An ethical and supportive adventure in Southeast Asia
Photo: Lee Anh Tuan © An Chi Em
On the microphone of Radio Notre Dame , Lucie and Marie , co-founders of Opportunity for Women, tell us about their journey. What path they have taken since the genesis of their associative brand to the most recent projects implemented within eight weaving cooperatives ! Discover the story of their wonderful encounters among the ethnic minorities of Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma.
Photo : © Jean-Marie Dufour
The genesis of Opportunity for Women, an associative brand of eco-responsible decoration
Opportunity for Women was born from successive trips to Southeast Asia. Marie crisscrossed the villages on her motorbike to meet the women who hand-weave magnificent fabrics. Lucie also went there. Despite their differences, they managed to establish a relationship of trust thanks to which the adventure of Opportunity for Women could begin! Photo: © Jean-Marie Dufour
The project of these two committed women is to promote the know-how of weavers from ethnic minorities, in order to help them develop their business. Indeed, the latter are used to selling their productions in the surrounding villages, which generates somewhat random sales.
The idea of Opportunity for Women is therefore to place orders directly with the weavers, so that they can offer their traditional creations to a French clientele, thus accessing a more stable and higher salary. The association is therefore committed to fighting against local socio-economic inequalities and against the disappearance of traditional craft skills.
Jarai weavers, Pleiku (Vietnam) Photos: © Nathalie Broun
Building relationships with ethnic minority women
In a sometimes difficult context, particularly for Burmese women who were victims of the coup d'état, Opportunity for Women supports local craft creation within eight ethnic minority communities to preserve their cultural identity. These minorities, or indigenous peoples , are distinguished by their language, culture, way of life and are sometimes in conflict with the rest of the local population, who despise them.
The association supports around sixty women from four countries in their textile production activity. It encourages them to make precise orders, respecting dimensions and colors, in order to best meet customer expectations. The design of catalogs allows Opportunity for Women to put weavers in touch with designers who can place an order for a custom project .
Thanks to the profits from the sales, the weavers have access to better living conditions. donations to the association and NGO donations also help to finance solidarity projects in the villages. The weavers have been able to benefit, for example, from pairs of glasses, weaving equipment or even a training in vegetable dyeing .
Photo: © Nathalie Broun
Photo : © Jean-Marie Dufour
Asia, today's challenges
After the health crisis, Opportunity for Women is preparing to take on new challenges within the cooperatives. The association's objective is to encourage the training of girls in the weaving profession, so that this rich know-how continues and in a way that guarantees employment prospects for young people. From a social and environmental point of view, Opportunity for Women wishes to promote the cultivation of cotton without chemicals and vegetable dyeing. In this way, the land is cultivated by minorities who obtain a sufficient income from it: it is not sold to the highest bidder and remains in the community, thus preserving biodiversity.
Through his collections of handcrafted decorative products , the brand seeks to raise public awareness of consume less and better . A cushion grown, spun, woven and dyed by hand, we keep it preciously and it is an additional gesture for the planet!
A pop-up shop dedicated to crafts
Mekong Connection is a collective of brands committed in Southeast Asia to the preservation of know-how. Soon you will find the decorative handcrafted objects of Opportunity for Women in a pop-up shop , in the heart of the capital. See you from November 16 to December 25, at 26-28 rue des Batignolles, in Paris 17th. We look forward to seeing you there!
To listen to the podcast of the show in its entirety, head to Radio Notre Dame website !
Photo: © Marie Van Haecke
