Vietnam-Quilts : Mekong-Quilts

Community Development Non-Profit Organisation

March 2010 Newsletter

Welcome back to Mekong-Quilts newsletter! Vietnamese Tet holiday was just over and we hope you have had a nice holiday with your families and friends.

In the following edition you will find:

• Forthcoming events
• Profile on Ms Ngoc - a quilter in Long My
• New products
• Making a greener Vietnam
• Mekong-Quilts is now in the Lonely Planet!
• Who we are

Forthcoming Events

Traveling around the remote area of Long My, in the heart of the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam, one is confronted with

Profile on Ms Ngoc - a quilter in Long My

Since joining the program only 3 years ago, Ngoc has helped to provide a better life for her children. The short documentary below explains her story.

New Products

We have recently received a wide range of new products and designs, including elegant silk cushions, baby mats and new table settings.

The silk cushions are made using a mixture of different red patterned patches and are a great feature of any bed or sofa setting. They are priced at $17 each.

The baby mat is an entirely new product and has been tremendously popular since it's introduction only weeks ago. Thanks to the colourful contemporary designs and easy-to-wash protective lining. A popular gift for anyone expecting a child and at only $16 is very affordable.

New placemat designs that incorporate Javanese Batik fabrics are an excellent addition to any table setting. With a contemporary design with asian features, it is a great setting for any modern home. They are only $40 for 6 settings with matching cotton serviettes.

New Yoga mat

We have just launched the new meditation mat and yoga carrier designs. Entirely made from batik fabric, they are long-lasting and bring comfort to anyone who practise Yoga.

• Yoga Mat Carrier: $18

• Meditation Mat: $23

Teaching Kids to Quilt - The VQ Quilting Workshop

On October 9th Vietnam-Quilts staff visited Ho Chi Minh City Japanese Primary School to teach 5th and 6th grade students how to make a quilt. The group of 50 kids spent the day learning about quilting history, how to make them, as well as working together on a craft project - making decorative cards for their families.

The day was a great success and not only got the kids interested in craft and textiles, but their parents too! Thanks to Yuka, a volunteer from Japan, who made the workshop possible. We hope to follow on her good work and make it a regular event in Ho Chi Minh City.

What We Want to do in Rumdoul, Cambodia

A village in Rumdoul, Cambodia, only a few kilometers from the Vietnam border is 20 years behind for poverty. Vietnam/Mekong-Quilts parent NGO, Mekong Plus, has a new team in the area, all Khmer. They have spent months on the Long My program in Vietnam for training. The Vietnam team, when asked did not hesitate: “Yes there is still a lot to be done in Vietnam but as Mekong Plus has helped us, so we should try to help in Cambodia”.

Chia Chan Don is a very active farmer. His wife and 5 children live on 2 hectares of land, plus a small pond. They have no cow nor buffalo and cannot plough their land, they would have to hire their neighbor's, this is $75 US which they cannot afford. Such a pity because even though yields are extremely low in the village (about 0.7 tonnes per hectare compared to 5 tonnes across the border) due to poor seeds and lack of water, they could have made a net profit of $93 US. So Chia Chan Don rented his land to another farmer instead and works as a daily laborer on others’ farms. He can only find work about 10-15 days a month during the 6 month rainy season and is paid about $2.25 US per day. Rumdoul is poor and dry, so every year he migrates to a far away province. Our survey indicates that over 80% of the households in this area send at least one member to Phnom Penh for 3-5 months. In Phnom Penh, there is work and it means one less person to feed on the farm. However, HIV-AIDS has taken a heavy toll in the region due to this seasonal migration.

No chairs, nothing to share with the guests… This family may be extremely poor but they are joyful and joking. All the children are at school. They have invested in fish cultivation, and hope to make $270 US profit. Mekong Plus hopes to do much with Chia Chan Don. They offer technical advice so that he can succeed with the fish. Future projects he is considering are a microcredit loan to buy 2 cows so that he can farm his land instead of renting it to others, and invest in better seeds for the rice paddy.

Kalyan runs the Mekong-Quilts shop in Phnom Penh: “My most cherished desire is to see similar programs in Rumdoul as Mekong Plus does in Vietnam”. She is now helping in the training of 2 quilters’ groups, who will make cushions: she has promised the women that they can double their income and have regular work*. Her plan is to employ 100 women (in Vietnam Mekong-Quilts employs already 180 quilters). All profits from the shop are for Rumdoul: enough to help 25 more households each month.

Quilts, agriculture, fish raising, health education (only 5% have a latrine): Mekong Plus is in Rumdoul for the long term. Click here to see a video on the work Mekong Plus is doing in Cambodia.
*On average we need $75 US to train one quilter.