From a garment factory worker to a Dressmaker

Miss. Chenda, 32, is now a dressmaker and the founder of Damode in Phnom Penh. Before she became a dressmaker and run her own shop she used to work as a garment factory worker one year in Phnom Penh. Actually, she is from an isolated rural village in Pursat province. She decided to leave the family because she failed two times of grade nine examinations in 2000 then she left her family to work in one of the garment factory in Phnom Penh. She worked almost 10 hours per day and 6 or 7 days including extra time on weekend. “After I failed the grade 9 two times, I felt nowhere to go because I did not know what I am going to do next, my family was in the poor condition and had 6 siblings under the family's support, and they were all students too, that’s why I decided to leave my family in order to earn money and that time I got about 40 USD$ per month. Sometimes, I had to work extra time to get more money, said Chenda”.

After working in the garment factory almost one year, she stopped working in that factory to go back her homeland. She said “Going back to my homeland because I thought working as the garment factory I could not learn anything just only work under the other’s control and could not boost myself to get more improved”. When she came back she also went to study how to sew the women dress in Pursat province about one year, and she worked as a sewer in Pursat market. In 2003, she decided to go Phnom Penh again to work as a sewer in the tailor shop near Toul Tompoung Market. Working in this shop, she got some money which could support her daily expense, but still not much. Furthermore, this tailor shop is mostly sewing for western and many foreigners came to that shop. So she could have a chance get improved the skill in making dress, but not Khmer traditional dress.

 Chenda, still wanted to move out, and finally she stopped working in that tailor shop. She moved to live with her aunt and sew by herself for the customers, not under other’s control. “I moved to live with my aunt near Central market at the third storage in the hotel which was banished after the Khmer Rouge. I lived with her almost two years and I have my own sewing machine, I could sew for some customers who I have known some from the former shop I worked for. Not only from this shop, but I had been some hotel in Phnom Penh in order to ask for any dress needed that I could sew for them, yeah I got some approval.  I have known some other shop owners near the river-side who sale souvenirs and dresses; the shop owners gave me a chance to sew for them and I got some money, she said”.

In 2006, her business got a bit more improved; many customers start recognizing her more and more, especially western-people. She decided to leave her aunt to rent the house for her own business. Still she had only herself working for her own. Two years later, 2008, she moved to rent another house which bigger than this one near Independent monument. Now she has two staffs and two trainees in her shop. she said “I faced many challenges but I have never given up my effort, the more challenges I faces the more my efforts I try”.

She also wants other people not give up on what they are doing even they have not reached their goal and for those who did not get higher education, please don't be hopeless. “I think even we do not get good enough education like others, but it does not mean we cannot succeed in the next future, so keep going on what you are doing”.  In the future, she wants to provide the training on dress sewing for those who are interested in making cloth and dressmaker.