Aung Sat Mon Oo grinds betel nut into small pieces at his home in Yankin Township. This small business pays for his studies. Pic: Aung Tun Win

CAREFUL hands guide the tiny glittering sequin onto its thread, and the seamstress sews it tightly to the silk.

“It needs manual dexterity as well as patience to make a beautiful sequinned dress,” Ma Tin Mar Swe, who has been working with sequins, needle and thread and various fabrics for nine years, says. She gets the small colourful pieces, scraps of brass or of gold, and fancy sparkling stones at Bogyoke Market and Theingyi Market.

A shawl decorated with sequins costs from K25,000 up to K100,000, a set of clothes decorated with sequins is K20,000 and a traditional wedding dress with sequins is K250,000. The client provides the dress.

“I’ve made a lot of money from decorating with sequins. The customer doesn’t lay down strict rules on how the work should be done, and I can work at home, where the atmosphere is fairly free and easy,” she adds.

The customers are mostly from outside Yangon and come mostly as religious festivals approach.

In the workroom of her home, Ma Tin Mar Swe, sitting beside her mother, begins by chalking a sketch on a stretched piece of lace before starting to sew along the chalked lines. Her mother takes an area to work on and adds colourful sequins, gold, brass and mother-of-pearl to fill the space in the floral pattern selected by the customer.

“It takes a day to finish a shawl and 45 days for a traditional outfit for a special occasion,” she says.

“Nine years ago, I was in full-time work on a small income, and all my salary went on bus fares. I didn’t have enough time to look after my mother and siblings. But now, it is like my own business and my mother and I are happy to work at this kind of family business. We also save a lot of money,” she adds.
For the past 12 years, Aung Sat Mon Oo has earned a living at home by chopping betel nut, which he buys wholesale. This type of work allowed him to pay his way through college.

“When I came back from school, I used to collect 10 viss of betel nut from the shop and chop them at night, I was paid K1500 for 10 viss,” Aung Sat Mon Oo (20) said (1 viss equals 1.6 kilograms or 3.6 pounds).

Wages are paid on delivery of the finished goods. The money comes in handy, since he’s studying without his parent’s support. He will get his degree in botany this year. While on holiday he used to grind about 30 viss with the help of his mother.

Housewives, in particular, find benefits in running small businesses from home. They can not only earn a little extra income but also fit their business around their other commitments, such as housework and childcare.

“Housewives in my street prefer to make money from home, that is why they run small businesses,” says Daw Mya Aye. She thinks it’s possible to make more money working at her own business compared to working in a full-time job for someone else.

There are some drawbacks however. Firstly, the betel nut industry usually suffers a downturn during the rainy season because mould can develop on the nut. Secondly, small family run businesses rarely have the resources to form profitable relationships with larger business organisations.

She lets her son to work as a full-time sale boy at company which offers K35000 for a month. Now Aung Sat Mon Oo is working at company but still grinds betel nut when he is back from office in order to get for bus fares.

“In fact, we can earn more than one lahk a month by running cottage industries at home, if he sits on the floor while grinding the betel nut the whole day, it will limit his desires, knowledge and interests he will be a lack of knowledge about everything,” she adds.

Like the process of grinding betel nut, sewing, stitching and sequin decoration have remained unchanged for a great period of time.

Daw Nwe New, (42) has been sewing clothes since the age of 16 said “I like to carry out my work at home because I can have my eyes on my two daughters and watch over them”.

Her hobby of sewing and stitching clothes fast became a profitable sideline because it earns extra money, moreover, she can provide for her daughters.

Around 1982, Daw Nwe Nwe would receive K6 for ten clothes items. Now she can earn K1500 making a single item that might take five hours. During busy periods of the year when there are many weddings and festivals, her small workshop can be inundated with work. “When a wedding or a festive held in my compound, I was ordered to sew more dresses than ever, that time I have to make dress from dawn till dusk,” says Daw Nwe Nwe.