Tep Chanimith, a stone carver for Artisans d'Angkor, hammers away on a apsara staute in the Siem Reap workshop. Apsara statues and other Cambodian handicrafts will be shown at the World Expo in March.

When handicraft giant Artisans d'Angkor began operating in the late 1990s, it relied

on funding from Cambodian and European governments for survival.

It has since boomed.

From a modest annual turnover of $89,000 in 1999, Artisans d'Angkor became self-financed

in 2001, registered as a limited company in 2003, and last year reached a record

annual turnover of $4.5 million.

From copper leaf gilded Buddha heads to hand-woven luxurious silks, Artisans d'Angkor

creations will be a central part of Cambodia's pavilion at the upcoming World Expo

in March in Japan. It's the first time since 1970 that Cambodia will have a national

display at the Expo.

Prim Phloeun, commercial director of Artisans d'Angkor, is aware that this kind of

success is rare in Cambodia. "Usually when the funds stop, the project collapses,"

says Phloeun.

With such a comparatively small population and underdeveloped infrastructure, Cambodia

needs to think creatively about ways of competing at international levels.

Once, tourist shops in Siem Reap used to import fake "Khmer handicrafts"

from Indonesia, but now the locally-produced goods are providing a thriving market.

Phloeun believes the lively trade in handicrafts could be an arena in which Cambodia

can excel.

Artisans d'Angkor works in partnership with the Chantiers-Ecoles de Formation Profession-nelle

(CEFP), an organization set up by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in

1992.

CEFP trains young Cambodians, who are then employed as qualified craftspeople by

Artisans d'Angkor. The project gives skills to young people living in rural areas

and underserved by the local education system.

They are trained in ancient Khmer arts, including stone and wood carving, lacquering,

gilding, and silk-work.

The challenge was to create workshops in rural areas so the trained artisans could

find work in their home villages.

Phloeun says the logistics of coordinating production within 12 different villages

in Siem Reap province are complex, and expensive.

"We have to reinsert them back into their villages, so they can work in their

villages. It costs much more for us to do this," he says.

But benefits for the village are enormous. "It means that for the village, that

is $30,000 that is directly put into their economy," says Phloeun.

Artisans d'Angkor has created more than 800 jobs for both artisans and non-craftsmen.

Yem-Beaume Sorya, communications manager, says that at present only nine non-Cambodians

are employed to provide skills that can't currently be found within the local community.

"The goal is to pass on the skills to Cambodian people, and I think that's working,"

says Sorya.

On average, artisans earn $864 per year, well above the national average income of

$297. All artisans belong to an association called Artisanat Khmer, which owns 20

percent of the company's shares, guarantees levels of pay, and oversees the social

and medical welfare of the workers - a first for Cambodia.

Half of Artisans d'Angkor shares are privately owned. The government owns the remaining

30 percent.

Phloeun is optimistic about the future of the company. He expects to employ an extra

150 graduates from CEFP this year.

He is looking forward to Artisans d'Angkor's debut at the World Expo in Japan. Phloeun

says they will also take responsibility for managing the commercial activities of

the pavilion. Artisans d'Angkor helped make the pavilion's decorations, and will

have a weaver and a carver on hand to demonstrate their skills.

"We hope that this will bring a lot of new opportunities to Cambodia,"

says Phloeun.