Unity comes, Issues run

        Seik Gyi village is located in the remote and flood effected area of Thabaung Township in the Ayeyarwady Region. The main livelihood of the people is agriculture and small gardening activities. Due to flood prone area, only one time per year crop plantation is available. The big issue happening in this area is lack of job opportunities for daily wages workers and small farmers because they have to wait for the time of hiring from big farmers for labor.  Irregular job and less income threaten vulnerable families’ future as well as inadequate food problem and insecure settlement issues are occurring in raining season yearly. Therefore, KMSS-Pathein is implementing the DREAM project in those areas with the partnership of Stromme Foundation in which one of the activities is empowering collective activities.

Linn Hlet Kyel Sin Group

1.Ma Khine Lay Wai (24 yrs. Landless)

2.Daw Ngwe Ngwe Khine (34 yrs. 2 acres)

3.Daw Then Then Sink (57 yrs. 4 acres)

4.Daw Khin Shwe (50 yrs. Landless)

5.Daw Aye Aye Lwin (30 yrs. Landless)

               According to representative of Lin Hlet Kyel Sin Group, Ma Khine Lay Wai and 4 members, they had to approach big farmers for borrowing money with high interest (8% or 10 %) when they wanted to start up small cultivating activities of farming and seasonal plantation. Therefore, they couldn’t make much money for their own profit because borrowing money returned back with high interests. They were usually in debt cycle even they tried hard. Yearly those situations forced them not to dream for their future for many years. On the other hands, they could not focus on not only their future but also their children education because of yearly debt cycle.

Working in the farm

 Due to DREAM program, these 5 women gather together for helping each other. Group income generating activities are implemented also according to their Group development plan. Consequently small groups are assessable to have the trainings, so their groups become more solid with systematic management structure and getting more funding from their group saving and collective income generation activities. Ma Khine Lay Wai said, “They are able to save more money against labor cost and high interest rate”, because they practice exchanging labors and they can easily have money form their group with 3% interest rate (for Group fund). According to Daw Shwe Khin, “because of the high interest rate, unsuccessful plantation and emergency health problem, she lived just for worry of returning money back in debt cycle before they become group. Now she feels secure against high interest rate and debt because she is not alone anymore.” At the same time Daw Ngwe Ngwe Khine expressed that she dare to dream for their future because her planned activities for her family are achieved even she didn’t think for success.

Group Monthly  meeting and discussion

They all are satisfied with their group’s unity and activities, so they often repeat “our group, our group, our group” when they talk to others. They become to implement any related activities of helping each other as well as community. One of the precious activities for themselves is always keeping for any member at least 50000Ks and continuously increasing as much as they can in hand for the use of any emergency without interest. Besides, they consider the situation of their village during the flood

time. Consequently, they initiative the weekly saving rice system (keeping a hold of rice from the pot every time before they cook) with all existing the groups in the village for the solving of food insecurity issues of vulnerable households in flood time. Each of them is motivated to flourish their families by helping each other as well as for their community with full of energy.