For most people, the benefits of vocational training programmes usually last only until the programme ends. But in Bumthang, a group of women is stitching together a different story. After completing a month-long tailoring course, these women have formed a cooperative to turn their skills into a steady livelihood.
Every thread and every cut counts in this training room. Because precision matters. Every product they make has to find its way to potential buyers.
The month-long advanced tailoring organised by the RENEW regional office is helping these women achieve just that.
During the training, they acquired the skills needed to sew a wide range of products, from bags and file covers to pot mats, hats, and other handicraft items.
As a 16-member cooperative, they can work together, improve product quality, increase production, and strengthen their market presence.
“Following the training, we have formed a cooperative. The group wants to sell our products collectively, no matter who makes them. We cannot sell if we sew and leave the products at home. We have to take our products to the market,” said Tshering Pem, a trainee.
Another trainee Phuntsho Chedon said, “RENEW supported us a lot. They also invited owners of handicraft shops and other businesses to visit us. This gave us the hope that we might be able to earn some income. The visitors promised to support us.”
The RENEW Regional Office is also exploring reliable markets by linking them with hotels and handicraft outlets.
“If they produce good-quality products, made by women from the local community here, I don’t think there will be many marketing challenges. It will help them earn an income and benefit our business. So, we are ready to support them for the benefit of both sides,” said Sonam Dendup, the proprietor of the CSI Market in Bumthang.
“If we promote products made here, it will boost the local economy and promote tailoring as well. Now that there is a women’s tailoring cooperative, it will also benefit its members,” said Pema Khandu, a chairperson of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, Bumthang.
Officials from the RENEW Regional Office said the training, funded by Fida International and SOS Children’s Villages Germany, was aimed not only at improving tailoring skills but also at helping women become economically self-reliant through entrepreneurship and collective marketing.
With the cooperative now established and local businesses expressing their support, these women are hopeful that their new skills will create more economic opportunities and improve their livelihoods.
Thinley Dorji, Bumthang
Edited by Phub Gyem
