The workshop is quiet – except for the hair stacker occasionally tapping against workstations. This is a tool used to tie hair-wing dry flies. In a small fly tying workshop in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia a variation of 20 different flies are made each month to be sold to fly fishing outfitters and distributors in the United States. The employees have seen photographs of fly fishing, but their handiwork is still a novelty for the surrounding community. Despite the Mekong’s influence on Cambodia’s landscape and cuisine, fly fishing has not yet taken a foothold in the country.
Five days a week, eight employees come in at 8 AM and leave by 5 PM. On the weekends, several spend their time at a local university furthering their education. Without their job at Geppert Brother’s Fly Fishing Foundation (GBFFF), attending university would have been out of the question.
Channa, the only male employee, is a freshman at the local university and is studying management. While tying flies, he listens to classical music. His favorite type of fly is the Emerger fly, of which he can easily tie 100 in a single day. He enjoys working at GBFFF because it’s near his house, the workstation has air conditioning, and he is able to attend university. When he graduates, it is his goal to open a business.
Sienghai is in her 3rd year of university studying management. According to Somnang, the manager of this whole endeavor, “she is a good flytier –– an expert. Sienghai is an example to the others.” While she enjoys her job, she wants to become a manager at a bank. Sienghai’s favorite fly to tie isn’t easy, but she smiled when she described how pretty it is. This isn’t surprising. Flies, in all of their intricacies, are an artform—some are even interwoven with metallic threads to mimic the breathtaking designs found in nature.
Somnang proudly shared how his employees are able to change jobs whenever they want as long as they train up a new hire to take their place. For those that want to stay, there is the possibility of career growth in the future. After talking to a few of the employees, the overwhelming feeling is that this is a positive working environment where their manager takes interest in their goals. For Somanang, “it is important for them [his employees] to have goals and reach those goals.”For many of the employees, furthering their education is their primary goal. Remarkably, most of the employees work full time and attend university on the weekend. GBFFF has made this possible, as attending university is out of reach for many people in this village.
Halfway around the world, on any given month, 8,000 - 10,000 flies are made with care for a pastime that is completely foreign. These flies are created using materials that the employees have never seen before, such as the grizzly neck feathers of a pheasant. This unusual job, however, is empowering many of the employees to dream.[embed]httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BFspZ2yzfs[/embed]Learn more about Geppert Brother's Fly Fishing Foundation here.