Village Works/Songkhem Collection is a project which was started by the Girls' Brigade of Singpore, a Christian mission organization working to improve the lives of women and girls in southeast Asia. The Girls' Brigade provides financial, management, and marketing support for the project which benefits over 60 rural artisans in the Baray district, 2 hours by car from Phnom Penh.Many of the products are sold through the Girls' Brigade in Singapore. 99% of the artisans are women, many of them widows, who travel by bicycle, some from as far away as 12 kilometers, to get to the workshop where the cloth is woven and where the finishing work is done on sewing machines. The Songkhem Collection(songkhem means "hope" in Khmer) product list includes handwoven silk & cotton scarves and pillow covers, handbags, and stuffed toys. Village Works/Songkhem Collection, is a member of the Artisan Association of Cambodia.