Agence Francaise de Developpement www.afd-cambodge.org  has signed an agreement with the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia to provide funding support to improve the competitiveness of the garment industry from 1 Aug 2006 to 31 March 2008. There are four components that AFD provides funding support are Capacity Building, Fashion Observatory, Specific Surveys and Social Adjustment Fund.  The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia awarded Textile and Apparel Industry Training Centre, Singapore www.taftc.org to work in collaboration with the multiple interest parties in the implementation of the four components.  

Better Factories Cambodia http://www.betterfactories.org/ .The Better Factories Cambodia is a unique programme of the International Labour Organization. It benefits workers, employers and their organizations. It benefits consumers in Western countries and helps reduce poverty in one of the poorest nations of the world. It does this by monitoring and reporting on working conditions in Cambodian garment factories according to national and international standards, by helping factories to improve working conditions and productivity, and by working with the Government and international buyers to ensure a rigorous and transparent cycle of improvement. The project grew out of a trade agreement between the United States and Cambodia. Under the agreement the US promised Cambodia better access to US markets in exchange for improved working conditions in the garment sector. The ILO project was established in 2001 to help the sector make and maintain these improvements.

Better Factories Cambodia is managed by the International Labour Organization and supported by the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and unions. Better Factories Cambodia works closely with other stakeholders including international buyers. It is funded by the US Department of Labour, USAID, Agence Francaise de Developpement, the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, the Royal Government of Cambodia and international buyers.  Better Factories Cambodia was formerly known as the ILO Garment Sector Project. The new name better reflects the present aims of the ILO project.

Garment Industry Productivity Center, www.gipc.org.kh
The USAID-funded Garment Industry Productivity Center provides training and consulting to make Cambodia’s apparel industry more competitive. Working directly with factory leadership, the GIPC not only offers assistance with aspects of production management—workflow, planning, controls, supervision—but also trains trainers so factories can improve their performance independently. To ensure that training saves time, materials, and money, the GIPC coaches participants as they apply new skills directly in their factories.

The GIPC is also building a staff of university-educated Khmer technicians, trainers and consultants to support productivity improvement after the project ends in October 2008. Having assessed workforce needs early in 2006, the GIPC collaborates with vocational institutes and universities to introduce curriculum that will help meet the apparel industry’s need for skilled Cambodian management and technical staff.

Japan Overseas Development Corporation http://www.jodc.or.jp/
JODC is engaged in the provision of experts to private business in developing countries in order to support management and factory to improve quality, productivity and technology transfer.   The agreement to support CGTC was signed on May 1999 and an expert was dispatched to CGTC on October 1999. When factories expanded and more sewing operators were required, JODC donated 41 sets of sewing machines on March 2004 on request by GMAC.  Phase 1 of JODC project was terminated on March 2005. Under management and funding support by GMAC, CGTC continues running its Sewing Operator Course for beginners.  Starting 8 Feb 2007, JODC implements the 2nd Phase of provision of technical assistance to CGTC for another 2 years.

Precious Girl http://www.preciousgirl.co.uk is an affordable quarterly magazine which aims to be a blessing to the garment factory workers. It is designed to encourage and inspire its readers and impress on them a sense of their immense value. Most Khmer magazines for young women are expensive, celebrity-laden and morally questionable, but Precious Girl is invariably wholesome and uplifting.  The glossy, full-colour pages are packed with health and beauty tips, creative ideas, inspirational stories and practical help for girls facing real-life dilemmas. The factory worker's photos, comments and letters are also printed - the only stars in this magazine are the readers themselves!

Source Asean http://www.sourceasean.com/ is Southeast Asia’s first virtual marketplace, networking, and news portal for the textile and apparel industry.