Diversify activities to support women's livelihoods

The family of Ms. Do Thi Cuc, Ward 3, Thinh Long Town (Hai Hau) started a business selling traditional red peanuts, creating jobs for many local female workers.

To increase the value of natural, safe and healthy medicinal products for the community, Ms. Do Thi Gam, in Hai Tay commune (Hai Hau) decided to develop the production of herbal tea and medicinal products, contributing to the construction of green agriculture , creating jobs and stable income for local women. Ms. Gam has converted the entire farming area of ​​her family to growing medicinal plants, and at the same time, linked up with a number of households in the commune to establish Ngoc Tra Ecological Medicinal Cooperative. Members of the Cooperative are women's families who own medicinal plant growing land, which is an advantage for the production of the Cooperative's products. Currently, the Cooperative has more than 2 hectares of medicinal plant growing land, with 6 products recognized as meeting OCOP standards; contributing to creating jobs for 18 regular workers and 21 seasonal workers, with an income of 5-6 million VND/person/month. Recently, Ms. Gam's "Ngoc Tra Ecological Medicinal Herbs Cooperative" startup project entered the regional final round of the 2024 Women's Creative Startup and Green Transformation Competition launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) and won the Encouragement Prize.

Nam Dien Commune (Nam Truc) is a locality with a traditional profession of growing flowers and ornamental plants for hundreds of years. This is the main occupation of the people in the commune; in which the majority of the labor force is women in the area. Since 2018, the Women's Union of the commune has established and maintained a model of female flower and ornamental plant growing association group with 126 members. The model has helped female members in the traditional flower and ornamental plant growing craft village have favorable conditions to connect, support and help each other in production and business. In regular monthly meetings, the Executive Committee regularly creates opportunities for female members in the group to exchange, meet and share production and business experiences. In addition, every day, members of the group also exchange and support each other in terms of techniques, varieties, capital; update new market trends; Applying technology to develop models... thereby solving problems and difficulties in production and business, contributing to improving the economic efficiency of crops.

Accompanying members in economic development, the Women's Union at all levels in the province has focused on vocational training, expanding links to vocational training organizations at enterprises and craft villages; organizing training courses on business start-up knowledge, transferring science and technology; mobilizing female members to participate in "Women's Start-up Day", helping members access capital sources... In addition, the Union at all levels also encourages and guides members to have new thinking, new ways of working, production, boldly participate in economic restructuring, innovate and develop effective forms of production organization in rural areas; focus on exploiting resources to support women in accessing science and technology transfer programs, applying new science and technology to production, business, and increasing income. To grasp and support members and women in economic development, every year, the Women's Union at all levels has surveyed the needs of members and women at the grassroots level. From there, build a poverty reduction model that is suitable to the wishes and aspirations of members, women and the actual situation in the locality. The association levels also regularly update information, proactively approach and exploit capital sources to support members and women in building economic models suitable to the actual conditions of each household; promptly detect, set examples, and replicate typical examples of women rising out of poverty at the grassroots level... A typical example is Ms. Pham Thi Chien, owner of an aquaculture and medicinal plant growing facility in Hamlet 10, Hai Chau Commune (Hai Hau), creating jobs for 35 female workers in the locality with an income of 8.3-12.5 million VND/person/month. Ms. Pham Thi Dinh, hamlet 13, Nghia Lam commune (Nghia Hung) is the owner of a clean vermicelli production facility in Ban Dinh with a revenue of 350-450 million VND/year, creating jobs for 20 female workers with a stable income of 5-6 million VND/person/month. Ms. Vu Thi Tinh, hamlet Ha, Dien Xa, Nam Dien commune (Nam Truc), is the owner of a bonsai growing facility, creating jobs for 50 workers (including 40 female workers) with a stable income of 2 million VND/person/month. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thoa, hamlet 22, Yen Dong commune (Y Yen), is the owner of a jute and fabric hat production facility, with a revenue of 5 billion VND/year, creating jobs for 40 women, with an income of 5 million VND/person/month...

With many creative ways, the Women's Union at all levels has become a solid foundation to help many female members in the province promote their creativity in labor, production, business, and strive to become rich legitimately. Up to now, the whole province has established 3,369 savings groups, mobilized over 545 billion VND, and supported 106,458 women to borrow for economic development. Along with that, the Union at all levels also mobilizes women to join hands to help each other with working days, trees, and seeds; support the establishment of cooperatives, cooperative groups, and women's groups... Every year, the Provincial Women's Union focuses on directing and urging the Women's Unions of districts and cities to review and grasp the number and causes of poor households, especially single women, disabled women, women in difficult circumstances, poor and near-poor households headed by women to come up with appropriate support plans such as: lending capital without interest or preferential interest rates; Introduce participation in vocational training classes; promote, mobilize, and support women to start businesses; visit and encourage them in times of illness and hardship... In 2024, the Association at all levels supported, visited, and helped policy families, poor women members, and disadvantaged women with a total amount of over 5 billion VND.

Providing material support, providing means of livelihood, establishing models and clubs to help women escape poverty have been effectively implemented in many grassroots organizations, supporting women in economic development, sustainable poverty reduction, affirming the role of the Women's Union in participating in implementing political tasks and developing the local socio-economy.

Article and photos: Hong Minh

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/kinh-te/202505/da-dang-cac-hoat-dongho-tro-sinh-ke-cho-phu-nu-14520b2/