Ah Htoi

My name is Ah Htoi and I have worked with WEFTshop for three years. My nationality is Kachin from Burma and I manage the Income Generation Program (IGP)for the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) on the Thai-Burma border.Workshops with WEFTshop have  assisted the women in the IGP to develop design and production skills. Also we are developing new products, in Burma we made only dresses, now we make bags and childrens dresses and want to develop more products.

I think it is important  working with textiles to  continue the tradition of the Kachin women. The Kachin women are interested in sewing and weaving, the IGP helps to provide machines and give them lessons so they have skills and are able to provide for themselves and family.

 The income that I earn from sewing is supporting my living expenses and enables me to continue working helping Kachin women from my community with the skills and knowledge that I have.

It is nice having the Ah Toi bag named after me! It was originally designed as a collaboration between Nang Zin ( from the IGP) and Emma from WEFTshop during a workshop in Chiang Mai.

Women come over the border from Burma to do internships with KWAT for  a few months at a time, this is dangerous without the proper papers. It is therfore difficult to keep the workers in Thailand, in the future I would like to have facilities in Burma so the women can work in their homeland  after they finish their training.The women are gaining skills  but KWAT need orders and investment to buy materials to get started with production within Burma.

There is an urgent need for refugee and internally displaced women to organise themselves to solve their own problems. KWAT was formed in 1999 to develop the skills of women, promote children’s and women’s rights and empower women to be more involved in leadership.

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