We add yet another exciting project to our current portfolio! As our second assignment for the Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF), we will work closely together with Nomi Network Cambodia (NNC). The objective is to support women in the Cambodian craft and fashion sectors with three activities covering all three Cs of Globally Cool: Consult, Coach and Connect.
Ending modern-day slavery: Nomi Network
Since 2009, Nomi Network aids in creating economic opportunities for women (at risk) in Cambodia and India. The organisation trains women in the areas of life skills, technical skills (fashion and production) and job placement and retention.
A diverse project with lots of research
We’ve kicked off the project by forming a task force dedicated to achieving the best results. Collaborating with this task force, consultants Alfons, Bastiaan and Mariët will be creating a market export strategy for the Cambodian craft and fashion sector. To this end, deep market research, an analysis of recent studies, expert and shop manager interviews, and focus groups were conducted. These project steps help us paint a clearer picture and will be combined to form the market export strategy pillars.
Three courses for effective capacity building
Next up for the second phase of the project is an extensive training programme. A selected group of women-led businesses will be trained by consultants Luz, Tove and Mariët on areas pertaining to export strategy development, branding and promotion and digital marketing. After the courses, the participants will be able to sustainably grow their business.
Study trip and business matching
Thirdly, the task force will join Globally Cool on a study trip to Vietnam. There, we will visit the trade fair LifeStyle Vietnam and Vietcraft aiming to connect with potential buyers, promote NNC’s products and conduct research. Lastly, putting all the gathered information into practice, we will close the project with a virtual business matching event.
The role of GESI: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
Women empowerment is a core element of this project. Therefore, we have chosen to work with a GESI coordinator, Tove Antonissen from Straight Circles, who ensures all activities follow a fitting approach to include all genders and social groups. One of the objectives is to remove any possible barriers. Our progressive approach to solve this regards an audio-visual strategy in Khmer, removing language barriers that might be present when interviewing in English.
