Urban Turtle is a supporter of the Cambodian Children's Trust (CCT). Ellenor has visited Battambang, Cambodia, to teach jewellery-making classes to young adults and children so that they can sell their wares in the CCT shop, Juey Bazaar.

The Cambodian Children's Trust (CCT) is a non-profit NGO that cares and educates more than 40 children and young adults. CCT also runs a wide range of projects to assist families in need, and street kids and they provide practical, long-term support to some of Cambodia's most vulnerable people.

CCT recently opened Juey Bazaar, a shop in the heart of Battambang, that will generate income to enhance the sustainability of CCT and provide practical training opportunities for the young adults and families they support in the community. Juey Bazaar offers some of the talented young people living at CCT with an income as well as providing additional funds for community development programs that are needed to help break the cycle of poverty in the Battambang region of Cambodia. Shop sales benefit local families so their children can go to school instead of working and begging on the streets.

Urban Turtle will continue to donate beads and materials to the CCT jewellery program in the long term for a number of reasons. Firstly, as a small NGO, cash donations and donated materials to CCT are going right where they are most needed and not absorbed into a large bureaucratic organisation. Secondly, the first visit in November can only be described as amazing. The young adults and children of CCT show such talent and have such a strong sense of character and resilience about them. It was truly an inspiring visit. Lastly, the arts is a great vehicle to build self-confidence and pride and to inspire people to be creative and to think outside the box. Urban Turtle has been supported by many people over the years and it's time to give back.

Urban Turtle will be sending packages to CCT on a regular basis and visiting Cambodia on a regular basis to run more jewellery workshops. If you would like to donate money to purchase beads and materials to send to CCT as part of the jewellery program, please contact us. Please note: this money will be spent strictly on beads for CCT and Urban Turtle will not take any commission or fee from your donation.

If you would like to sponsor a child or to make a donation directly to CCT, please visit the CCT website: http://www.cambodianchildrenstrust.org/

Please contact us if you have any questions about the jewellery-making workshops planned for CCT.