The RENEW, a civil society organisation has been able to create pathways to prosperity for women and girls under difficult circumstances in the country through its livelihood and vocational skills development projects.
These projects, worth more than Nu 32 M, are being supported by the Australian government, which is one of the key international donor partners of the RENEW.
The RENEW stands for “Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women.” Echoing these words, the livelihood and vocational skills development programmes focus on uplifting the livelihoods of women and girls.
“All these training programmes are geared towards building their self-confidence. Many of these women have not attended such kind of training sessions in their lives. They have never come to an office setting,” said the RENEW’s Programme Manager, Yangchen Pema.
She added that such training programmes have scripted many success stories.
“So, these livelihood training programmes boost women’s self-confidence and also empowered them economically. They know how to set up businesses. We also give them financial literacy and teach them how to manage finances and where they can go and access loans,” asserted the Programme Manager of the RENEW.
Today, there are about 170 beneficiaries of these training programmes, rolled out in August last year.
One of them is Zangden, aged 41. She said this and the several vocational programmes in the past sowed the seeds of entrepreneurship in her, which led to the opening of a home-based floral business more than a year ago.
The Loden Foundation, which is also a CSO and the UNDP, provided the financial support of Nu 300,000.
Zangden makes artificial flowers, using cloth pieces and recycled wastes and turns them into handheld bouquets, hampers and other decorative pieces.
She also sells ornamental vases and wax candles.
But her floral business wasn’t rosy initially. It started progressing in February this year with youth being her main customers.
The RENEW, the UNDP and the Loden Foundation have helped her attract more customers by sharing the Instagram page of her floral business.
“I used to earn Nu 6,000 to 7,000 in a month. But from this year, the UNDP, RENEW and Loden shared my Instagram page, then the followers increased since people trust these agencies,” said Zangden, the owner of Zangden Flowers, based at Sisinang in South Thimphu.
Her income has spurred since, so she shared, “On festive occasions like wedding anniversaries, valentine’s day, warm farewell events and New Year’s eve, she could make more than Nu 30,000.”
As internationally renowned gender parity officials said if you empower a woman, you empower a family. Looking at Zangden’s improved livelihood, it is apt to say that investments in women’s empowerment are indeed building a better future.
The stable income derived from her floral business helps to support her children.
The RENEW is also investing aid from the Australian government in establishing networks between the service providers like police, health staff, local leaders and school counsellors, and women, who are exposed to physical, emotional and sexual violence.
Through the aid, the RENEW also financially supported 700 students (mostly girls) to continue their education.
Rendering a similar social help is the Women in Leadership Network, formed by nine members of the Bhutan Australia Alumni Association (BAAA) in 2019.
One of the members of the network, Tashi Dema said, “We raised funds and support these 12 girls, who lost their fathers in an improvised boat, which capsized in the river in Zhemgang. When I went to write a report on this incident in December 2014, I found out that their mothers were struggling to raise the children and also educate their children because they don’t have any source of income.”
Through funds from the Australian government, the network facilitated these girls to adapt to the digital learning mode when schools were shut down due to COVID two years ago.
“During the pandemic, we received 6,000 dollars from the Australian government. We used the money to buy tablets for these girls and also downloaded educational lessons for them.”
The network also mobilises funds through crowdfunding to support these girls. It strives to mentor them in gaining soft skills and shaping their personalities.
All these support programmes on women’s empowerment will supplement the country’s efforts of achieving the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). It is to achieve gender equality and empower all girls and women.
Pema Lhaden
