Ann Wong, Co-founder of Penan Women Project - Womenpreneur Asia Episode 8 with Krista Goon

Ann Wong is the co-founder of the Penan Women Project in Sarawak, Malaysia.

It is an initiative that helps the women of the Penan tribe in Sarawak to earn regular incomes and ensures the traditional art of weaving is kept alive.

The Penan women are expert weavers despite having no formal education.

Penan Women Project buys the handmade bags from the Penan women and markets the bags and totes at community fairs and bazaars in Miri, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang. Some volunteers also organise sale days at their homes to market these bags - bags that come with a story.

Ann used to study and work in the US for more than a decade before settling back in Kuching, Sarawak. 

She uses her art and design knowledge to help the Penan women through the Penan Women Project. This is her story but it is also a story of empowering the Penan women of Sarawak.