I have the most amazing red purse and striped wallet from Red Dirt Road and I absolutely love them! The style, quality and craftsmanship of your products are simply amazing! The mission and purpose behind your organization is very inspiring. God bless!
The story is amazing and the products were lovely. I like the options for smaller lightweight purses.
I have been very pleased with the quality and craftsmanship of my items. I've purchased two scarves and two purses and receive compliments about them regularly... I am so proud to show them off! It's a fine opportunity for women helping women.
Red Dirt Road is an inspiring story and a testimonial about women empowering women. Marie has pulled together a great line of products with up to date colors and beautiful fabrics. The women of this village have created quality products. I bought several items for Christmas presents, and can't wait to spread their story further.
Red Dirt Road is dramatically changing the lives of young Cambodian women who would otherwise be forced to work in oppressive sweatshops in unbearable conditions, but it has also profoundly touched the lives of the people who work and volunteer for the organization. When Marie Eckstein, international business executive and founder of Red Dirt Road, talks of her personal experiences in Cambodia working closely with these young women and how they have produced these exquisite products with so little (not even electricity), her deep admiration for them is undeniable and serves as inspiration to donate more of her time and energy helping to empower them. These young women and Marie's experiences with them have inspired others, too. My daughter volunteered for a short time for Red Dirt Road, but she has clearly been impacted because she will have a double major when she starts college next year studying international relations and social anthropology with the hopes of perhaps someday working for a nonprofit that empowers women in much the same way as Red Dirt Road.
Have scarf and purses which I love . Quality is very good and will purchase more special thanks to all involved in this special project rose w.
I had the pleasure of purchasing Red Dirt Road merchandise directly from Marie. I selected a few narrow, fabric covered, bead/jewel embellished headbands for my high-school aged daughter, Sarah. She wears them frequently and recently mentioned that all of her friends love those headbands and wonder where she got them. How fantastic that Red Dirt Road produces unique products that people want to buy! It is not just a donation to a charity, but a real business that can sustain over time, a true win-win. Marie tells a wonderful story of the bonds she has made with those Cambodian women half way around the world and their struggle to improve their lives. I have purchased several more of those headbands for Christmas stocking stuffers for Sarah and to have on hand for birthday gifts. I think this is just the beginning for Red Dirt Road and those brave, hard-working, lovely women in Cambodia!
I would like to thank Marie and Laura who have worked so hard to help Red Dirt Road. And I thank those who are involved in helping it grow one way or another. It means a lot for women in Cambodia. I grow up in a rural village without electricity or plumbing. And it was hard for me to get a college education. The women at Red Dirt Road are very dedicated and smart, but they did not have a chance to get a good education. Red Dirt Road is now helping make a difference in these women's lives by providing them with a job that they can support themselves. Without Read Dirt Road, these women would have to work at a garment factory which would earn them $60 per month. The working conditions are usually bad. For example, they have to work long hours and even on the weekends. They do not have a health insurance. They have to work when they are sick so that they do not get fired or lose their attendance bonus. With your support, these women are now working at home, sewing things they like, using their creativity, taking days off if they get sick, staying with their family, and most importantly, earning a decent profits. Your support means a lot for them. Your support for Red Dirt Road is definitely going to real women and making a real change. Please keep up your spirits of helping to better the world.
I came across Red Dirt Road in the spring and worked with Laura and Marie in order to help select fabrics and product styles. Both women had such a passion for helping these women in Cambodia and it definitely shows! The Red Dirt Road products are so gorgeously constructed and definitely make a great fashion statement! The addition of helping others in need while purchasing an amazing product is so beneficial and wonderful!
My first exposure to Red Dirt Road came when a close friend returned from visit to Cambodia. She shared the amazing story of what these young women are doing with so little, and how she was committed to make a difference in their lives by providing them opportunities to produce products for markets far outside their village. My wife is the beneficiary of their excellent work, as she is enjoying a beautiful silk shawl! It is a privilege to be involved with this organization!
Marie Eckstein is an experienced business executive, who has managed significant business operations for multi-national companies around the world. She brings her own knowledge of business and her passion for helping to improve the lives of other women, in way that is truly sustainable. In starting "Red Dirt Road" she has provided an opportunity for women at the end of the Red Dirt World to make their beautiful merchandise (mostly purses, scarves, and other accessories) available in a way which is both affordable to customers and profitable for them, thereby creating better lives for themselves, and more beautiful for all of us who have the privelege to particiapte.
I own a retail store in Northern Michigan that specializes in imported goods from around the world. Most of these goods are handcrafted by women in developing countries. When I learned of Red Dirt Road from their U.S. liaison, they were in start-up mode and I had the privilege of becoming their first U.S. customer. When my order was delivered, I was greatly impressed by the detailed work-womanship and attention to detail that made the beaded silk scarves and shawls, evening bags and headbands so beautiful and unique. My customers were also impressed. I would encourage anyone -- business owner or individual -- who has an interest in beautiful handmade articles and helping others to learn more about Red Dirt Road. Every piece they make is a labor of love, and a step forward toward financial independence and freedom from oppression.
The products produced by the women from Red Dirt Road are truly beautiful! I have purchased many silk scarfs, purses and shawls. The workmanship is outstanding. It is nice to be able to purchase attractive useful handmade items from women who are trying so hard to better themselves. It is amazing what they can produce with very little experience; just pure talent and tenacity!
In the small villages outside of Cambodia, young girls travel a 'red dirt road' to Phnom Penh to work in the sweatshops to provide money for their families. The sweatshops are filthy, the hours are long, the work is backbreaking and the pay is marginal. Disease and illness often force the girls to return to their villages unable to continue providing the only source of income to their families. Red Dirt Road is a start-up non-profit that provides sewing skills, fabric and machines to these young women so they can make goods themselves and sell them. It is utterly amazing to witness the enthusiasm and gratitude that emanates from not only these women, but the generations of villagers that are, for the first time, able to provide for themselves in a safe environment. The Khmer Rouge systematically dismantled Camodia, but Red Dirt Road is taking a vital step in helping re-build the country one village at a time, one woman at a time.