For the last two years, Bounce Rubber Bands® has been a proud supporter of Borderless Friendship Foundation (BFF) – a charity working towards building a society in Thailand “which all people, especially children, youth, women and vulnerable people, have human rights and access to resources leading to quality lives”. We are always delighted to see and hear of the great projects Dr Lorel Mayberry, President of BFWA, and the team are working on in the rural villages of Northern Thailand.
The Prao Lahu Women’s Sewing Group is a group of 25 women who live in the poor hill-tribe village of Prao, about two hours north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Because some of these women do not hold Thai ID cards, and therefore are not recognised as citizens, there is minimal opportunity for these women to work. Despite these drawbacks, the women work hard to lift the people of the village by providing sewing and weaving services. The sewing group offers an opportunity for these women to make an income outside of working in the fields, and the group is in the process of registering with the Government as a Savings Group.
We have recently received news that the group was able to upgrade from their two old treadle sewing machines following a kind donation. The group was able to purchase three new machines – one new electric machine, two Singer treadle machines plus stands and one overlocker machine. This fantastic group of women are now producing handicrafts and large, strong mosquito nets which BFF buy from the group for their hostels (to keep the children safe from malaria and dengue fever). The group are now also working to make environmentally friendly veggie bags to be sold here in Australia.
Bounce Rubber Bands® was approached to play a small part in this veggie bag project. BFF asked if we could support the project by supplying the rubber bands used to attach the labels to the bags. Having already assisted BFF last financial year with a donation, resulting in a toilet block for the Doi Vieng mountain community, and seeing firsthand the excellent work this organisation does, we were more than happy to assist. Not only are these bags a great economic incentive for the women of the Prao Lahu Women’s Sewing Group, but with plastic bags being phased out across Australia and the knowledge of how detrimental plastic can be for our environment they are a great eco-friendly choice for Australian consumers.
Here at Bounce Rubber Bands® we were lucky enough to get our hands on some of the bags made by the Prao Lahu Women’s Sewing Group. So for our lucky wholesalers, the first twenty orders placed in 2019 we will include a set of 3 bags (valued at $10) in each order. If you are an end-user of Bounce Rubber Bands® and are interested in purchasing the veggie bags, please get in touch with our Marketing Team at marketing@bouncerubber.com.au.
By purchasing Bounce Rubber Bands® at your local retailer, wholesaler or reseller you are helping us provide support to these amazing projects through our corporate social responsibility initiative ‘Bounce Back’. For more information on BFF and their work head to https://www.borderlessfriendship.org/ or check out their Facebook page for regular updates https://www.facebook.com/BFFWA/. If you are able to support one or more of the hill tribe children directly by becoming a valued sponsor, please email: info-wa@borderlessfriendship.org.
Bounce Rubber Bands® takes great pride in their products, service levels and commitment to client satisfaction. We offer industry best pricing and work with reputable distributors around Australia and internationally. If you have any questions or expressions of interest in becoming one of our reputable re-sellers, please contact Bounce Rubber Bands® today!