Good cause shopping in Phnom Penh

Good cause shopping, love it or hate it.... there is plenty around in Phnom Penh!

The good
- In theory you know where the money is going - to women who have escaped the sex trade, or people with disabilities or whatever. In practice I do wonder if like charities in the western world (6-8 figure CEO salaries for example) plenty gets skimmed off the top. But regardless, in the developing world people with disabilities are often ignored and treated as a burden, so at least these shops do give them meaningful employment!
- Set prices. You might be paying slightly more than for a similar product elsewhere.... but you wont have to haggle, and you wont walk away feeling ripped off. Plus, I am happy to pay a little more for things (as long as it is a little!) if I know the money is going somewhere good!
- helpful staff, I have always found the staff in these shops more than happy to give you directions, or advice. And I feel less like they are going to be collecting a commission from whoever they recommend I travel with! Plus I usually fell less pushed and pressured to buy things.
- great gifts and souvenirs -  I hate shopping for souvenirs, I always worry that people won't find my gift useful, or won't want it (personally I hate clutter - and most souvenir type items are clutter!). But when you shop at a good cause shop, and put an informative brochure in with the gift, people love it! Gifts that give twice.... yada yada yada everyone's happy!
- things typically seem to be better quality. These are stores that rely on tourists spreading the word. So it isn't in their interest to have dodgy products that fall apart!

the bad
-  it is pretty easy to spend bulk cash!


Stores in Phnom Penh
Rehab crafts - # 1 (but actually not the first building on the street!) street 278. close to the corner with street 51
This shop had lots and lots of stuff made of the fertilizer/cement bags. I picked up a great travel toiletries case for $6 and a massive shopping bag for 6.50
Huge range of stuff made from bags / rolled paper jewelry (from $1 for bracelets), and silk stuff.
Around the corner from Rehab is a place called Smarteria (#7, street 57). This place advertises as recycled and up-cycled home-wares and accessories. It is more bags.... If you want a handbag or a laptop cover - you'll be happy.... I didn't really see anything else though.

 Friends and stuff - street 13, end near the museum. Big blue sign out the front.
Good collection of t shirts, gifts, accessories and homewares. I found prices here really quite reasonable. A wallet made from recycled newspapers, or cartoons is $5, set of 10 coasters is 12. Lots of upcycled products. great for gifts etc.

These guys also have 2 restaurants. One right next door to the shop which is a tapas place. We ate lunch here, it was quite expensive (tapa sized meal, full sized price!) and was nice, but not mindblowing.
Romdeng is #74 street 174 prices were about the same as at friends, but we had 4 people and 3 dishes and it was amazing! This food is creative cambodian. Really tasty and fun. The adventurous can even try spiders or red ants.

 Daughters of Cambodia 
# 65 Street 178
These guys help sex-workers exit the sex industry permanently by providing training and opportunities for work. Upstairs you can watch a short documentary about the work they do and the se industry in Cambodia.
They sell lots of jewelry, some soft toys, lots of bags and shirts/scarves. Prices here are a little more than some other shops (so if you feel super tight maybe not the best) but the products are beautiful. and very well made.
Daughters also has a cafe upstairs (you can get main meals, and the best smoothies I have had here!) and a hand and foot spa in the back. We had great meals, great pedicures and helped train these women for something other than sex work!

Ta Prohm Souvenir
Just up from Daughters (towards the museum) is a tiny little shop. Literally only as wide as a normal sized door. #49BEo (no idea what those letters mean) on street 178. I haven't seen this place in any guidebooks. But they claim to be a self-help team of women with disabilities. small store but really reasonable prices. wallets made from the recycled fertilizer bags from $3, roller paper and glass necklaces from $4, my friend bought a silk necklace that was 20/30 in another store for $6. They also have tiny little elephants and other Christmas tree decorations for .5-$1. Definitely worth stopping in and having a look around!


A.N.D shop
#52 b/c st 240. pure cotton clothes and accessories made by the disabled. lots of really nice vintage look clothes made from vintage fabrics. the dress there was $30. higher quality jewelry and earrings (sterling silver and vintage china) for around $25. some really nice clutches and bags also.

Khmer Creations
#116, Street 113
Opposite Toul Sleng Museum
This store makes a whole lot of knitted toys. Animals and little monsters, plus woven bags and mats. The plastic items (bags, mats, etc) are made from plastic bags. Each one tells you how many bags were collected and used to make them, which I think is pretty cool!
Also a range of jewelry and accessories. Interesting to see this fork necklace - identical to ones at daughters. Not sure if made there but in the same style, made at daughters and sold here, or made somewhere else entirely and sold by both places to boost there profit margins. Plus - in googling to find their address: http://khmercreations.com.au/ they have a website and  looks like they do internet orders - :) So not having space in your luggage is no longer a reason not to buy!! Crafters (or crafty expats) can also buy knitting needles, wool and even stick counters here.