The Heart Behind The HER Initiative

In 2019, a 61 year old man was charged with raping his 11 year old neighbour in Cambodia.

This young girl was raped five times by this man and threatened with violence to never speak about it .

It’s hard to get your head around the damage caused by such abuse and stealing a childs innocence but beyond that, it’s incredibly heartbreaking when you delve deeper into this story.

The five cases of sexual exploitation occurred when the girls’ parents were working in distant provinces. Because of financial pressures, her parents had to make sacrifices, the biggest being committing to work far from their home. They made arrangements with their neighbour to look after their children while they worked - the very same neighbour who raped their daughter, repeatedly.

While believing they were doing right by their children and setting them up for a brighter future as they left for work, they unknowingly left their children in the care of a criminal.

Consider the choice they had when they first left their children in their neighbour’s care. They were in check mate from the beginning, trapped between a need for two incomes and the risk of leaving children unattended or with someone they know little about.

This is the heart of the HER Initiative. We believe parents shouldn’t have to choose between poverty and danger. We have rescued so many girls out of similar situations: girls that have been taken advantage of because parents were away working. 

Our HER Initiative employs families and allows them to work from home to ensure their children are looked after and safe. The work is stable and fair and provides for the needs of the family and it proactively fights poverty and exploitation. In many cases, our HER Initiative is the reason that children can receive an education.

This project is not a bandaid. It targets the root cause and works closely with families to meet their needs and thus see lasting transformation in communities.

This is the story behind each beaded bracelet, each tote bag and each apron. Before the product even reaches our stalls or our online store, the families have already received their well earned pay and their transformation.

Whether you shop, donate or place a custom order for conference armbands  this is what you're supporting. Together, we can save a generation.