Development in Handicrafts
4.1 Promotion of Handicraft Occupations
Women’s groups play a crucial role in development, and in the “Roi Jai Rak” project area, most women are engaged in handicraft occupations. However, they lack skills and marketing channels. Therefore, the project has promoted handicraft occupations to enhance the value of existing community products. This has been achieved through skill development in handicrafts and providing marketing opportunities.
Promotion of handicraft careers
The project’s handicraft team has provided promotion and training on handicrafts to the women’s group in Ban Huai San. They closely monitored the work progress, provided guidance in fabric sewing, and supported the production of products under the “Doi Tung” brand continuously. The total number of products produced was 97,394, with a total value of 1,254,169 Baht.
4.2 Establishment of the Handicraft Group Office in Ban Huai San
The project has established the Handicraft Group Office in Ban Huai San as a centralized hub for receiving and delivering handicraft works efficiently, generating a continuous income for the women’s group. Furthermore, this office will serve as a space for future capacity development activities for the group. The project has supported materials and carried out repairs and improvements in the office space, which was completed and officially commenced activities on October 31, 2562.
Ban Huai San Handicraft Group Office
Following the space improvement, the project further encouraged collaboration among community members in a fair manner. It promoted group management to increase the production capacity to meet the future demands of the “Doi Tung” brand and other brands, leading to stable income for the group in the long term.
4.3 Sewing Machine Training
The project recognizes the importance of enhancing the skills of the women’s group, as it will lead to the production of higher-value products. Therefore, the project has supported 10 industrial standard sewing machines and provided training to enhance the skills in using these machines to the women’s group at the textile factory in the Doi Tung Development Project. The training was conducted in four sessions with a total of 27 participants, including experienced textile factory staff, Ban Huai San and Mae Faem Nuea villagers.
Sewing training
During the 8-day training, the women’s group learned to use and maintain sewing machines and looms, various fabric sewing techniques, and product manufacturing techniques through real product sewing trials and quality inspections. Additionally, they learned cost calculations for product manufacturing. After each training session, the instructors evaluated the women’s group’s performance to consider assigning them to higher-value production tasks. Fifteen women met the required skilled criteria, while 12 were deemed suitable for their capabilities.
4.4 Community Handicraft Development
Apart from the women’s group, the project also recognizes the importance of involving young people in developing handicraft occupations. It encourages the application of traditional ethnic patterns in contemporary designs to create new products. Furthermore, it supports community members interested in engaging in production to create additional income.
The project conducted training in stone carving using various wire patterns, providing artistic skill development activities for students in the area. They also designed nose masks for the project staff to distribute and sell in the community market during the COVID-19 pandemic period since March 2563.
4.5 Handicraft Field Study
The project conducted field studies and training on handicrafts for the handicraft team of the Doi Tung Development Project and community members in the Roi Jai Rak area. The aim was to create an understanding of enhancing the value of local products and transforming animal by-products into higher-value items. This took place from August 22 to 23, 2020, at the On Thai Community Industrial Creative Enterprise, San Kamphaeng District, Ban Rai Jai Suk, Hang Dong District, Chiang Mai Province.
