In a small building in Dala a group of creative individuals are using their passion for art to generate sustainable livelihoods for people with disabilities.
Pann Nann Ein, which means Creative Royal Home in Burmese, is a social enterprise dedicated to creating viable incomes for people living with a disability.
Co-founder Jo Griffiths said people in Myanmar who have a disability are often marginalized and isolated from their community.
“We wanted Pann Nann Ein to be a safe place for people with disabilities to come, but more then that we wanted to allow them a dignified way to earn money and contribute to supporting their families,” Jo said.
“The people we work with typically come from poor families so being able to bring an income home adds a lot of value,” she said. “We pay our staff a fair price for their work and many have now become the main bread winner in their home.”
In addition to providing opportunities to learn new craft skills Pann Nann Ein also teaches their members other valuable skills such as managing finance, nutrition, health, exercise and communication.
“A lot of our deaf members didn’t know sign language when they joined, they struggled to communicate with us and each other,” Jo said.
“Not being able to express yourself or communicate is very isolating. One of the reasons we practice sign language every week is to give our members a voice. Since learning this new skill there are a lot more smiles when we work, our workshop is full of joy and laughter.”
Christmas is a very busy time for artisans in Myanmar and Pann Nann Ein is no exception. Co-founder of Pann Nann Ein, Hnin Phyu Kaung, said they were very busy creating items perfect for gifts and decorations.
“Our products sell so well at Hla Day we have to work hard to keep the shelves stocked!" she said. "When we consider a new product we don't just think what will sell well, we also have to think carefully about the items we make and which of our artisans can make them. Some of our members can take on any task you give them, but others need training and may only be able to work on simple, repetitive or structured crafts.”
“We have a range of beautiful coloured Christmas wreaths made from scraps of fabric tied around a metal frame. It takes roughly four hours to create each wreath and more than 200 individual pieces of fabric knotted onto the frame,” Hnin Phyu Kaung said.
“We have also developed desk calendars for 2019 which we think are pretty special. Each sheet of paper in the calendar is handmade and pressed using recycled pulp. Once the sheets are dried we screen print our designs onto the paper. Even the cotton bag the paper calendar and stand comes in is carefully crafted and screen printed by our members,” Hhin Phyu Kaung said.
Through their relationship with Hla Day and the development of products that appeal to the local and tourist population Pann Nann Ein has been able to expand and now supports 23 staff.
“We are incredibly proud of our members and how far they have come, but this is not what we want people to see when they buy our products,” Jo said. “For us it is about quality. We want people to look at one of our products and see them for the well-made items they are.”
“We don’t want our products to be purchased out of sympathy,” Jo said. “We want to educate people on the value a disabled person can bring to a community and show everyone exactly what they are capable of achieving. Only then will attitudes start to change.”
