Pema Wangmo at the 11th Bhutan Construction and Wood Expo 2022

With her long black hair draping around her shoulder and a big smile, Pema Wangmo connects with her customers by explaining the features of her products.
“It’s my first time here in the capital; it’s overwhelming. I never imagined Thimphu would be that busy. But I am happy to experience it”, says Pema Wangmo, 28, from Gongdue block under Mongar district.
As a representative of Pam Bamboo Group, Pema Wangmo came to showcase their products at the 11th Bhutan Construction and Wood Expo 2022. Her group came into existence four years ago with assistance from the Tarayana Foundation.
It consists of 18 members, all skilled in making bamboo products. “I could not stop coming to Thimphu when I got an opportunity to represent my group and showcase our products during this launch of TSHAR.” Says Pema.

Her family’s sole income is from the sale of woven bamboo products. She recalls that she started weaving baskets in her early childhood days. She took over the family business from her father a few years back.

Before Tarayana’s intervention, Pema’s family used to sell their products to the middlemen and neighboring villages and hardly earned anything. She says it didn’t cover their daily wage, but they had no choice. With Tarayana’s help they could sell their products directly to the customers. “Through this opportunity, I am more clear about customers’ wants and demands. Going back to the village, I will be able to tell my group what we can do better to improvise our products so that we can sell our products easily in the market”, she explains.

Pema explains her main challenge back in the village is to get raw materials, “Yula” (a species of bamboo), has become very rare. It takes days to get the materials, which they can collect only for a specific period and in a certain quantity. In the future, Pema dreams of having her own Bamboo production house with a few employees and outlets in the towns to sell her products. “My little Dzongkha, which I learned from my Non-Formal Education (NFE) classes and with the help from Tarayana Foundation, I see my dream is not too far away,” says Pema with a smile.