New Messenger Bag to Support Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in the world. It has a population of 11.4 million people and a 62% illiteracy rate in the adult population.16% of all the children ages 6-11 are not in school and in some of the more remote areas this can be as high as 50%.

In a 1999 CSES Survey an estimated 1.6 million (about 25%) of school age children not attending full-time gave household income/work in the rice fields as the number one reason for not being in school. Whereas, only 8% cited the lack of quality accessible education as their primary hindrance in not attending school.

Due to the low participation in higher education, five ACCESSORIES desires to assist these families in educating their children. That is why we give back through the sale of our eco-friendly handbags. As pictured, the new shoulder bag made in Cambodia from five ACCESSORIES. Available in late April in colors of Green, Black, Grey, Yellow, Copper and Blue for $45.

From Trash to Treasure

Did you know that American companies toss out 7.6 billion tons of waste each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Where does all this trash go?

At five ACCESSORIES, we are turning trash into treasure. For example, the two bags shown here handmade by a fair trade co-operative in Honduras, are made from recycled potato chip bags. Ladies are collecting trash off the streets of Honduras as an alternative to burning the trash and weaving it into clutches. Each clutch is signed by the artisan who made the bag. The silver clutch is the inside lining of the chip bag. The multi-colored clutch is made out of a variety of Doritos, Lay's and Fritos chip bags.

You can check out more recycled items at http://www.fiveaccessories.com/catalog. Let's support turning trash into treasure!