Our Story
A Journey of Hope and a Future
Joseph and Anna Teo have been advocates and practitioners of social enterprises since 1997, providing employment opportunities and reducing income gap for marginalized communities.
Beginning with Parousia Arts and Frames to help ex-drug addicts in 1997-1999, to Something Old and Something New for ex-psychiatrics in 1998 (currently with 6 operating outlets), and Mother and Child Project for single mothers in 2006 in Singapore under the auspices of Singapore Anglican Community Services, they are currently operating social enterprises in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Project Livelihood-Empowering Women and Children.
Social Entreprise in Cambodia
In 2011, Joseph and Anna Teo set up AO and CO (Pte) Ltd, a not-for-profit organization to further their social enterprise work internationally. May 2013 saw them move to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
After the end of the Pol Pot – Killing Fields’ era, many NGOs have set up in Cambodia with the aim of helping her develop economically and socially. However the concept of social enterprise is very new and limited. Ao.Co aims to bridge this gap and in the process, help improve the capacity of the Cambodians and alleviate poverty in the process.
Drawing her inspiration from the plight of hardworking young Khmer women who doubled up as Apsara dancers, and guesthouse cleaners, to make a living, Anna, a fashion designer by training started her social enterprise in Cambodia on 7th July 2013, when a door opened at a guesthouse – teaching Cambodian women to sew and make livelihood products that she designed.
Leveraging from their experience in Singapore, the founders have focussed their attention on capacity development: developing skills and competencies of their Cambodian girls – in craftwork and sewing and exposing them to quality standards and marketable international designed merchandise.
In doing so Ao.Co has been able to improve the average hourly earnings rate of the target group of Cambodian women they are helping from US$0.35 to US$0.50 to US$1.25 to US $1.50 per hour- a 3 to 4 times improvement.
Project Livelihood
Empowering Women and Children
I cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
Ao.Co currently run Project Livelihood – Empowering Women and Children which provides direct work for 6 women working in their 3 village homes, 5 women from 3 other villages working out of their home office in Tauphaul Village and another handicraft group of 10 women and teenage children in Trupiangse Village in the outskirt of Siem Reap, Cambodia. These provide essential family income for the mothers and school allowances for the teenage school children.
To further extend its reach and impact to a wider community, Ao.Co collaborates with other like-minded social enterprises in Cambodia-engaging their leaders in business management and practices, providing training in sewing and designs, assistance in design, commissioning work and providing market access for their products.
Ao.Co is privileged to be working with artistic entrepreneurial sole-proprietors such as Kim Leng, a landmine victim with leg disabilities. AnnaT, founder designer incorporates their art into her designer’s clothes, accessories, cushion covers, etc.
Kim Leang, leg disabled with an artistic and determined flair with happy customer in Pub Street.