Meet Kyaw Htet Aung; a Burmese boat builder and repairer. Kyaw is the vice-captain at Yangon Universities Boat Club. He races kayaks and carries out repairs for his team.
His current project is a single scull rowing boat which he will use to train and race on Lake Inya. His team won gold and bronze medals at Varsity Boat Race 2016 in Malaysia. His great work was stumbled upon on social media and he was happy to share his story!
Louis – Can you make a living from building canoes?
Kyaw – “Yes – If I could make a mould I think I could- if we had all the materials and enough equipment I think we could do everything!”
Louis – “So you have already said that your current project is a single scull rowing boat; how long do you think it will take?”
Kyaw – “Maybe 2 weeks”
Louis – “Wow that’s faster than me! Have you made many before?”
Kyaw – “Yes; our club can’t afford to buy new rowing boats. We have no money; we have no budget as our government doesn’t support us. So if we want to buy or make boats, we have to find a way to do it ourselves.”