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Phnom Penh - An internationally-renowned fashion designer Bibi Russell, UNDP, and Modern Dress Sewing Factory (MDSF), an all-women business subsidiary of the network of people living with HIV in Cambodia today jointly launched a new international designer label titled “Bibi for WE”.

Under this brand, MDSF will produce and market a range of bags designed by Bibi Russell, who had been synonymous with leading international designer-labels and fashion-houses in the 1970s and 1980s. The products will be contemporary in style and utility while representing the rich cultural heritage of Cambodia, said Bibi, addressing a press conference here today.

Designer Bibi Russell  (right) photo courtesy of UNDP

“If you join hands with women living with HIV with affection and confidence, they can create magic with their fingers,” said Bibi, who is also a UNAIDS goodwill ambassador and founder of “Fashion for Development,” a global movement seeking to help weavers and women across the globe. The products under the “Bibi for WE” label will initially comprise designer bags meant for a global market.  The design will use local materials such as Cambodian silk and will be rich in local cultural motifs. Bibi has trained HIV positive women in the selection of materials, design, finishing and quality control. First part of the training is currently underway.       

“We don’t want sympathy, but support to live a life of respect and dignity,” said Pham Srim, Business Manager, MDSF. “Severe poverty, and stigma and discrimination make our lives impossible. We have recurrent health problems and have to fend for our treatment, food and shelter; but the most crushing is the discrimination by society” she said. “This project helps us to stand on our feet, earn a living and stay unfazed by the stigma and discrimination staring on our face,” she added. “With HIV, one can lead a normal and productive life - that is the message of WE,” she said.  Since MDSF began its operations in 2006, there has been a marked improvement in the attitude of people towards women living with HIV and their families. “Our earnings also keep us alive”.   

“WE is a symbol of resilience and resolve by women in the face of ill-health, poverty and discrimination,” said Mr. Douglas Broderick, Resident Representative of UNDP in Cambodia. He said the label represents a new hope and empowerment for all the women living with HIV in Cambodia.  He urged the private sector and general public to generously support the initiative.

Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Practice Team Leader and Regional Programme Coordinator, Regional HIV and Development Programme, said “Bibi for WE” is a milestone in the evolution of the “Women and Wealth” project. “Women and Wealth and the WE brand arose out of the acute necessity of positive women to cope socially and economically with the impact of the epidemic on their lives.” In Asia and the Pacific, the household level burdens of HIV is disproportionately borne  by women, and their socio-economic empowerment is a crucial step to enable them to provide for themselves and their children, to reduce the stigma they face and build a future with dignity,” she said.  “At present, the Women and Wealth initiative is in operation in Cambodia and India and we hope to expand it to other countries in the region.” Ms. Wiesen said. Innovation and sustainability are the essential features of the Women and Wealth project.

About the Women and Wealth Project: (www.wwp-we.org)

Background

Women, who currently account for 29% of adults living with HIV in Asia , are disproportionately impacted by the epidemic, both economically and socially.
When their HIV positive husband becomes severely, women often single-handedly provide constant care and even reduce their own food or other consumptions to pay for medical expenses and make ends meet. In many places throughout the region, women may also falsely be accused of infecting her husband and may be chased away from the household.

When the husband dies, the wife in some cases may be chased away from her marital home and denied her right to inheritance and property of her late husband and even to children’s custody. Finally she is double-stigmatized and discriminated against as a widow living with HIV or associated with an HIV-positive family member. She is denied her right to employment, housing, and life with dignity and hope.
As a consequence, women become highly vulnerable to rapid impoverishment, transactional sex for survival, unsafe migration and human trafficking, which could also increase their risk to HIV infection, if they are not already infected. The HIV-related plight of women has been underexposed and underappreciated in Asia due to strong stigma and discrimination against them.

Stigmatized, discriminated against and rejected from their families and communities, these women often have nowhere to seek support except for groups/networks of women living with HIV. Such self-support groups, their last resort, are slowly emerging in the region to offer care and support designed specifically for the women. However, these groups are struggling to survive due to perpetual lack of funding and low capacity of members, often caused by deep-rooted gender inequalities and prevailing disempowerment of women in the region.

