Srey Moch, 31, and her husband, Voeun Him, welcomed us in to the bustling work area under their stilt home. Five looms sat threaded with brilliantly colored silk. There was the distinguishable clatter of wood against wood (from the multiple screen templates that are set up to create the varying patterns on the cloth) from several women weaving. Nearby, an older man and woman, Srey Moch's parents, sat spinning thread on to wheels. It was the largest weaving operation we'd yet visited in the area, started by one woman - Srey Moch. She's an ambitious woman who learned to weave from a neighbor when only 15 years old. It was 9 years ago that she taught her husband to weave, and then other village women. Before borrowing from Maxima she had only two looms. Now, seven loans later, she has slowly added one loom at a time to expand her business.
Srey Moch's latest loan of $500 has been completely repaid as of December. This is several months ahead of schedule. This loan, funded through Kiva, enabled Srey Moch to buy raw silk in bulk at the markets in Phnom Penh and thereby increase her profits. Both Srey Moch and her husband can weave quickly - one piece every 2-3 days. The women she trains typically take four days per piece, for which they are paid $3/each and get free on-the-job training. If the quality is good, each piece can be sold to the local middleman for $15 USD per piece. A portion of the loan was also used for home improvements and to purchase additional products for the small mini-mart they also operate in front of their home.
Srey Moch is now teaching her young daughter to weave after school. She has a son who also attends the local primary school. In the future, she would like to borrow again to purchase one more loom and additional weaving materials. After that, I think she's going to need to build an extension!
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