Tavi's Story

Tavi is a widow. Her husband died a few years ago and then her daughter. Both died from AIDS. She often wonders if her other children – an older son and a younger daughter, will also one day succumb to the dreaded disease. Tavi, herself, is HIV positive. Since the death of her husband, Tavi has fought a constant battle to earn enough money to support her remaining family. But even the cost of food and school uniforms have left little margin. Often times she cannot even afford the cost of transportation to the clinic to obtain anti-retroviral medicines she desperately needs to prolong her life.

Home has always been a small house on stilts. It is simple, without electricity, void of running water, and unprotected – easily accessible to potential thieves to steal anything left unguarded.

Clinging to the love she feels for her family, Tavi was compelled to find a way to make a better life- to provide food, shelter, and schooling for her family. She was driven daily to give her children an opportunity to create a better future. Tavi was determined to find hope.

In 2009, a team from the Center for Global Impact visited Cambodia, met Tavi and listened to her story. Heartbroken by the tragic story, and moved by her resilient spirit, the team began the process of seeking out ways to help Tavi and others plagued by hardship. More than giving charity, the CGI team wanted to empower the poor so that they could create a better future and break the cycle of generational poverty that put these women and their families at-risk. The result was the creation of the byTavi vocational training program.

The women work Monday through Friday, with occasional training sessions on Saturday mornings. Each woman works at her own pace and is compensated based on production- giving them the freedom to determine how many pieces they need to make to provide for their families. On average, each woman earns between US$80 and US$120 a month - four times above the poverty line in Cambodia. CGI encourages the women to balance their lives between work, family, church and friends.

Tavi is a strong woman. She now consistently receives her medication, her children are in school, she is a mentor in the byTavi program, she is actively involved in church, and she is remarried. She is a happy woman with a bright future for her and her children. She told her story and has changed her life, and the lives of those like her, because she decided to do something to make a difference.

With your support, women like Tavi are given the opportunity to provide for their families and live a life of hope in a part of the world that is notorious for the atrocities committed against the poor. When you purchase an item from byTavi you get much more than a great, fashionable product. You are actually empowering the poor by providing a real market for their products. byTavi is more than a fashion statement. It is a statement about the value of every life.