From Landmines to Herbs
Shinoda Chihiro makes soaps,/hand creams,/and other products from herbs/in Cambodia. She runs a shop/which sells those products. Her business creates jobs/for Cambodians. How did she start such a business?
While she was in college,/Shinoda majored in marketing. In 2004,/she took part in a volunteer activity/in Cambodia. She was fascinated/by the people/who were smiling all the time. She wondered/what she could do for them.
In 2008,/Shinoda moved to Cambodia. She wanted to start a business/and collaborate with people there. Several months later,/she came across a traditional herb sauna. Herbs are very popular/in Cambodia. She thought/that she could use them/to make new products.
To start her new business,/Shinoda had to obtain many things. First of all,/she needed land/on which she would grow herbs.
In Cambodia,/much of the land/used to be full of landmines/because of war. A landmine is a bomb/buried under the ground. It explodes/when people step on it. Some people are killed,/and others are seriously injured. Cambodia and many countries/are working together/to eliminate the landmines. Even after getting rid of the landmines,/how to use the land/is another issue. Ironically,/the land has rich soil/because no one has used it/for a long time.
Learning this fact,/Shinoda wanted to grow herbs/on the land/with local farmers. Then,/she made a plan/to change former landmine fields/into herb farms.
What Shinoda needed next/was knowledge/about the effects of herbs. Looking for information about herbs,/she met a Kru Khmer.
A Kru Khmer is a traditional therapist/who uses herbs to cure diseases/in Cambodia. Shinoda wanted to learn about herbs/from the therapist,/but he refused to teach her. He suspected/that she would take his job. However,/Shinoda,/who was strongly determined,/did not give up. She kept explaining/that she wanted to create jobs/for Cambodians. Finally,/he understood her plan/and taught her/about the healing effects of herbs.
With this knowledge,/she started her business. For her products,/she used herbs/grown in the former landmine fields. She was able to put her plan/into practice.
In the early days of Shinoda’s business,/not everything went well. For example,/the soaps were not produced/as she expected. They came out/in random sizes and colors. The Cambodian workers/did not mind these kinds of irregularities. Shinoda explained many times/that customers would not accept the soaps/as products. Finally,/the workers were convinced/of what she said.
Today,/cooperating with Shinoda,/the Cambodian workers learn about business. Shinoda also learns from them. She says,/“I want to have an equal relationship/with Cambodians. We are not in a position/to help or be helped. My dream is/to change places/called ‘landmine villages’/into ‘herb villages’/with local people.” Shinoda’s herbs bring more smiles/to Cambodia,/where her journey continues.
Shinoda Chihiro makes soaps,/hand creams,/and other products from herbs/in Cambodia. She runs a shop/which sells those products. Her business creates jobs/for Cambodians. How did she start such a business?
While she was in college,/Shinoda majored in marketing. In 2004,/she took part in a volunteer activity/in Cambodia. She was fascinated/by the people/who were smiling all the time. She wondered/what she could do for them.
In 2008,/Shinoda moved to Cambodia. She wanted to start a business/and collaborate with people there. Several months later,/she came across a traditional herb sauna. Herbs are very popular/in Cambodia. She thought/that she could use them/to make new products.
To start her new business,/Shinoda had to obtain many things. First of all,/she needed land/on which she would grow herbs.
In Cambodia,/much of the land/used to be full of landmines/because of war. A landmine is a bomb/buried under the ground. It explodes/when people step on it. Some people are killed,/and others are seriously injured. Cambodia and many countries/are working together/to eliminate the landmines. Even after getting rid of the landmines,/how to use the land/is another issue. Ironically,/the land has rich soil/because no one has used it/for a long time.
Learning this fact,/Shinoda wanted to grow herbs/on the land/with local farmers. Then,/she made a plan/to change former landmine fields/into herb farms.
What Shinoda needed next/was knowledge/about the effects of herbs. Looking for information about herbs,/she met a Kru Khmer.
A Kru Khmer is a traditional therapist/who uses herbs to cure diseases/in Cambodia. Shinoda wanted to learn about herbs/from the therapist,/but he refused to teach her. He suspected/that she would take his job. However,/Shinoda,/who was strongly determined,/did not give up. She kept explaining/that she wanted to create jobs/for Cambodians. Finally,/he understood her plan/and taught her/about the healing effects of herbs.
With this knowledge,/she started her business. For her products,/she used herbs/grown in the former landmine fields. She was able to put her plan/into practice.
In the early days of Shinoda’s business,/not everything went well. For example,/the soaps were not produced/as she expected. They came out/in random sizes and colors. The Cambodian workers/did not mind these kinds of irregularities. Shinoda explained many times/that customers would not accept the soaps/as products. Finally,/the workers were convinced/of what she said.
Today,/cooperating with Shinoda,/the Cambodian workers learn about business. Shinoda also learns from them. She says,/“I want to have an equal relationship/with Cambodians. We are not in a position/to help or be helped. My dream is/to change places/called ‘landmine villages’/into ‘herb villages’/with local people.” Shinoda’s herbs bring more smiles/to Cambodia,/where her journey continues.