\nTwelve years ago Salt, one of our business partners, established a cross-stitching group called Likha. Some of their members who were interested in creating accessories started a group called Perura, and we asked them to make products for us.<\/p>\n
Some Salt scholarship students have husbands whose income is unstable or who use most of their income for themselves, and some are widows. These situations make it hard for their children to go to school.<\/p>\n
Q. Why did you start Feliz<\/i>?<\/strong> Q. What experiences triggered your passion?<\/strong> Q. Why the Philippines?<\/strong> Q. What were you doing before you started Feliz<\/i>?<\/strong> I gave up trying to have a second child and started to work part-time at the cram school that my child went to. I also used 5000 yen that I earned from work to sponsor a child.<\/p>\n I started to create accessories around that time as a hobby, and gradually I got the opportunity to sell them and to share my designs. When I started to wonder if I could combine creating accessories and child sponsorship, I discovered the words \u2018fair trade\u2019 and \u2018ethical\u2019. Then I seriously wanted to put the idea into practice, so I went to a women\u2019s business school to start a company. I started Feliz<\/i> in June, 2011.<\/p>\n Q. Was your family receptive to the idea of your starting a business? Did they oppose you or make a fuss?<\/strong> My son is twelve years old, a freshman in junior high. He supports me very much, but he doesn\u2019t like it when I go out at night and come home late. So I cannot often attend seminars and meetings if they are held at night.<\/p>\n Frankly speaking I\u2019m not capable of doing both housework and work perfectly. I appreciate my husband and my son for being generous. So I\u2019m trying to tell them, \u2018Thank you\u2019 and \u2018Sorry\u2019 at the same time.<\/p>\n With mothers. Kanako is the right end.<\/p><\/div>\n Q. When do you get discouraged as you\u2019ve been working alone?<\/strong> Q. When do you feel encouraged?<\/strong> Q. What is your current task? How would you like to get over it?<\/strong> Another task is to share our vision and mission with the Filipino mothers and have them become more aware of the business. I\u2019d like to increase the number of meetings so that we can share opinions. This is the most difficult task\u2026<\/p>\n Also, in order to carry out the mission of Feliz<\/i>, I\u2019d like to increase the opportunities for the customers to find our products. We have to not only pursue more likable designs and better fabric but also increase the number of shops where we can display our products permanently.<\/p>\n Q. Finally, could you tell us your plans and goals for the future?<\/strong>
\nI wanted to do something to increase the chance for children to receive an education no matter where they were born, so that they could achieve their dreams and hopes. While I was struggling to find a way to fulfil this goal, I met Salt. We have mothers who produce goods locally, and we buy the finished items so that they can create jobs for themselves and they can make better profits.<\/p>\n![\"416482_226610870778044_947561999_o\"](\"http:\/\/dev.fragmentsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/416482_226610870778044_947561999_o.jpg\")
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\nThere are many, but one of them is that I really understand that giving birth to a child is a miracle and very valuable because I had difficulty in having a child myself. I couldn\u2019t help feeling indignant about children who cannot live their own life because of their birth country, family situation and sex.<\/p>\n
\nI visited the Philippines for the first time in October, 2010, to hold our first workshop. I wasn\u2019t determined to get going in the Philippines from the start, but I was introduced to a group of mothers called Likha, which is one of Salt\u2019s programs, and I started to consider doing activities like those I am doing now. I saw that this would be a great group to work with.<\/p>\nAs a mother<\/h3>\n
\nI was working as a health nurse at a city centre in the countryside, and I went to the UK to become a licenced aroma therapist. After coming back to Japan and getting married, I worked at a salon and taught aroma therapy, but I quit work when I had a baby.<\/p>\n
\nActually, I didn\u2019t explain it properly or make them understand when I started the business. When they saw me working on all kinds of projects, they asked me, \u2018What are you doing?\u2019 Then I explained bit by bit. My husband said he heard about my blog from a colleague and read it. He might have been like, \u2018Ah, this is what she\u2019s doing.\u2019 He knows I\u2019m stubborn and that I wouldn\u2019t stop what I\u2019m doing if he told me to, so he\u2019s receptive, maybe (laughs).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dev.fragmentsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/136071_295915167180947_449929016_o.jpg\")
\nWhen I am busy, I cannot organize both my work and housework well. But hopefully, time solves the problem.<\/p>\n
\nWhen Filipino mothers are studying very hard to create accessories, and when they are very happy to hear that their accessories are sold, I feel happy. I am also glad to see customers who are happy about the products because I feel the happiness is shared.<\/p>\nMake the difficulties into \u2018identity\u2019<\/h3>\n
\nThere are so many tasks, but it\u2019s becoming impossible to do everything by myself. I\u2019d like to go forward with others\u2019 help.<\/p>\n
\nThis year I\u2019d like to work with new partners. I\u2019ve made it my goal to work with people from all over the planet to have them know about the reality of the world through our products. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to work and to have a family at the same time, but I\u2019d like to make it part of the identity of Feliz<\/i> to create a new style of work.<\/p>\n