More than a hundred villagers and out of school youth from 15 Gewogs in Samste are undergoing a village skills development programme. The programme aims to enhance the capacity of villagers, especially women and girls, to sustain economic activities and create employment.
The three-month long training will train them in tailoring, embroidery, hair dressing and repairing electrical home appliances among others.
The participants are excited. “In Sibsoo, we do not have any Bhutanese tailors. All the tailors are from the neighbouring border town in India. Even for simple stitching we have to rely on them,” said Gyembo Tsheirng. “When I complete my course successfully, I would like to become a supplier of school uniforms.”
Tshering Lhamo wants to open a salon in her village. Sangay Choden wants to undergo further training. “I wish to attend further courses and open my own beauty parlour.”
The Programme Coordinator, Phuntsho Norbu, said that number of people participating in the skills development training course has been increasing. This year, there were more applicants than expected leading to a problem of space. Arrangements were made in Dorokha for the training on electrical home appliances as Samtse Gewog office could not accommodate the trainees.
“Samtse Gewog has provided space but the number of participants crossed more than 30 towards the end. Some participants walked three to four days for this course. We could not send them back, and as this course is very beneficial to them, we decided to accommodate everyone by moving one training to Dorokha with permission from the Dzongkhag,” said Phuntsho Norbu.
The Ministry of Labour and Human Resources has selected two other Dzongkhags besides Samtse for the village skills development programme- Pematgatshel and Zhemgang. These three Dzongkhags have the highest poverty rates when compared to other dzongkhags.
This skill development course first started in Pemagatshel and will conclude in Zhemgang. The course began on Tuesday in Samtse. The programme is financially assisted by the Asian Development Bank.
