MasterCard and Hôtel de la Paix in Siem Reap,
Cambodia, are teaming up again to train young rural Khmer women as
seamstresses, so they can earn a living and support themselves and
their families. As part of a MasterCard Purchase with Purpose
initiative, MasterCard will donate US$50 towards the
reconstruction of Hôtel de la Paix’s Sewing School, for every room
bill paid with a MasterCard card between 1 August and 30 November
2010.
Hôtel de la Paix’s Sewing School is a vocational
facility funded by the hotel that offers a ten-month programme
teaching Khmer women to sew, speak English and learn basic skills
required to set up a business. Students are given a sewing machine
and a kit of materials upon graduation to enable them to start
their own businesses.
The programme reaches out to young rural
women from outside Siem Reap, where access to employment or
training is rare. With limited work opportunities, these
uneducated women often find work on construction sites, earning
US$1 per day for 16 hours of hard labour. The funds collected
through this Purchase with Purpose initiative will enable these
women to learn a relevant trade, work in a safe environment and
earn a decent wage. This will help them provide for themselves and
their families, contribute to their communities and build their
self-esteem.
This is the third Purchase with Purpose initiative
that MasterCard has run with Hôtel de la Paix. The “Pushbike”
initiative that was launched in 2008, saw a bicycle being donated
to an underprivileged Cambodian child, for every room bill paid
with a MasterCard card. This initiative helped children from
outlying villages to get to school, where previously they would
have had to walk long distances in the heat. In Cambodia, it is
common to see up to three children using one bicycle to get to
school. In 2009, this programme expanded its donation to include a
school bag, in addition to each bicycle donated. Some 500 school
bags and 900 bicycles have been donated to date.
MasterCard
also sponsored women in 2009 and 2010 at the Sewing School as part
of its broader commitment to women’s advancement. The first of
these women have now graduated and been provided with start-up
materials and are self employed.
Wendy Morris, General Manager
of Hôtel de la Paix, said, “We are very pleased to be working with
MasterCard again on an initiative that makes a difference to the
lives of the local Khmer people. Through our “Community Partners &
Projects” programme, we enable hotel guests to visit and interact
in the local communities, giving them a genuine insight into life
in Cambodia. Our collaborations with MasterCard have always been
successful and we are confident that this initiative will be well
received by our guests.”
Georgette Tan, vice president,
Communications, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard
Worldwide, added, “MasterCard is committed to women’s advancement
and we are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to work
with likeminded organizations to provide women with skills that
help them stand on their own feet. We have had a great
collaboration with Hôtel de la Paix and are pleased to be working
with them again on this initiative. The Purchase with Purpose
platform is our way of involving our cardholders in doing good
when they use their MasterCard cards, and we are glad to work with
Hôtel de la Paix to give our cardholders a role in making a
difference to the local women’s lives.”
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