Magazine for factory girls in Cambodia: read about this exciting new project, communicating to garment factory workers the message: 'You are precious'!
In Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, there are about 200,000 young girls working in the garment factories. Clothing production is the country's largest manufacturing sector and there is a high density of Khmer women in their late teens and early twenties who live and work within the main industrial areas on the outskirts of the city.Although their situation may be quite different to ours, these young women don't want a life that is all about work anymore than we do. They need time for the fun stuff as well as an opportunity to express their thoughts, feelings and their creative gifts too.
The aim of the Precious project in Cambodia is to reach out to these girls and bring a little light relief into their working life. To encourage them to understand how valuable they are. That they are not defined by their circumstances but that they are unique and important. This message will be carried to them through a monthly magazine which will be especially for them and about them.Precious magazine is written in Khmer and the tone is easy going and uplifting. Through it they are given a voice that will be heard. A place to talk about their lives, opinions, thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams.
The magazine is about the girls themselves, not about celebrities. It is compiled and distributed by young Khmer people and shows images of real Khmer girls, not airbrushed models. It doesn't try to sell a lifestyle or Western culture to them, but honestly yet optimistically reflects their lives and encourages them to have hope and invest positively in their relationships, their families, their work, their communities and themselves. It encourages good health, learning, creativity and literacy.
The Precious project is founded by Christians who want to demonstrate their love for these young Khmer women by celebrating the richness and diversity of their lives. It is hoped that its readers will be inspired to see beyond the factory walls and there discover a deeper sense of meaning and happiness in their lives.The magazine is currently on Issue 3 and we've sold about 600 copies of each issue so far to garment workers. As the girls live in large communes, we estimate that up to 40 people read one copy - which makes a readership of up to 24,000. We're aiming to get it right up to 270,000 though - that's the entire factory worker population of Cambodia. As there is no other literature being produced specifically for these young women it is not an unrealistic target, with God's continued blessing on our work. The magazine has been a gateway to building relationships and loving these young women for who they are - God's precious girls!
What percentage of the factory girls can read? It is likely that a high percentage cannot so I hope this magazine has a lot of pictures.
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