene CEO Pay
- We believe in the right of all people to a decent life, free of poverty, and with access to education
- We believe you can be rich by helping the poor
- We believe women hold up half the sky
- We believe your handbag is a reflection of you
- We believe quality is worth paying for
- We believe workers should always be paid a fair wage—to hell with big, fat, CEO paychecks!
- We believe if you knew the truth you would not tolerate the exploitation of workers
- We believe exploitation is evil
- We believe in the power of good over evil
- We believe in the power of the individual to bring about change
- We believe in love at first sight (at least where our bags are concerned)
- We believe in transparent prices; life is too precious to waste time on bargaining
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[...] Some that appose capitalism actually understand it and appose it. I think most appose what the pundits and politicians have convinced them capitalism is. I know to most this doesn’t matter. But I believe capitalism is the best chance to provide economic wealth to those around the world. And while it is easy to say wealth is not important when you are wealthy there are over a billion people that are close to starving. They can be helped if capitalism can flourish. [...]