MasterCard and Hotel de la Paix Give Young Cambodian Women the Skills for a Brighter Future

MasterCard and Hotel de la Paix 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 Purposeâ„¢ initiative, MasterCard will donate US$50 towards the reconstruction of Hotel de la Paix’s Sewing School, for every room bill paid with a MasterCard card between 1st August and 30th November 2010. Hotel 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. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Cambodia | Company: Mastercard | Source: Mastercard