Haruna Ishimaru – a Japanese girl who wants to improve the livelihoods of young ethnic minorities

Haruna Ishimaru came to Vietnam as a coordinator of Plan International (Photo: NVCC).

Those are the shares of Haruna Ishimaru, 30 years old from Japan. It is known that Haruna arrived in Vietnam in August 8. As a coordinator of Plan International, Haruna hopes to improve the livelihoods of young ethnic minorities in regional areas such as Ha Giang, Lai Chau...

Thoi Dai Magazine had an interview with Haruna Ishimaru about improving livelihoods for young ethnic minorities. With Haruna, young ethnic minorities are truly optimistic and persistent in their efforts for gender equality.

– It is known that Haruna is the coordinator of the Project "Economic empowerment for ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau", so what do you hope to bring when participating in the project?

I hope to help strengthen women's empowerment, towards gender equality through livelihood activities.

– Is the work of a coordinator for the project "Economic empowerment for ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau" a new challenge for you?

That's right, this is the first project I've worked on as a coordinator, and it's also my first time coming to Vietnam, so I'm extremely nervous. But thanks to the sincerity and warmth of my colleagues and Vietnamese partner agencies, I adapted very quickly.

Haruna Ishimaru (second from left) is a project coordinator for the project "Strengthening economic development empowerment for ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau regions" (Photo: NVCC).

– It is also very difficult for a foreigner to build a project in urban areas, plains or easily accessible areas. Why did Haruna choose Vietnam, choose Ha Giang, Lai Chau - mountainous provinces and not other localities?

Plan International Vietnam's operating areas are all in the most remote areas of Vietnam, including Ha Giang and Lai Chau provinces. We chose these two provinces because the early marriage rate of young people here is very high, especially among ethnic minority youth. They also face difficulties in maintaining their livelihoods, as farming and animal husbandry depend mostly on traditional experience.

When I was young, I often heard people say that women don't need an income, that the sooner you get married to someone, the better. I always question this perspective because they don't say the same things to guys. Since this project is aimed at young people facing gender equality issues, I think this is a project that I can do with great passion.

Her project focuses on improving livelihoods for young ethnic minorities (Photo: NVCC).

– Are there ethnic minorities in Japan? What comparisons do you have with your country?

In Japan there are also ethnic minority groups. I feel there are more opportunities to learn about the culture of ethnic minorities in Vietnam than in Japan. This is truly a great learning opportunity and I hope Japan can learn from Vietnam.

– In your opinion, what benefits will ethnic minority youth participating in the project bring?

The young ethnic minorities participating in the project are currently inspiring many people around them. In these areas, women are always in charge of household chores so you can hardly imagine them being able to have an income. Through this project, women and men of different ages were very excited to see these young people, especially women. They are the core driving the change in outdated stereotypes from their own stories in the locality, and are role models for ethnic minority children. To me, they are people who are truly optimistic and persistent in their efforts for gender equality.

With Haruna, young ethnic minorities are truly optimistic and persistent in their efforts for gender equality (Photo: NVCC).

– How do you see your project's impact on the lives of ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau?

Thanks to the dedication of local partners and the strong commitment of young people participating in the project's training courses, many people's incomes have increased significantly. We use construction metrics at the project design stage to track impact with specific numbers. In fact, 96% of young people participating in training courses have increased their income by more than 10%. Only 4% do not think that the knowledge and methods of animal husbandry and farming that they have learned are more effective in terms of time/cost, as well as more environmentally friendly.

We also measured the project's impact around women's participation in family financial management. Only 46% of women said they participated in family financial management before the training, but this rate increased to 95% after the training. We have noticed that there has been a significant change in how women practice recording expenses, take out bank loans in their names, and create income for their families.

– During the time participating in the project, what were the biggest difficulties and barriers you encountered?

Communication was difficult at first. I've never had a chance to talk much with anyone from Vietnam before, so at first I wasn't very confident about how to communicate. Especially with young ethnic minorities, some people also need translation into their local language, so I need to make sure that I speak in easy-to-understand words so that the translator can clearly understand my point of view. than. The interpreters and I also discussed the guiding questions in advance, so that the young people could understand the questions better. Despite my careful preparation, sometimes I still receive "off-topic" and unexpected answers. But I found these experiences really interesting and memorable. Closing the gender gap is a long journey, but we won't stop until we all have gender equality.

Thanks to the dedication of local partners and the strong commitment of young people participating in the project's training courses, the income of many people has increased significantly (Photo: NVCC).

– Which story impressed you the most during your time participating in the project?

All the stories I heard and learned were impressive, but there was one story that really touched me, which was about a girl named Mai. I met her for the first time in November 11. Communicating with her was not only difficult due to the language barrier, but also because she was extremely shy and shy, she didn't even smile once. every time during the entire conversation. I went back, met her 2022 months later (April 6) and she had completely changed. She smiled confidently and answered all my questions in Vietnamese. When I told her that she was like a different person (compared to the last time we met), she said that thanks to participating in the project's training courses, she had gained confidence that she had never had before. when do you have. Now she is no longer afraid when talking to strangers, or when standing and talking in front of a crowd of people. I feel the change in her and many others, which is a truly meaningful achievement that this project has been bringing. Luckily, I got to witness these amazing things firsthand.

– Do you plan to continue to stay in Vietnam when the project ends?

I am about to leave Vietnam because my visa is about to expire. However, my Vietnamese and Japanese colleagues and I are building a new project together. We will continue to accompany each other in this preparation process despite the geographical distance. When this project starts, I will return to Vietnam next year.

Thanks Haruna for this chat!