I was born in The Hague, Netherlands to parents of Dutch-Indonesian heritage. My husband, Roy, was born in Indonesia. We have four children and five grandchildren. When the 2004 Tsunami hit, being that we have Indonesian backgrounds, in January 2005 we were commissioned to bring medical teams and disburse donated funds to Indonesia during the initial emergency phase of the relief effort there. I had quit my job and after 12 months our commission ended, we had developed the desired to continue helping in a more long-term effort. It was then that we opened a small factory there and started training and hiring young women, victims of the disaster, in order to give them a sustainable livelihood and income. We are now marking Laga bags in the US, mainly through home parties, but also online. We currently have 6 consultants and are looking for representation throughout the US. It is a continuing work in progress. On our website we also feature the human interest side of Laga.

Our inspiration is derived from the survivors of the 2004 Tsunami and our desire to continue to help them. The embroidery is a traditional design, passed down from generation to generation in the province of Aceh. Each bag is handmade, sewn on pedal-driven single-head embroidery machines; no two bags are exactly alike. We use the best materials available. The lining on our smaller bags provide water-proof material suitable for holding cosmetics, and our mid-sized to larger bags (including our travel bags) are made of satin, and include such features as interior and exterior zippered and open pockets, cell phone pouches, double zippered closures, exterior pockets with magnetic closures, metal feet for stability, padding (travel bags), embroidered bottoms and handles, etc. Each style offers a different set of features and functionality.

Working with people in a Third World country definitely has its challenges. To say nothing of the language barrier, we have had to redesign and improve on every style and every facet of each handbag in order to make them marketable in the US. Colors of materials are not always available when we need them, as is the same with hardware and other materials we use. We have had to use creativity and many, many trips back and forth to Indonesia in order to get our orders and styles right. This has become a more-than-full-time endeavor, but we will persist and are determined to succeed. We want to continue to share stories and lives of victims of disaster, and also share their gifts and talents in this beautifully intricate embroidery work.

The greatest achievement and reason why it’s all worth it can be summed up in knowing that we are helping people survive. We have left our hearts in the homes of the people who have suffered greatly after one of the largest natural disasters in our lifetime and this keeps us pressing forward, fighting ongoing battles and pursuing the quest for perfection and quality in all of our products. If we succeed in representing a group of people who would otherwise not have seen a hope for a better life and a future, and if we can bring to remembrance their needs to people all over the world who might have otherwise forgotten that great need, then we will have accomplished what we set out to do.