A Women's Cooking Group in Mae Hong Son, Thailand

In Thailand, FAO is working with local authorities to empower communities and improve their livelihoods by developing local value chains. This video tells the story of a group of women in one such community, in the village of Mok Cham Pae in Mae Hong Son province.

When Penjit Dokambutr worked as a teacher in Mok Cham Pae, she had enough money to live on. But once she retired in 2008, her income decreased and she had to find a way to support herself. She joined a group of women who participated in a career training program sponsored by FAO. After the program, armed with their new skills and equipment, the women decided to make traditional Thai snacks for sale. The crispy lotus blossom cookies and wafers soon became a success, and the women are now earning around US$3.50 per day. As Penjit says, "that’s a lot of money to us."

"It improves our lives a lot," she adds. "We can use this money for our household expenses. The money helps to cover the costs of our food. All our families are very happy with having this opportunity."

09/08/2016