Let us introduce to you Ate Remy, Mori's mother crafter who has been with us since the beginning. Ate Remy used to sew rags for a living, but with her grit and diligence working at Mori, she raised her children through college, something most around would not believe it is possible.
She is now not just crafting, but involved in training other moms and also research and development of new products. We classify our products into 3 different levels based on the complexity to hand craft them. Mothers like Ate Remy have been trained to be able to craft our signature creations such as Pursebook and Dual Zip Sling Bag (level 3 items - most difficult).
We sat down with Ate Remy to ask her some questions about her life as a mother crafter and the dreams she has for her family and children.
R: What are challenges you face as a mother?
Ate Remy: The health of my children. I can confront people and even fight, I can be brave in front of other people. But no matter how fearless I can be, if it is the health of my children that are being talked about, I get weak.
R: What do you hope to see for your family and children?
Ate Remy: I really want my children to be educated. With education, there is a chance to change their lives, to be successful. I want to see them having a more comfortable life, to be able to provide for all their needs that they were not able to experience when they were young.
R: How has working with Mori as a mother crafter been like for you?
Ate Remy: It is good because even with the pandemic situation, our work still continues from home. It helps us financially. Life became better with work because we have something to depend on to sustain our needs.
R: What are your joys in Mori?
Ate Remy: I can try different products that I had never done before. I was amazed before when I see products and I asked myself how they did it. With Mori, I am able to learn to create things that I thought I couldn’t do. Sometimes when the Mori product is challenging to make, I cannot sleep because I keep on thinking of how to do it. It is really fun to learn.
I also get to go to different places and meet people. Like the Batasan mothers- they are very special to me. They are very genuine people.
R: What are some dreams/hobbies/things you would like to try or pursue?
Ate Remy: My favourite hobby is sewing. What I want to try do or practise more is drawing. I discovered that I enjoyed drawing when I was helping my kids with their projects. Sometimes it takes me until wee hours in the morning to be able to copy a drawing but I enjoy it. I think I need more practice. I also want to try cooking. The dream I want to pursue is still sewing related. I see a lot of products on YouTube that I want to try, but I have not. I also want to learn to decorate houses.
R: If you have a choice to choose to be a mother again or not, what would you choose? Why?
Ate Remy: To be a mother. Because it is still better than being alone. And when you get old, you have someone to be with. We are actually happy as a family, because it is quite rowdy when we are all together. We laugh and joke around with each other.
Ate Remy's daughter helping out with selling of Mori items at pop-up in the Philipipnes
Mitzi, Ate Remy, Rachel in the Philippines in 2017, top 10 social enterprise @ BPI Sinag Social Enterprise Competition