Supporting women in border areas to thrive.

Through practical actions and effective support models, the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program, jointly implemented by the Quang Tri Border Guard Command and the Provincial Women's Union, has contributed to helping many women's households in border areas develop their economy and alleviate poverty. This has also raised awareness and responsibility among the people in jointly participating in protecting the nation's borders.

Ms. Ho Thi Huong is delighted to receive support in the form of a breeding cow to develop her family's economy - Photo: LE TRUONG

A few years ago, the family of Ms. Ho Thi Huong in Thanh 1 village, Thanh commune, Huong Hoa district faced many difficulties in developing their economy. The whole family relied solely on a small plot of land for growing cassava and bananas, making it very difficult for her and her husband to raise and educate their four children. In 2022, the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program supported her family with a breeding cow worth 10 million VND.

After a period of care, the cow is now growing rapidly, promising to create a stable source of income for Ms. Huong's family. "I'm so happy, because my family has many children and we didn't know what to rely on for income. Since receiving the cow as support, the local authorities and border guards have regularly come to guide us on how to raise, care for, and grow elephant grass for the cow. I will raise the cow well so that it can reproduce more, helping my family escape poverty," Ms. Huong confided.

According to Ms. Ho Thi Te, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Thanh commune, Thanh is one of the border communes of Huong Hoa district, mainly inhabited by the Van Kieu ethnic minority, facing many economic difficulties. The commune currently has 533 female members, of which 375 are classified as poor or extremely disadvantaged households. However, in recent years, many women's households have learned how to do business and rise out of poverty thanks to support models from the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program.

Specifically, from 2022 to 2024, the locality received support for 10 livelihood models involving cattle, goat, and pig farming; the construction of a charitable house worth 60 million VND; and 15 hygienic toilet construction projects with a budget of over 90 million VND. Annually, through the program, the Border Guard Force, in coordination with philanthropists, donated hundreds of gifts and scholarships to poor women's association members, families in difficult circumstances, and policy beneficiary families... with a total value of over 700 million VND.

"Thanks to the program's support, the lives of many women in border areas have been dramatically changed. This partnership has motivated and empowered women to strive for a better future, while also helping them learn how to create sustainable livelihoods, thereby joining hands with border guards to firmly protect the nation's territorial sovereignty ," Ms. Te shared.

“Accompanying Women in Border Areas” is a program implemented under a coordinated plan between the Vietnam Women's Union and the Border Guard Command. In Quang Tri , after more than 3 years of implementation, the Provincial Women's Union and the Quang Tri Border Guard have mobilized resources to organize many meaningful activities such as: donating public works, livelihood models, training to improve the capacity of officials, raising knowledge for people, and giving gifts during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year) in border communes in the two mountainous districts of Dakrong and Huong Hoa.

This contributes to changing the mindset and practices of women in remote and border areas, enabling them to assert themselves, make positive contributions to socio-economic development, and protect the border in their region.

Specifically, during the period from 2021-2023, the two units organized programs such as "Spring on the Border - Filled with Love," "Compassionate Tet - Warming the Hearts of Border Guards in the Villages," and "Spring on the Border - A Loving Tet," with a total value of over 3 billion VND.

Furthermore, with the goal of developing socio-economic conditions, promoting poverty reduction while ensuring national defense and security, in recent years, the Quang Tri Border Guard and the Provincial Women's Union have always focused on improving the lives of the people in the border area in general and female members in particular.

Notably, over the past three years, the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program has collaborated with benevolent organizations and individuals to support 17 shelters for the needy, 5 sanitary toilets, and 63 livelihood models related to breeding cattle and goats; sent text messages to support and donate gifts to poor women members and scholarships to poor students with difficult circumstances, and children of border guards working in border areas, with an estimated expenditure of over 1.3 billion VND.

Furthermore, the two units have effectively coordinated and maintained programs such as "Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts," "Border Guard Spring - Warming the Hearts of the People in Border Villages," "Soup of Love," and "Bread of Love," mobilizing tens of billions of VND to care for the lives of people in border areas. In 2024 alone, the Provincial Women's Union and the Border Guard Command of Quang Tri organized social welfare activities, livelihood support, and the construction of practical projects to help women in border communes with a total budget of over 1.76 billion VND.

Furthermore, the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program also focuses on coordinating and mobilizing women to participate in managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and maintaining security and order in border areas. Specifically, border guard posts have installed 100 "Crime Reporting Mailboxes" in community learning centers in villages and hamlets; and effectively implemented Directive 01 of the Prime Minister on "Organizing the nationwide movement to participate in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation". As a result, over the past three years, 854 cases involving 719 violators have been detected and promptly dealt with and deterred.

Through practical and meaningful activities, the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program has demonstrated the affection, responsibility, and collective efforts of the soldiers and the Provincial Women's Union towards the people in border regions. The program's practical effectiveness has ignited a spark in the border areas, contributing to the development of new rural areas in mountainous regions and maintaining border security.

Le Truong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/dong-hanh-de-phu-nu-bien-cuong-vuon-len-190625.htm