Description:
Problem:
Under
the economic recession, it becomes obvious
to the people in Thoug Wang district that
they must become a self-reliance community.
They must get together to come up with ideas
that earns income for the community. Housewife
group at Ban Klong Node village had joint
hand in writing a proposal for “Self-Reliance
Community” project to get a no-interest
loan from Ministry of Interior at the amount
of 273,000 baht. However, they did not yet
get a reply from the Ministry.
Since
1998, BPWT-Songkla has pledge to train villagers
in Songkla 15 days a year. Ms. Sirima Nittayo
is a Chairperson of Young Career Women in
BPWT-Songkhla as well as a vice-chairperson
of the village committee at Moo 2 Thoung
Wang. She proposed the BPWT-Songkhla to
help the community out on part of improve
the villagers skills and knowledge. She
helped form a group of YCWs to help in the
projects. Four members of BPWT-Songkhla
serve as the advisors of this project.
Objective:
Help
housewife group to help themselves. Give
them knowledge, not money, to help them
sustain themselves in the future.
Target groups:
House Wife groups in villages within Thoung
Wang District.
Skill Development:
1) |
Make
"Dog Mai Jun" (artificial
flowers for the cremation ceremony)
from corn cob. |
2) |
Make
tied-dye fabric and turn them into
wedding souvenir, handkerchief, shirts
scarfs, and pants. |
3) |
Make
honey-baked banana snack |
4) |
Make
potato-bird-nest snack |
5) |
Make
herbal dish washing liquid |
6) |
Make
herbal shampoo |
7) |
Make
anti-mosquito candles |
Approaches:
Train
housewife groups to be able make products
to sustain themselves economically. Set
a successful example in one village. Create
a network with other housewife groups in
villages within the same district. Let the
housewife from the first village to train
housewife in other villages. The idea is
to make the same product, but with locally
available material in those other villages.
The scope of the market remains within the
community.
About
Thoung Wang district
Thoung
Wang district consists of 9 villages (called
“Moo” in Thai). While over 85%
of population earn income form agriculture.
About 8% work in factories. Less than 1%
sell products.
Activities:
(1)
Create awareness and gather the initial
funding.
On 24 June 1998 Ms. Sirima organized a brainstorm
session with housewives in Ban Klong Node.
They discussed types of side-line work of
interested. In July 1999, she forms the
housewife group in Ban Klong Node village
with 19 members.
On 23 October 1998, she discussed them about
finding the fund to begin the project.
On 23 November 1998, she encourages them
to pitch in the money for the initial investment,
rather than waiting for the money from the
government. She suggested these housewife
to become a member of Saving Group at Thoung
Wang district. Each housewife owned 10 shares
(10 baht per share). So they are contributing
at least 100 baht monthly. The initial saving
of the housewife group at Ban Klong Node
is 1,900 baht.
(Currently, the saving for the entire district
of Thoung Wang is approximately 2 million
baht. The members can borrow from this saving
to pay for hospital bill, a funeral, and
other social service within the district.
The dividend is paid to members annually).
(2) Study the needs of villagers at Ban
Klong Node.
On 13 November 1998 Ms. Sirima bringed member
of BPWT-Songkhla to visit Klong Node village.
She brought up the topic of professional
training in BPWT-Songkhla meeting and gained
supports from Mrs. Chomyong Prateep-Usanon,
president of BPWT-Songkhla.
On 10 January 1998, BPWT-Songkhla held its
annual meeting at Thoung Wang. Housewife
group at Ban Klong Node village gained the
income from preparing the food, the place,
etc.
(3) Hand-on training.
Ms. Sirima Nittayo and four other young
career women from BPWT-Songkhla offered
a hand on training for housewife groups.
They help design how to make “Dog
Mai Jun” (flowers for the cremation
ceremony) from corn-cobs and teach the house
wife to make them in evening beginning since
November 1999.
(4) Find instructors to teach new skills.
On 13 February 1999, Ms. Sirima invited
a trainer from Industrial Promotion Center
to teach tie-dye clothes at Ban Klong Node
village. Approximately 20 villagers attended.
The instructor further suggested that the
villagers visit Kerewong village in Nakon
Sri Thammaraj province where they successful
made and marketed tied-dye cloth.
