Circle began in mid-July 2009 by two friends, one Cambodian and one American who met on the bus on the way to Phnom Penh. Both are young women with a common goal.. to donate their skills and time to do their part in improving the livelihood of underpriveleged women in Cambodia.
Circle started very small trying to create designs that would sell in a Western market in Phnom Penh. Now, due to the success of the designs and the generosity of people all over the world, Circle is growing.
In early November, Circle opened their own shop and hired five young women from impoverished, rural areas of Cambodia to work and live in the shop. Some of these young women are orphans, others from large single-parent famlies. Many have sick, elderly, or disabled relatives (by disease or landmine accidents) to help support at home in the country. Some have been victims of sexual abuse. Others have never been to school and are completely illiterate.
All of these young women were assisted by an anti-trafficking NGO which deemed them "at high-risk for being trafficked" and connected them with an NGO-run free sewing school in Phnom Penh. Their greatest hope after learning was to get a job at a garment factory which would pay around $50 or $60 USD per month.
Now at Circle, these young women are paid a fair wage and are also provided with free accommodation in the shop. They work as custom tailors who can cater to both a Western and Khmer customer base, an important tool for sustainability.
Free English classes and Khmer literacy classes are provided for all in the sewing shop. One of Circle's main goals is to provide a safe and healthy living and working environment in which to teach vocational and life skills.
