November 17th, 2004 | The lowdown by Gordon Candelin

Mekong Blue and the SWDC

If you're in Stung Treng a few days before heading up north into Laos, or east in the jungles of Rattanakiri, take a few hours and head over to Mekong Blue and the Stung Treng Women's Development Center.

About 4 kilometers from the city center, the SWDC is a local NGO that provides support to the local population through literacy, health, and vocational training programs.

The vocational training focuses on silk weaving, and the center is a fascinating place to visit and learn how silk is turned into scarves, dresses, purses and any number of beautiful items.

The silk itself is not from Cambodia. It comes from either Thailand or Vietnam, and then woven at the center. They are looking for funding to start a silkworm breeding project to produce the raw silk themselves, so drop a donation if you like.

Mekong Blue is the brand of products produced at the SWDC center, and they are fair trade, meaning some rich importer isn't making a killing &mdash the money goes directly back into the project and the community. Contributing to a program like this, either though buying a product, or making a donation is an excellent way of making a positive impact on Cambodia.

The SWDC also runs a restaurant which is next to the boutique. The menu is small and simple, including a spaghetti carbonara which looks and tastes nothing like the real thing, but it's all for a good cause.