On 22 February 1999, arrangement was made
for housewife group from Ban Klong Node
to visit Kerewong village, Nakon Sri Thammaraj
province to see how they successfully make
tied-dye cloth. Ms. Sirima and BPWT-Songkla
helps raise the fund for the bus tickets
for these women. After the visit, the housewife
at Ban Klong Node gains insight on how to
improve the way they make tied-dye cloth
and turn them into marketable products,
such as handkerchief, scarfs, and clothing.
(5) Continuation in the activities
The housewife group at Ban Klong Node village
still meet every night at 7:00-9:00 pm to
work on the flowers for cremation ceremony
and the tied-dye clothes. They also used
those hours to discuss new ideas, way to
save money, and new techniques to do the
work.
(6) Build an all-purpose building to
get together and carry out the acitivity.
This
building costs 200,000 baht to construct
in a 50 square meters area. BPWT-Songkhla
and Women Council of Thailand are currently
pledge to raise the fund to build the building.
This facility will enable the group together
without having to carry all the raw material,
the stoves, the scissor, etc. from home.
One local villager has pledge to donate
the land for this building. Currently, they
are working on the transfer of land ownership.
(7) Extend the training
for more skills and more villagers
With
the success at Ban Klong Node village, Ms.
Nittaya extended the training to other skills
and more villagers – from near by
villages within Thoung Wang districts. These
training were as follow:
15
January 1999 Member of YCWs tought approximately
60 villagers from Kuan-Lung village to make
honey-baked banana snack, potato-bird-nest
snack, and Dog Mai Jun from corn cobs.
20
March 1999 Member of YCWs and BPWT-Songkla
help train how to make herbal dish washing
liquid, herbal shampoo, and make anti-mosquito
candles. Attended by teachers, interest
villagers, housewife groups from 4 villages
in Thoung Wang district. Approximately 50
villagers attended.
(8) Create the network of housewife groups
and extend the training
The
success of the group at Ban Klong Node sparked
interest from near by villages. On 23 January
1999, 20 women from “Women for social
promotion” club at Kwan Neng villages
came to visit the see how Ban Klong Node
make and market Dog Mai Jun. They plan to
replicate these acitivities in Kwan Neng.
On
29 March 1999, approximately 120 women from
Association of Malaysia Business Entrepreneurs
(AMBE) visited Ban Klong Node village to
see how the activities are being carried
out. Housewife groups at Ban Klong Node
show them how make the snack and Dog Mai
Jun. They compared methods to make Dog Mai
Jun.
Results
Overall, this project directly help 19 women
at Ban Klong Node village. It indirectly
help 50 other women in other villages in
Thoung Wang district, 60 women at Kwan Lung
village, and 120 women from Malaysia. So
it helps the total of 249 women.
Women at Ban Klong Node village earn extra
income to help their families. From the
initial investment of 1,900 bahts in November
1998, the group profit reached 7,095 baht
by December 1998 and approximately 12,000
baht in March 1999. So the cost/benefit
ratio is approximately 1 : 6.
Project Team
During 1998-2000
the project team
include:
Mrs. Chomyong Prateepusanond
(President)
Project Advisors:
Mrs. Chomyong Prateepusanond
Mrs. Punyanee Sajunsak
Mrs. Praneet Sattayarak
Mrs. Yommana Sinthurat
Young BPW participation:
Ms. Sirima Nittayo
Chairperson of YCW in BPWT-Songkhla.
Ms. Pattrareya Chanasit Former chairperson
of YCW, BPWT-Songkhla.
Ms. Sirima Siriphenwattana YCW member
Ms Kangsadarn Srisinrongreung YCW member
Roles
of YCWs are to design the shape and form
of the product, to help check the quality
of work, identify new products/skills for
these women, help solve problems, and help
collaborate with different government organizations.
They follow up on villagers who received
training, and encourage them to stay together
as a group and making a living out of these
new skills.
Evidence:
Photographs
of the activities carried out by housewife
groups, their products, various training
sessions, and the visit by the Malaysian
women from AMBE.
Contact:
Mrs. Chomyong Prateepusanond
(President)
Tel: (662)-271-1080-90 Fax: (662)-271-1090
Last update: year 2000 |
