The International Women and Mining Network (RIMM) invited a Burma alumna to attend the RIMM Consultation and Skillshare on Women, Mining and Development in Hyderabad, India from March 16-19, 2009. This event was organized by Dhaatri-Resource Centre for Women and Children in coordination with mm&P and Samata.

RIMM is the first and only platform that has brought women from different continents on this very serious issue of mining and gender justice. Therefore, the Skillshare gathered around 40 activists from Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines and India. The objective of this event was for the participants to share experiences about the different impacts that mining has had in their communities and about the different actions that can be taken to respond to mining companies.

Our alumna presented about gold mining in Hugawng Valley in Kachin State, Burma. She made emphasis in the 31 gold mining areas here and they way in which they are affecting the lives of the people in different communities and the devastating impact the projects are having on the environment. Moreover, she explained how the profits of these projects are not going to the communities but to the companies and government. Organizers were very impressed with the alumna’s presentation.  

EarthRights School Burma former graduate was also satisfied with her presentation and the experience and knowledge she acquired during the skillshare. For her, the most valuable part was that she was able to network with other activists and learn from them. She adds: “it was very useful.  I learned and I got a lot of experiences from other countries. They have experience about how to organize people from mining areas to stop mining, how to do to get compensation for land confiscation due to mining, and other strategic plans. After this Asia Skillshare I went to my project mining side and I have done a workshop, training and organized youth and women from the mining side.”