Bhutanese women interested to partake in the upcoming local government election will soon be undergoing a nationwide training programme to increase their level of self-confidence and pick up campaigning and communication skills.
An advocacy programme in line with this was held in Thimphu yesterday.
More than 20 women interested to take part in the upcoming local government election turned up for the programme.
Some of the said that they took in the programme to pick up knowledge on a certain level of literacy that is required to contest in the local government election.
[pullquote]I will continue participating in all those advocacy programmes the government carries out. I will prepare myself and will make sure that I stand for the next election when my age permits me.[/pullquote]
One among them is this young lady from Chamgang in Thimphu. She is currently the woman Tshogpa and aspires to contest for the post of a Gup. But sadly she doesn’t meet the age criteria of a minimum of 25 years. She is only 22 years old.
However, she wants to continue dreaming and attend such advocacy programmes to help boost her level of confidence and gain additional knowledge.
“I will continue participating in all those advocacy programmes the government carries out. I will prepare myself and will make sure that I stand for the next election when my age permits me,” she said.
Similarly, another young lady from Thinleygang shared the same view. “It’s sad that I can’t compete for the upcoming one but I want to stand for the next election and facilitate my villagers,” said another aspirant candidate.
Women participants said they have been able to learn much from the meeting as the Opposition Leader shared his personal views on his journey as a politician. Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgay said women should come forward and make a difference.
National Council member from Thimphu, Sangay Zam also spoke on the need for women to break through and said women’s presence can make a difference.
The programme was organized by the Institute for Management Studies with financial support from HELVETAS and the Liaison Office of Denmark.
This advocacy programme will be followed by a two week programme next week which will be held simultaneously in all the Dzongkhags.