When women’s lives are affected by HIV and associated stigma and discrimination, entire communities become dysfunctional and prospects for social and economic prosperity are reduced. There is an urgent need to mobilize forces and resources and to create partnerships to support initiatives which aim to reach tangible results in the creation of livelihood strategies for women living with HIV.  

The Women and Wealth Project (WWP)

In response to emerging social and economic issues affecting the lives of HIV- positive women, the UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme for Asia and the Pacific initiated the Women and Wealth Project (WWP) in late 2006, in partnership with a Thai NGO, Population and Community Development Association (PDA) and UNDP country offices. WWP is currently being implemented with groups of women living with HIV in Cambodia and India.

As a regional pilot initiative, WWP pursues the socioeconomic empowerment of women living with and affected by HIV through the development of small-scale social enterprises. The Modern Dress Sewing Factory, a garment factory, was created in Cambodia, and the Social Light Communications developed in India with a focus on communication design and print production.

WWP takes a two-phased approach. The first phase is the development of sustainable social enterprises to provide employment and a sustainable flow of financial resource for the positive women’s groups and also to finance the second phase. The second phase is the implementation of a unique micro-credit programme specifically designed for people living with HIV called “the Positive Partnership Programme (PPP),” which is devised by PDA (PPP has been selected by UNAIDS for its 2007 Best Practice Collection).  

Strengths of WWP include the following:
•    Economic empowerment both individually and collectively by creating livelihood opportunities and generating revenue for groups, respectively
•    Social empowerment by reducing stigma and discrimination against positive women through business interactions, by making them income earners and “business owners” and by nurturing self-confidence and hope
•    Providing a safe working environment for the women with no stigma and discrimination and with an understanding on unique needs of women living with HIV
•    PPP (micro-credit) provides opportunities to distribute the benefits of the project to a greater number of the women across the country
•    Involvement of the business sector for capacity development of the groups
•    South-South cooperation through facilitating capacity transfer from Thailand (PDA) and interactions among the groups from Cambodia and India
•    All products produced by these positive women’s groups are collectively marketed under the “WE” brand, which stands for “Women Empowered” and “Together, WE can”.

Major achievements include:
•    The establishment of basic business infrastructures and the development of minimum internal capacity by all groups participating in the project to manage their small social enterprises with accountability and transparency
•    The social enterprise in Cambodia was visited by the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and an established Japanese actress Misako Konno in 2007 as a best practice in response to growing needs of women living with HIV in Cambodia.  
•    A common brand for all the products by these groups “WE” (Women Empowered) was launched at the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in Sri Lanka.
•    Women participating in the project have expressed increased confidence, dignity, and hope and reduced stigma and discrimination against them.

Modern Dress Sewing Factory (MDSF) (www.wwp-we.org/mdsf)

The Modern Dress Sewing Factory (MDSF) started its operations in January 2007. The factory employs 17 women living with HIV, including three women who form the management team.

Successes:
•    MDSF have provided employment opportunities for 17 women living with HIV.
•    The factory has provided support for all the women, where they can share concerns in a confidential and safe working environment.
•    MDSF has put in place policies, which focus on the healthcare management of their workers – each worker is entitled to one day off a month for hospital visits. The business has also allowed the women to take ARV treatments together as a group. Everyday, a management team keeps a checklist to ensure the women have taken their HIV medication, contributing to healthy work force and prevention of drug resistence.
•    MDSF has established a large support network covering government organizations, non-government organizations, international agencies, and the private sector.
•    MDSF have drawn strong interests from the media – locally and internationally. In August 2007, MDSF was visited by a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.
•    MDSF has produced quality products for consumers and organizations across the globe.
•    The factory has fostered a strong sense of commitment, entrepreneurship, and teamwork among the workers.
•    The management team is regularly taking English lessons.

Current needs:
•    Promoting products in the national and international markets
•    Expansion of a regular customer base for sustainable orders
•    Training in basic business knowledge and skills, including English proficiency.
•    Regular skill-building training among workers
•    Technical support to strengthen quality control and assurance
•    Technical support for new product development for international markets
•    Raising more financial resources for capital investments such as a back-up generator and special sewing machines