Weaving for the Future
Every culture has its own creative outlets. Some of those creative outlets tell a story about a specific culture and keep its history alive. They tell stories about who we are and where we came from. If not intentionally preserved and passed down to the next generation, the craft and even history can disappear.
The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers.
Passing on Knowledge
Among the Bunong people in Cambodia, teaching the next generation to weave is preserving their culture. For many years, this craft was not passed down, but there is a renewed hope for the future with older generations teaching their skills to the younger generations.
Creativity and hope are blossoming in a women’s weaving group. Four cultural designs are re-emerging. Through a local church ministry, women in the Mondulkiri province are learning to weave traditional patterns, once at risk of being lost, and are being connected to markets to help provide incomes for their families.
Weaving Hope
One young Bunong woman admired the beautifully woven skirts and scarves in her community. She was thrilled when she received an invitation to join the weaving training group. With encouragement and support from the group she began by learning how to weave small scarves. She is excited to continue learning to weave larger scarves and skirts with different designs in the future.
She thanks the committee of the women’s weaving group, World Hope International, and donors for giving her and others the opportunity to learn to weave. She has hope because this gives her a marketable skill.
Being able to provide for your family is a desire for every person regardless of where they live. Learning a traditional art form and making it available to consumers is changing the lives of women and their families by creating sustainable sources of income. Being creative and innovative is paramount to the success of many small businesses.
When people invest in themselves and learn a new skill, then take steps to use and market that skill, their lives change. Creating sustainable sources of income is transforming the lives of women and their families and while doing so, they are also preserving their cultural heritage. This kind of empowerment allows opportunity, dignity, and hope to flourish.
