Malaysia-headquartered Maybank Group provided a stimulus for local women weavers by establishing another new silk weaving training centre in Siem Reap province in early December.

The centre was established in Banteay Srey district under the Maybank Women Eco-Weavers programme in Cambodia – which was carried out through Maybank’s Corporate Responsibility arm – Maybank Foundation.

The banker’s objective is to encourage local women weavers to be financially independent and at the same time preserve the traditional weaving skills and textiles, said Maybank in a statement.

“We are proud to establish this second silk weaving training centre in Siem Reap after the successful establishment of our first centre in Takeo province in 2016.

“Now operating in its fourth year, the Takeo centre has seen a total of 151 weavers who have graduated from the training programme and are now earning more than $200 per month,” said Mohaiyani Shamsudin, chairman of Maybank Group.

She said the new silk weaving training centre signifies another milestone for the Maybank Women Eco-Weavers Programme in Cambodia, which represents a collective effort to empower Cambodian women to achieve economic independence.

About 27 trainees are currently undergoing training, while 360 farming households are engaged in mulberry tree planting to support the production of raw silk for the Takeo centre, added Mohaiyani.

“At the regional level, the Maybank Women Eco-Weavers programme continues to change lives in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia. The programme is customised to meet specific objectives and requirements in each of the countries, covering areas such as training of new weavers, supporting the development of mulberry farms and providing microfinance assistance for the community.

“To date, the programme has positively impacted over 2,500 individuals across the value chain, staying true to our mission of humanising financial services in Asean,” said Mohaiyani.

Speaking at the same event, CEO of Maybank Foundation, Shahril Azuar Jimin, said that the new training centre in Siem Reap is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2020.

“The centre will be a platform for participants to be skilled with vocational training and exposed to entrepreneurship opportunities.

“It will especially benefit economically disadvantaged young women who could otherwise be tempted to seek employment either in the city or abroad, in potentially harsh labour conditions,” said Shahril.

The course would train 25 trainees at a time, over a five-month training period and facilitated by specialist artisans.

The Maybank Women Eco-Weavers is one of Maybank Foundation’s flagship programmes designed to promote commonalities in Asean countries by enriching and promoting traditional woven textiles in a sustainable manner.

And, to help underprivileged women by providing skills training.