Opportunity for Women x Agir Sa Vie, a partnership for the empowerment of women
The Agir Sa Vie Foundation, created in 2001, helps to carry out innovative projects that help people in situations of great poverty and isolation. The objective of the projects supported by the association is to encourage the autonomy of the recipients by making them actors in their development. The environment and its preservation are also at the heart of the commitments of the foundation and the projects it supports.
Opportunity for Women responded to the call for projects with the aim of contributing to the emancipation of women from the Lao and Thai ethnic groups in the Dien Bien Phu province in Vietnam. The project was selected by the Foundation and its main goal is to develop the traditional weaving activity, the production is also intended to be sustainable while highlighting local crafts and know-how. This weaving activity had already been structured since 2019 by Anh Chi Em, a local branch of Entrepreneurs du Monde and TrendEthics. A first catalog of patterns and natural colors had been set up and the Opportunity for Women association had already helped the women create a first collection of cushions sold in France.
Thanks to the call for projects from the Agir Sa Vie Foundation, Opportunity for Women will be able to boost its impact even more!
New wooden machines for separating cotton from seeds have arrived to help the weavers and facilitate weaving. These machines will facilitate organic cotton growing and spinning near the village and by the weavers themselves. The cotton plantations had already been planted in July 2020 but due to the lack of proper equipment to spin the cotton, the weavers preferred to source cotton from another village.
In addition, women will be able to be trained even more because a natural dye expert will be able to teach them new techniques, which will ensure quality and environmentally friendly products. The women already knew how to make some colors, including a beautiful blue, but there were some problems when washing.
The objective also being emancipation, Opportunity for Women will also collaborate with the aim of developing sales throughout Vietnam, particularly through a website to promote their know-how and products!