The 450 mile border of Thailand and Cambodia – once the world’s most concentrated area of landmines – now contends as one of the most human trafficked borders on the globe. A seemingly inescapable cycle of poverty and despair often drives the women who live here to leave their homes to find work in neighboring Thailand, abandoning their children for months at a time and subjecting themselves to human trafficking.
It is here, in a tiny town affectionately referred to as Minefield Village, that Landmine Design was born. Founded as a means to break the cycle of poverty, Landmine Design employs and educates women in this region, tasking them with the job of hand rolling paper beads that are then crafted into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Today, Landmine Design employs 15 women, helping them earn a full-time wage working from the safety of their own homes. There’s a new contagion of hope that exists in the Minefield Village.
Just as we are honored to show you the world, we are proud to partner with Landmine Design to help change the lives of these families – turning paper into purpose and giving the everlasting gift of hope. And while the bracelets, necklaces and earrings crafted by the women in the Minefield Village are made from rolled paper beads, the glow they bring to the wearer – and the maker – is unmatched by any other jewel. This holiday season, let it glow.