Meet the Makers

ArtisanseBrochure

A self-help enterprise by local artisans with disabilities

Genevieve’s Fair Trade Village (GFTV) is a not-for-profit fair-trade social enterprise that sells high quality, locally made art and crafts with a focus on recycled and eco-friendly materials and packaging.

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Jenni Parker (2021) |

Meet the Artisans

Meet the Artisans

Vutha

Sophie

Rouen

Sett

Thyda

Silong

Bel

Kim-Ly

Nareth

Tut

Nyon

Nareth

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Seamstress / Designer

Naret is the Director/Trustee of Genevieve’s Fair Trade Village and a talented clothes and jewellery designer. The elephant is her guiding spirit on her life journey and has taught her strength, patience and persistence. Like the elephant she gathered her strength and worked hard to achieve her dream to buy a sewing machine and open a shop. Now her dream has turned into a reality! She also weaves hammocks and makes handmade paper using recycled paper, spices, flowers, fabric and other natural materials.

Kim-Ly

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Artist

Kim-Ly first picked up the brush out of desperation to provide for his family. He is proficient in an array of mediums ranging from water colours to oil paints; and it is clear he loves what he does. His stylised portrayals of the surrounding countryside, temples, and everyday life in Cambodia offer insight into not only the landscape of the Kingdom, but the quiet beauty of her people. As a polio survivor confined to a wheelchair, Kim Ly often includes a small image of a person in a wheelchair in his artwork.

Bel

Jewellery Maker

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Bel is an innovator, advocate, and all round incredible guy. He has overcome many obstacles in his short life and has risen above them all. He is an accomplished jewellery maker, musician and teacher. However, Bel’s aspirations don’t end there. His greatest dream is to become an effective policy maker so that he may help to improve the lives of the many people who have experienced hardship and discrimination due to accidents and illness.

Nyon

Bracelett Maker

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Nyon is a single mother of an 8 year old daughter and they both have cerebral palsy. Nyon helps to grow vegetables at Full Belly Farm and she is making a small income from the produce she harvests by selling it to locals at the farm gate. Her success in growing, harvesting and selling produce at the farm has motivated Nyon to explore more livelihood opportunities and she has recently learnt to make woven bracelets by watching other people perform this task.

Tut

Wood Carver

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Tut is an accomplished carver who took up his craft after stumbling upon a landmine while he was enlisted in the Cambodian Army. Sculpting with wood is a process that requires patience, focus, and the innate ability to sense the latent form within the timber block. Tut’s method and sensibility has been over a decade in the making and his understanding of the varieties, personalities, and subtleties of each wood (jack fruit, rosewood, and sweet basil) is evident in every unique piece.

Accessories Maker

Srey-Ya

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Srey-Ya is... coming soon

Silong

Trash Artist

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Silong has been an artist since he was 12 years of age, learning from his cousin who was working as an artist painting in a pagoda. Sadly, 3 years later he injured three of his fingers in a sugarcane squeezing machine. Fortunately, KILT, an organization that helps people with disabilities, accepted Silong as a volunteer technician and he learned how to make paper using recycled paper. The realization that waste was a major issue led to Silong's interest in turning waste products, organic trash and plastics into innovative "trash artworks".

Jewellery Maker

Thyda

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As someone who was told not to pursue an education or to strive towards her goals in life, Kolthyda “Thyda” Chum is certainly proving some people wrong! With discrimination still a significant problem in countries like Cambodia (and many other regions around the world), Thyda is a shining example of strength, courage, ambition, creativity and determination. Utilizing her entrepreneurial mind and talents, Thyda is carving her own way in life - not only for herself, but also - for her entire family.

Sett

Bracelett Maker

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Sett is a polio survivor who lost her sight when she was a child. She lives in a rural village outside of Siem Reap and before she learnt to weave she never left her home. Bracelets4Buildings who built her house, connected Sett with GFTV and with assistance from Visay (GFTV) and Cherrie Fox (@CherrieKarakia), she learnt to weave bracelets to support herself and her elderly Mother. ​ Having an income has also enabled her to go out of the house to visit the Pagoda.

Rouen

Basket Weaver

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Rouen is the kind owner and keeper of a garden, a grandmother, a basket weaver, and the tireless caretaker of her immediate and extended family. Like thousands of other innocent victims in Cambodia, she is a landmine survivor who has suffered excruciating pain and horror. Today she thrives as a highly respected woman in her community and her strength is truly captivating and inspiring.

Vutha

Artist

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Vutha was born during the final years of the civil war in Cambodia and contracted polio at a very young age. His family nicknamed him "Muon" which means healthy, because they believed that he would survive the virus that has left him with a paralyzed leg. Selling his unique hand-painted pictures at GFTV provides Vutha with the opportunity to generate an income to support his family and pay for his childrens' education.

Mai-Lin

Paper Bag Maker

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Mai-Lin is a widow, a mother of four children, a stroke survivor and an entrepreneur. She makes paper gift bags out of recycled newspaper. At Genevieve's Fair Trade Village we use Mai-Lin's bags to package customer purchases.

Sophie

Bracelet Maker

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Sophie is a single mother of 2 children who worked in construction. One day she fell off a roof and injured her leg and now she requires a walking stick to help her get around. As she was no longer able to work in the construction industry she had to find a new way to support her family. Cherrie Fox (@CherrieKarakia), taught Sophie how to weave bracelets and GFTV is pleased to sell her products to help her earn a fair income for her work.

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Jenni Parker (2019) |

eBrochure |

A self-help enterprise by local artisans with disabilities

Genevieve’s Fair Trade Village (GFTV) is a not-for-profit fair-trade social enterprise that sells high quality, locally made art and crafts with a focus on recycled and eco-friendly materials and packaging. Our aim is to provide a platform for developing livelihoods for people with disabilities living in Siem Reap and to further a culture of access and inclusion in the community

Meet the MakerseBrochure