THE LAGA HANDBAGS STORYThe Laga Handbags Story The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Southeast Asia the day after Christmas, 2004, reportedly killed over 285,000 people of which 185,000 died in the province of Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia alone. Homes and loved ones were swept away by the water. In Santa Ana, California, day-trader Roy van Broekhuizen received a call from his church, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, asking if he would lead teams to Indonesia to help with the relief efforts. Crying over bodies, bandaging the injured and working with the people to rebuild tattered lives, that first trip to Aceh changed Roy’s life forever. He arrived back home after that first trip with his suitcase full of cashews, coffee and anything else he could think of to sell and raise more money for these survivors. Roy said to wife, Louise, “Honey, I have to go back. I have to go back.” It was on the 3rd trip to Aceh that Louise decided to quit her job and join Roy in the relief effort. Amid the chaos and destruction, Roy and Louise worked together to bring relief wherever and however they could. On that trip, Louise was introduced to a little shop filled with beautiful handmade handbags that had been stitched on old fashioned treadle sewing machines, without electricity, embroidery which was hand-guided with traditional Acehnese patterns that had been passed from generation to generation. The story grabbed her heart. After returning home with suitcases full of handbags sewn by women of the “Land of the Beautiful People,” Louise held a home party in their home and invited friends in an effort to share their story and photos she took on her first trip to Aceh. She was able to raise enough funds to go back and purchase more of these amazing works of art. There were several more such home parties and, due to the overwhelming response to this effort, Roy and Louise continued to bring back more and more handbags with each trip. Then the idea hit: this could be the perfect way to impact many lives both here in the United States and especially for the tsunami survivors they were trying to help. It was then that Laga Handbags was born.
The Laga Handbags Story The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Southeast Asia the day after Christmas, 2004, reportedly killed over 285,000 people of which 185,000 died in the province of Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia alone. Homes and loved ones were swept away by the water. In Santa Ana, California, day-trader Roy van Broekhuizen received a call from his church, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, asking if he would lead teams to Indonesia to help with the relief efforts. Crying over bodies, bandaging the injured and working with the people to rebuild tattered lives, that first trip to Aceh changed Roy’s life forever. He arrived back home after that first trip with his suitcase full of cashews, coffee and anything else he could think of to sell and raise more money for these survivors. Roy said to wife, Louise, “Honey, I have to go back. I have to go back.” It was on the 3rd trip to Aceh that Louise decided to quit her job and join Roy in the relief effort. Amid the chaos and destruction, Roy and Louise worked together to bring relief wherever and however they could. On that trip, Louise was introduced to a little shop filled with beautiful handmade handbags that had been stitched on old fashioned treadle sewing machines, without electricity, embroidery which was hand-guided with traditional Acehnese patterns that had been passed from generation to generation. The story grabbed her heart. After returning home with suitcases full of handbags sewn by women of the “Land of the Beautiful People,” Louise held a home party in their home and invited friends in an effort to share their story and photos she took on her first trip to Aceh. She was able to raise enough funds to go back and purchase more of these amazing works of art. There were several more such home parties and, due to the overwhelming response to this effort, Roy and Louise continued to bring back more and more handbags with each trip. Then the idea hit: this could be the perfect way to impact many lives both here in the United States and especially for the tsunami survivors they were trying to help. It was then that Laga Handbags was born.