How a former Geelong resident is changing lives in Cambodia

CAMBODIA was never on Lynn Johnston’s travel list, but the former Geelong resident has spent the past 13 years calling the Southeast Asian country home.

“I felt like God said to me one day ‘Hey, how about you get a suitcase and move to Cambodia?’ and I was like ‘I can’t do that — how could I do that?'”

At the time she was living on NSW’s Central Coast providing emergency relief to people experiencing homelessness and assisting people with disabilities to access training and employment.

Six weeks later, she was in Phnom Pehn.

“I always say to people ‘God really sucked me in’,” she said, laughing.

Johnston connected with an anti-trafficking organisation and for five years worked in the country’s capital alongside its team to support women trying to escape forced prostitution, before launching her own initiative.

Eager to help women living in poverty learn practical skills they could use to earn money, she began offering sewing classes. This laid the groundwork for Morijana, an ethical clothing brand designed and managed by Cambodian women able to offer stable employment and a fair wage to those at risk of exploitation.

The brand produces high quality clothing, able to hold its own in boutiques, while its employees receive ongoing mentorship and training, as well as health and childcare support.

“I didn’t start out to become an ethical brand. It was just like ‘Let’s help these women’,” Johnston said.

“You need to be whatever you need to be to show love to people, that’s what God said to me… That was a huge lesson because I’m not a seamstress, but here I am sewing.

“I know a lot about fabric now. I know a lot about cutting. I know a lot about a lot of things because we’ve had to learn, and we have other people around us supporting us.”

The proceeds from the garments sold also help fund Morijana’s sister not-for-profit, the Wellspring Initiative, an outreach organisation that provides education and support to vulnerable families. It also helps connect women interested in joining the Morijana program with the fashion brand.

To create more jobs, Johnston said, Morijana will soon begin manufacturing the creations of other designers, while the Wellspring Initiative will aim to increase its impact by helping locals develop micro-businesses based on their interests.

“It’s about walking alongside people and building a relationship.”

For more information, head to morijana.com