Timely support and encouragement for difficult circumstances is the motivation for members to rise up.

As a single mother, struggling to raise her children, Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet Nhung (Women's Union of Cong Thanh village) is always a "red address" that receives attention, help and builds a warm home for love from local Women's Unions at all levels.

Not relying on that attention, when supported with livelihoods and access to preferential loans, Ms. Tuyet Nhung "broke through" to expand livestock and crop farming to develop the economy .

“I know that the house where my mother and I live and the animals I receive are all the result of the savings and sharing of the sisters. When I received so much “kindness” from the Association, I thought I had to use that as motivation to move forward. From the initial animals, I have now developed livestock and farming to gradually stabilize my family’s economy,” Ms. Nhung shared.

Due to difficult circumstances, the family's economy mainly comes from farming, although she wants to expand livestock farming but has no capital, and is afraid of getting into debt, Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan (Thanh Tai Village Women's Union) has to give up. However, since being mobilized by the Women's Union at all levels and actively participating in the Union's activities, Ms. Toan has been exposed to and learned about economic development models as well as effective livestock and crop farming techniques. Her thinking has gradually changed, she boldly borrowed preferential loans from entrusted loan sources through the women's channel. With capital and basic knowledge, she boldly invested and expanded livestock farming.

By “knowing by heart” the circumstances of each member, the Women’s Union and the Commune Women’s Union have provided timely and effective support. Moreover, to gather members, the Commune Women’s Union officials regularly go to the grassroots level, pay attention to weak units, focus on building models and clubs suitable for women at the grassroots level, especially savings models, and build low-interest loan funds to help women escape poverty. Currently, 12/13 Women’s Union branches have savings activities at the branch with a total amount of more than 400 million VND, helping 360 disadvantaged women members borrow at low interest rates to develop the economy and to solve sudden and urgent difficulties in life.

In 2023, the Commune Women's Union helped 4 female members escape poverty. At the same time, in coordination with the Social Policy Bank, the entrustment of poor households and other policy beneficiaries to borrow capital was closely directed by the Union at all levels from the commune to the grassroots. To date, there are 12 loan groups managed by the Union, with nearly 650 female members borrowing capital.

Ms. Chau Thi Tuyet, President of the Women's Union of Phong Son commune, said: In addition to focusing on building models to help women develop the economy and escape poverty sustainably, the Union has deployed and requested that the Union's grassroots units pay attention to the lives and real needs of women members in terms of family economic development; thereby assessing and classifying poor member households, finding out the causes to have reasonable and timely support measures. Not only helping members by supporting loan procedures, the Women's Union of the commune encourages and supports members to participate in start-up competitions organized by all levels to compete and learn from good and effective models. The Union also propagates and spreads good models and creative ways of doing things of members to all women in the branches, thereby creating motivation for members to develop the economy; especially poor women members with difficult circumstances.

Article and photos: Thao Vy