top of page

ABOUT US

EMPOWER WOMEN & YOU WILL CHANGE SOCIETIES

IWA KEP - International Women Association Kep is a Swiss NPO (non-profit) and NGO (non-gouvernmental) organisation founded in 2017 in Switzerland according to the Swiss law and regulations.

​

We create jobs  for women living in rural Cambodia.

We collect and transform plastic bags into school backpacks, purses, mats, baskets etc.

IWA femme Atelier.jpeg
Phnom_Penh_Déchets_Mekong.jpg

WHY WE DO

WHAT WE DO

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

According to Cambodian Ministry of Environment observations, more than 10 million plastic bags are being used every day in the city of Phnom Penh alone, In Cambodia plastic bags are used 10 times more than in Europe or in China.


IWA Kep aims to

  • collect used plastic bags from fields, constructions sites, farms, collections points

  • train women in recycling handicraft activities and value their creativity

  • transform waste into objects such as baskets, handbags, purses, etc.

  • raise children's awareness of the impact of plastic waste on their

environment

  • offer alternative solutions to plastic bags by looking for innovative ways forward

​​

Plastic bags are cut and crochet in our workshop to produce bags, baskets, purses or mats. Colors of our items are the original plastic bags colors, we do not dye them.

​

Rice bags, sugar bags and cement bags are sewed for the confection of backpacks, schoolbags or handbags.

They are sold to tourists, to hotels, shops but also to locals who find them extremely useful and solid. 

​

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE 2017:

​

  • +18'000kg of plastic bags have been recycled through collection points

  • +10'000 villagers informed about plastic pollution

  • +8'000 school backpacks produced and distributed in Cambodia

  • +60 direct project beneficiaries 

  • +40 women have been trained in plastic bags recycling methods

  • +30 workshops and markets organised to raise awareness about plastic pollution

​

Since 2019, IWA Kep is 80% managed localy and 40% financialy self-sufficient.

Sales of our recycled items support our objective to become 100% self-sufficient in the next 2 to 3 years.

​

Our long term objectives are to continue to encourage local leadership and to replicate IWA Kep projects in other Provinces in Cambodia.

bottom of page