David Brown

A Gift from the heart of Cambodia

As a film maker much of my work is based around human rights, using storytelling to contribute to people in developing countries. I am partnering locals in creating Social Enterprises, supporting people who are already leaders in their own lives, people who want to make a difference to others.

Nary Pon and her twin sister Apec live in the Cambodian Capital of Phnom Penh. Her father was the sole survivor of his family through the Khmer Rouge Era, 150 of his relatives perished. The family runs a business on the roadside selling street food. Their lives are on the edge, if a family member gets sick there are no funds for medicine, Nary has seen her mother and two brothers die through illness. Nary nursed one brother at home, they sold everything they could to buy medicine, it was a daily challenge. Eventually money for medicine could not be raised. Nary said goodbye to another brother.



Cambodians have a strong culture, they are very proud people with a tradition of dance and performance. Nary has always had an eye for fashion, always dressed with a touch of style,  Nary is creating an enterprise for her and her sister selling Cambodian Scalves. They are made locally from silk, Cashmere or cotton in beautiful colours and styles. People will be able to order a scalve as a gift and have it delivered worldwide, beautifully presented with a personalised message for a loved one. A true gift from the heart of Cambodia.



This project will create sustainable change. A wage in Cambodia is around $200 per month, minimal sales will be required to make a big difference to Nary and the people around her. It will provide access to medicine and education for family members, provide employment and training for women in central Phnom Penh in the future, an area where women are at high risk of falling into the sex industry . A portion of funds from the business will be used to provide education for street children in Phnom Penh. On a daily basis Nary's family take care of children on the streets near their roadside restaurant.

The business will be started in early March 2015 so funds will be used for work and will begin immediately on completion of the campaign.

All of the work involved in setting up the business will be carried out in Cambodia. The capital city has the resources required to produce all items including packaging and website production.

Included in the budget are:
-studio photo shoot, makeup and costumes
-website creation, online shop
-packaging design and initial production run
-initial purchasing of stock

There will be some challenges with language operating in Cambodia, strong processes and automated ordering systems will be put in place to minimise risk. There are hundreds of different colours and styles to choose from so it may take a process of development to find what the market favours. The project will be supervised by David Brown and managed locally as required.