While missionaries and other volunteers often are the catalysts to begin a project, the ultimate goal is to train and enable nationals to take on leadership responsibilities, so that the program is guaranteed success on a long-term basis. Today, Chiang Rai Akha Crafts (shown on the left with American Baptist missionary Ruth Fox) is such an example. Although American Baptist missionaries began this program, the board and staff are now all Akha and Thai who live in the Chiang Rai and surrounding area..

The five women below work full-time at the Chiang Rai Akha Craft Center. However, they would not be able to produce the beautiful Akha crafts without the help of many Akha women living in villages around Chiang Rai. Anywhere between 100-200 women spend time between watching their children, fetching firewood, planting or harvesting rice, and cooking, choosing beautiful Akha needlework patterns to use on the product they have chosen to work on, whether it be an Akha shoulder bag, a telephone holder, a bookmark, or a tablecloth.

Pisamai and MiO are the managers of Akha Craft. Pisamai primarily looks after the administrative end of things while MiO provides direction over the sewing itself, including design and quality control. As the program has grown, there has been a need for more sewing support.

Luta is the third of the trio of seamstresses.Tuan and Ami have both come alongside to help in the area of preparing the materials, attaching the lining, making the cards, cutting the cloth, etc.

(Last updated 4/19/07)