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News, Events, and Opportunities

  • Feature
  • SGP
  • Empowering fisherfolks’ wives to reel in their own financial success: The story of Myint Than Wai

    How the ACB, through the Small Grants Programme, capacitated the fisherfolks’ wives in the buffer zone of Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar to process fermented fish and shrimp paste for additional income.

    Myint Than Wai, a resident in one of the communities around Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary (ILWS), is a fisherfolk’s wife who transforms fresh catch from the sea into various products like fermented fish and shrimp paste. In the past, her work involved hours and hours of painstaking hand grinding with a mortar and pestle, which only allowed her to produce 15 pounds of products a day. Those days are over, thanks to Friends of Wildlife (FoW), a non-governmental organisation that sought funding through the SGP.

    Under the programme, FoW provided Myint Than Wai and other women in the Indawgyi area with 13 grinding machines that can process 20 to 30 pounds of fish and shrimp in just one hour. To say that the machines have increased their productivity is an understatement—they can now produce four or five times more products than before.

    Myint Than Wai and other housewives in Indawgyi earn from selling fermented fish and other seafood products

    The machines, which have become a lifeline for residents around the wildlife sanctuary, also lightenedMyint Than Wai’s and others’ financial worries. Under their agreement with FoW, they will only pay for the machines when circumstances allow. This means that if sales of the products hit rough waters, they do not have to lose sleep over their payment as their instalment schedule will be adjusted accordingly.

    The benefits of the machine have gone beyond its initial purpose – it has even allowed Myint Than Wai to pay it forward. She offers grinding services for free to fellow fisherfolks’ wives who can bring in raw materials like shrimp to be processed, while she charges a modest fee of MMK 500 (USD 0.24) to MMK 1,000 (USD 0.48)to others. She doesn’t stop there – Myint Than Wai also generously shares her knowledge, guiding others on how to make the most of the machine for grinding.

    In addition to providing the machines, FoW has also embarked on activities aimed at encouraging sustainable fishing practices in the communities. These include knowledge-sharing and awareness- raising events, as  well  as  training  on  fund management and livestock farming. To prevent harmful fishing practices, the group has also engaged communities in discussions on illegal fishing gear, the removal of ghost nets or traps, and self-patrolling.

    With each cast of the net and a gentle tug of the line, fisherfolk around the Indawgyi area are embracing a profound commitment to safeguarding the marine ecosystem they rely on, not just for themselves but for generations to come.

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