Penan Women Project

It is not a Birkin nor an LV, but these bags are taking the nation by storm!

Once upon a time, it was a dying art and little is known of its existence. But now it is fast coming back to life and becoming a major hit among the Malaysians as well as the Expat nation who are either visiting or residing in the country....And I am extremely proud to introduce to you all The Penan Bags & Baskets.

The bags and baskets are one of its kind and it is all handmade by a small group of native women tribes, which is known as the Penan tribe in Sarawak (one of the 13 states of Malaysia).

I am completely in awe with its uniqueness and being a person who adores handcrafts, I find that each bag / basket portrays a unique style that I believe every woman can't get enough of....well at least for me! 

Let me link you to a little bit more information on the history of how the Penan People and the Penan Bags originally came about :

http://factsanddetails.com/indonesia/Minorities_and_Regions/sub6_3f/entry-4020.html

http://penanwomenproject.org/

http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/26/penans-weaving-their-life-to-modernity/

http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/cover-story-hand-handiwork

Hence the Penan Women Project is born.

The project which was founded by Shida Mojet and Ann Wong in support of the Penan to learn about how to generate income while tapping into their resources and knowledge about traditional crafts like weaving.

Their mission is to help the Penan community to get out of poverty by making and selling handwoven products at an affordable price such as contemporary tote bags, clutch bags, carrier bags, purses, handbags, laundry baskets and accessories as well as stationerries.

This project allows the Penan women to create self worth and optimism into their lives, and by doing so, their families get together to weave bags and baskets. Earning an income has given these women a boost of their confidence and self-worth. They are now slowly becoming independent and learning that they too have an important role to play in the Penan community and the country.

Medical care, providing milk, food and clothes for Penan mothers and children are also being helped through this project as well.

Any form of assistance are welcome to help the Penans as some of the location of the Penan villages are isolated. They are located in the middle of the jungle and are devoid of basic necessities like clean water supply, electricity, health and sanitation services, roads, schools and proper transportation.

Other kinds of assistance that are also being carried out includes teaching the Penan families to grow vegetables by supplying them with seeds and farming tools, collecting and distributing donations and visiting Penan families and students in local schools. Many have benefited from this project and I believe many more will, since the launch of the bags and their various handcrafts.

I for one love to shop and love handcrafts. So it really makes my day when I not only get to shop for handcrafted items but at the same time contribute to shopping for a good cause. I feel that I have done my part (though not that great) and the feeling of being a part of that cause (no matter how small) just makes it more meaningful to me, to being able to help in some ways that I can.

As you can see below how the bags and baskets are extremely popular...

They are on Facebook as well, so do check them out.

https://www.facebook.com/PenanWomenProject/?ref=br_tf


Here are some of mine and my good friend's fruitful recent purchases... more to come...

Email : elizaabyrne@gmail.com