We continue our weekly look at first-time attendees to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market.

Chantha Nguon is the co-director of the Stung Treng Women’s Development Centre (SWDC) in Cambodia, which produces silk weavings in traditional Khmer style.

Chantha learned to weave from her mother and grandmother.  She and her husband started SWDC in 2002 with a $3,000 grant from Partner in Progress. Their goal was to provide specialized training in traditional silk weaving and sericulture and to aid in developing life skills for local villagers in the remote Stung Treng Province of northeastern Cambodia. 

The project focuses on developing life skills that help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy for vulnerable people, especially women in the region. Twenty-seven percent of the Cambodian population lives below the national poverty line of less than $1 US dollar per day, while 45% of children under the age of five are underweight. Over 80% of the country’s population lives in rural areas, many with poor access to even very basic services including clean water, education and health facilities.



SWDC began their work in a small house with two traditional wooden weaving looms; today they have 31 looms, seven sewing machines and a dyeing center. The Centre offers over 50 women a livable income, a safe working environment, free lunch, a kindergarten to care for their children, and school sponsorship for students from grade one to nine.

SWDC’s aims include:

• improving standards of living and increasing opportunities through education programs in health and literacy
• offering vocational training in skills that increase employment opportunities and income generation
• providing employment that pays a livable wage, encourages personal development and offers valuable on the job training
• developing appropriate and sustainable programs that improve lives, increase skills and benefit the community.

The silk products SWDC produces under the name Mekong Blue are now regarded as among the finest silk work in Cambodia. The products include handwoven silk scarfs, bedding, clothing and fabric. Mekong Blue was honored with the UNESCO Seal of Excellence in Handicrafts in 2004 and 2005.

Cambodian silks are used for clothing and for wall hangings and canopies inside Buddhist temples. The art of weaving ikat silk has changed very little since the time of Angkor Kings in the 7th century: ikat woven fabric threads are tied or knotted before they are dyed, then woven resulting in a rich multi-layered design



Because of the time, skill, and concentration involved in weaving ikat, Cambodians believe it is imbued with good energy from the weaver.

Donate now to sponsor Chantha Nguon at the 2011 Market and help change lives for women in Cambodia.

For more information on the work of the Stung Treng Women’s Development Centre visit: http://www.mekongblue.com/