Purchase with a purpose & help to prevent sex trafficking.

Rachael has a passion for the Karen Culture & travels to Northern Thailand each year to purchase her silver as well as spending as much time as she can in a small rural Karen Hill Tribe village called "Morwahkee. 

Morwahkee is a small Karen (Burmese refugee) village in Northern Thailand where weaving scarves on a back-strap loom is a time-honored tradition that has been passed down through generations.Rachael helps to financially support the locally run school through the sales of her business as well as employing women in the village to hand loom traditional cotton scarves on a back strap loom. These scarves as sold back here in Australia & 100% of the profits are given back to the women & their familes.

By purchasing scarves directly from the artisans in Morwahkee we seek to preserve this century-old craft while also providing Karen women with an independent & fair wage. Each purchase not only supports the artisans & their families, but also contributes to the maintenance of a small community-run school in the local village that is striving to preserve their ancient Karen language, culture & traditions through education. 
This is a collaborative project between myself & Natalie from Global Pearls after visiting Morwahkee over the past 2 years & discovering a joint passion to support this beautiful community through direct action.

Mor Wa Kee- A Karen Hill Tribe Village in Northern Thailand from Natalie Owens on Vimeo.

Over the past 2 years more than 200 scarves have been sold...
Last year the money we raised helped fund the cost to have a school dorm built in Morwahkee. This been made possible through so many of my amazing customers & friends purchasing these scarves. 

The scarf project has been a wonderful way of raising the much needed funds...as it is empowering women like Meeda, Panee & Matien (shown in pics) who I have had the priveledge of getting to know personally on my annual trip. Being able to employ these women is giving them hope, freedom, respect & dignity in which they so rightly deserve.
Thousands of refugees flee to Thailand every year to escape conflict & poverty in Burma. They arrive with dreams of opportunity & freedom, yet are met with realities of exploitation & trafficking for sex work & other forced labour. Without education or access to resources (due to poverty, language barriers & systemic discrimination by Thai & Burmese governments) they are often denied basic human rights such as health care, fair wages for work, & the freedom of mobility.
 
Studies have indicated that when woman hold assets or gain income, the money is more likely to be spent on nutrition, medicine & housing. Women are more likey to share their economic gain with their families & communities at large. When women earn income they reinvest 90% of it into their families as compared to only 30-40% for a man.* By financially empowering mothers in areas at risk of trafficking you are also helping to prevent their young daughters from needing to bring in income, therefore helping them to stay in school longer, and lessening their risk of being sold into slavery. BUY A SCARF & HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!! 

Rachael also helps to support a small charity "Daughters Rising" based in Northern Thailand... A non for profit organisation that works to prevent sex trafficking in women by empowering "at risk girls".