The objective of PES is not only to lift children out of poverty, but to get all of their families out of poverty. And, if the children came to the School Continuity Programme at least 3 times in a week, they receive several kilos of rice weekly. Throughout the year, PSE also helps families to rebuild their houses, educate their children and take care of them while their parents work. Now, with l’Atelier, they also provide jobs to children’s mothers. In total, there are 35 people working at l’Atelier, for one or the other of the two existing production lines. The first is dedicated to manufacturing the uniforms of PSE children and students in professional training: cooks, mechanics or housekeeping for example; the second is dedicated to the development of the NGO brand’s products, Le cartable de Chenda.
PSE’s objective behind the development of this product line is to create a positive and virtuous circle that can benefit both the children and their parents.
Le cartable de Chenda is a brand created by Pour un Sourire d’Enfant. These are school supplies: kits, pockets, backpacks, t-shirts, wallets… Since last year, all of these can be purchased at PSE events in France, England and Spain, or at the PSE boutique in Cambodia. PSE’s objective behind the development of this product line is to create a positive and virtuous circle that can benefit both the children and their parents. Most of the employees of l’Atelier come from families that already are supported by PSE, “but there are also mothers from very poor families who come from PSE’s neighbourhoods”, explains Soparith, l’Atelier’s Manager. It is a full-time job that allows them to bring home a regular income. The salary is $200 per month, which is more than the Cambodian minimum wage of $182, for a lower minimum number of weekly hours (42.5 at l’Atelier compared to 48 hours in the rest of the country).
“Working for PSE is very different from when I worked in the textile industry. In the textile industry, I had to work extra hours to earn more money, so I had less time to take care of my children. Since I have been working here, I have more time to be with my children and I don’t need to work overtime,” Chantha, a worker at the Atelier.
The money earned with the products of the brand is only and exclusively intended for the NGO and is used to continue financing all the help that PSE provides to these families.
In addition, the fabrics used to manufacture the products of the Le cartable de Chenda are scraps from the fabrics used for uniforms. This significantly reduces production costs and allows recycling to be introduced as a basis for production. The money earned with the products of the brand is only and exclusively intended for the NGO and is used to continue financing all the help that PSE provides to these families. “My living conditions have improved so much. First because my children can go to school, then because I have received a professional training and now I have a job at PSE, which is only beneficial for me,” Heng Panha, a worker at the Workshop.
There are thousands of families to whom PSE provides daily attention, care and food. And there are more and more people who, with the help of the organisation, find a job thanks to which they can support their families and be fulfilled. Whether it is a job obtained after following one of the professional training provided by the NGO or a job within it, as is the case at l’Atelier.
