In Songkla, Thailand, women migrant workers build economic empowerment and regain their pride and confidence

“This workshop not only gave me knowledge on how to make multi-purpose liquid and mosquito repellent but also a chance to engage with other migrant workers. It gave me so much confidence and a sense of friendship and community."

Su Su Htwe, Women migrant worker

Su Su Htwe is a Myanmar migrant worker in Thailand, a mother of two, and one of the successful migrant construction workers in her community. However, the pandemic has brought her a hardship to keep a livelihood and support her family.

Ten years ago, she came from Myanmar to Thailand with her husband in pursue of a better opportunity. She has worked as a construction worker same as her husband. But no one could have foreseen the outbreak of pandemic and the effects brought with it during 2020 and 2021.



As an attempt to curb the growing number of clusters of COVID-19 cases, the Thai government issued an order in June to temporarily close construction camp sites, while movement of workers should be temporarily prohibited. Su Su Htwe and many other migrant workers then got their working hours reduced or no working hour at all, and consequently affecting their income. 



In July 2021, Su Su Htwe was introduced by one of her colleagues to the State Enterprise Workers' Relations Confederation (SERC), an implementing partner of Spotlight Initiative’s Safe and Fair Programme. Through SERC, Safe and Fair conducted a series of online economic empowerment activity in September and October for women migrant workers in Songkla, a southern province of Thailand. The economic empowerment activity is central to women migrant workers’ ability to improve their well-being and to increase the economic independence. Through the workshop, Su Su Htwe and her other 36 migrant workers gained skills to make mosquito repellent spray and multi-purpose liquid from locally sourced materials. Mosquito repellent and multi-purpose liquid were one of the most requested items while Safe and Fair was preparing the survival kits to support migrant workers in the construction camp sites earlier in June and July.



Both multi-purpose liquid and mosquito repellent are the “must-have” items for women as they help protect them from mosquitoes that spread dengue and other diseases.

Su Su Htwe, Women migrant worker, said: “This workshop not only gave me knowledge on how to make multi-purpose liquid and mosquito repellent but also a chance to engage with other migrant workers. It gave me so much confidence and a sense of friendship and community."

“I am so proud that I am not only a construction worker, but also a craftsperson who can now produce local products and sell them to support my family,” she added.



During the workshop, women migrant workers were grouped into five persons per group and helped each other throughout the activity. The knowledge and skills they learned from the workshop have led them to earning income from the sale of the products. “I planned to use that money as ‘the capital’ and produce more multi-purposes liquids and mosquito repellent in the near future,” said Su Su Htwe. 



“I would like to ask for more activities like this to be extended to more women migrant workers in my network. I would like them to be empowered like us,” she said. “In the future, I would like to learn how to make shampoo and liquid soap as they are another ‘must-have’ items. We, women, use it every day. While women migrant workers’ confidence and pride are not on sale, they can definitely be found in an activity like this,” she added.



Under the global EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, the joint ILO-UN Women Safe and Fair Programme has contributed to building the capacity of women migrant workers, women’s organizations, and women migrant networks. In Thailand, Safe and Fair and its partners provide direct support to women migrant workers, especially those who have lost their jobs or whose working hours have been reduced due to the pandemic, through economic empowerment activities to improve their well-being and to increase their economic independence.

Original article published on ILO.