Friends-International named WiTR charity for 2019

Women in Travel Retail’s (WiTR) chosen global charity for 2019 is Friends International, nominated by Colleen Morgan of The Moodie Davitt Report.

Voted for by WiTR members, Friends-International is a social enterprise saving lives and building the futures of marginalized children and youth, their families and their communities via projects in South East Asia and across the world.

Based in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia, Friends- International has projects in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia and Switzerland (serving Europe). WiTR will be raising funds to give beauty salon training for 24 young women, aged 16 – 24, in Siem Reap. This training will also allow them to provide for their children and siblings, improving the lives of 100 women and children in total.

The charity goal is to raise  €15,000 to help these young women via the Friends-International Kaliyan Mith (“Good Friends” in Khmer) project in Siem Reap.The Friends’ beauty salon training business in Siem Reap provides a safe space to empower young women to learn market-friendly skills in a customer oriented, real-work environment, says the official announcement. .

Seven charities were nominated by WiTR members for 2019– three in Cambodia, two in India, one in Bangladesh and one in the USA. Various fund-raising initiatives will be run by WiTR members throughout the year, culminating in the annual meeting and raffle at TFWA World Exhibition in October.

As a result of the raffle event held in Orlando in March, the Americas region of WiTR was able to donate more than 1000 euros (£950) to the global charity initiative.

WiTR is the membership organization for women in the travel retail industry. For more information on how to be a part, please visit the website at https://www.womenintr.com/

Annual membership is only £25.