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Plaboo Tie-Dye Group February 2014

The Plaboo Tie-Dye Group was created in 2006, a community of 30 women with sewing machines, cotton, bamboo pins, and other necessities for a basic linen business. We aim for families to become financially independent while staying together in Plaboo by making our handmade, all-natural, cloth products and offering them to the world. When you purchase an item from Plaboo Tie-Dye Group, the money goes to our wonderful artisans as well as our initiatives under the Thai Baan Association. Initiatives range from our English-themed coffee shop to our organic farms. Thai Baan Association primarily supports the youth within Plaboo Village through English classes, facilitated group talks, a village band, and weekend dance classes. Plaboo Tie-Dye Group is unique. Our artisans work in a local center we call the Farmer Community School, where they sit together during the day pinning the designs and dyeing the material. Upon first glance, it doesn’t look like a workplace; we typically have an English class going in the background, chickens running across the deck, and food always sizzling in the kitchen. We prefer to work close to home; we believe our lives should not be interrupted by our work, but enhanced by it.

Plaboo Tie-Dye Story

We believe in keeping families together.

Member of Plaboo Tie-Dye Group

“I’m too old to farm rice

now so I do what I can. I

help the tie-dye group

by boiling water for the

dyes. It’s nice that we

get to work together.”

- Lao Pesuya

Plaboo Tie-dye gives women

in the village an opportunity

to earn an income without

leaving to the city during the

seven months of the year rice

is not farmed.

2 Thai Baan Association

Plaboo Tie-Dye Group February 2014

Your donation will help us build a tie-dye studio to safely create and produce our products.

Our current space is open-air, unprotected from the sun, rain, and other elements. Our vision is to build a functional space for our women to work comfortably and safely.

Financial Sustainability

Farmers face a growing debt that

is exacerbated by Thailand’s

political situation. Plaboo Tie-Dye

helps reduce local families’

dependence on rice for income.

This opportunity also develops

the skills and knowledge of local

farmers as many become village

leaders from Plaboo Tie-Dye.

Collaboration

Plaboo Tie-Dye gives women in

the village an activity to do

together, establishing a deep

sense of community. As the

women work, they also talk about

ways to continually develop their

community. Starting in Plaboo

Village, we have expanded to

collaborate with 20 villages.

Environmental Sustainability

Plaboo Tie-Dye believes in

keeping everything local,

including the materials for the

products. Dyes are made from

natural materials, such as tree

bark or mango peels. The entire

process is hand-made, thus

reducing the negative impact on

the environment.

We believe in Purpose:

3 Thai Baan Association

Plaboo Tie-Dye Group February 2014

Impact: Estimated building costs: 60,000 Baht

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Everyday, we are evolving and improving

our local business. Starting with only a

few products, we now produce over 20

unique items.

We are also currently creating a website

to sell internationally.

We have made great progress using the

resources available to us, but a covered

studio would bring us to the next level.

The studio will give us a safe space to

produce more products, collaborate with

more women, improve our production

process, and move all parts of the process

“in-house.”

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With your help we can:

• Protect our women from the

harsh sun condition.

• Protect the natural dyes from

the elements, which destroy the

products.

• Upgrade our stoves to improve

safety conditions.

• Bring the entire production

process under one roof: from

weaving to dyeing.