The Burmese Social Welfare Association (BSWA) conducted a leadership training course for Burmese people working in the handloom industry in India’s Mizoram state on 30 September 2012.
The training was conducted in the Zuangtui block of Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, where most Burmese weavers reside. The course was designed to teach youths to take leadership roles, and received around 20 Burmese handloom workers.
“The training focused on young men. This is the first time the focus is on handloom workers. The training was intended to allow young men to take leading roles,” said Ko Moe Kyaw, Chairman of BSWA.
A trainee told Khonumthung that most handloom workers in Zuangtui migrated from rural areas in Burma. The roughly 800 Burmese handloom workers living in Zuangtui block are primarily from the towns of Mungzua and Shwebo in central Burma.
“This is the first time for me. We need such lessons and I am sure the training course will help us to move forward. We will surely use these lessons,” said a trainee.
The Burmese Christian Fellowship in Aizawl established the BSWA in 2005 to promote awareness of social and health issues among Burmese people staying in Mizoram.
