Support ethnic minority women in economic development

The Women's Union (WU) at all levels of Hoa Vang district has implemented many synchronous and effective solutions to support and create conditions for members and women in ethnic minority areas to develop their family economy , contributing to reducing poverty in the area.

The Women's Union of Hoa Vang district organized a program to provide livelihoods to disadvantaged female members. Photo: HV

Ms. Lam Thi Mit (Gian Bi village, Hoa Bac commune) was supported by the Women's Union of the commune with green-skinned grapefruit varieties to make a model garden to develop the family economy. At the same time, members all spent their working days helping her family renovate the mixed garden, plant and fertilize this grapefruit variety. After a period of fertilization, her green-skinned grapefruit garden blossomed and bore fruit, creating a stable income.

The President of the Women's Union of Hoa Bac Commune, Bui Thi Ga, said that the union has 989 members, of which 197 are Co Tu. In order to support members, especially Co Tu women, in recent years, the union has supported the development of fruit gardens, aiming at green agricultural production for community tourism. Since the beginning of 2024, the union has supported 3 members to develop orchards with an amount of more than 20 million VND.

In addition, in 2023, the Hoa Bac ecological agriculture and community tourism cooperative will be established in the commune, managed by women, creating many jobs for women in the association. When tourists come to visit, Co Tu women members will perform the tung tung da da dance for tourists to enjoy.

“Each performance helps women earn an additional income of 200,000 to 300,000 VND, while preserving and spreading the traditional dances of their people to tourists from all over. In addition, with 60 weaving looms supported by the City Women's Union, ethnic minority women in the commune have established brocade weaving groups to restore traditional crafts and create unique products to serve tourists. Every year, the Commune Women's Union also organizes a startup idea contest, from which good ideas are selected to propose support,” said Ms. Ga.

In Hoa Phu commune, where people mainly work in agriculture, life is still difficult. Currently, the whole commune has 953 women members, including nearly 100 ethnic minority women members, mainly living in Phu Tuc village. To create livelihoods for poor women members, the Commune Women's Union has stepped up propaganda and mobilized members to boldly invest in developing family economy and agricultural production towards high-efficiency commodities. At the same time, it coordinates with departments, branches and organizations to train in science and technology of planting and raising animals with the motto "holding hands and showing work".

Thanks to the support of the Commune Women's Union, Ms. Dinh Thi Nguyen (residing in Phu Tuc village) owns a farm with 100 chickens, 60 grapefruit trees and 100 giổi trees, which is the dream of many members in the commune. According to Ms. Nguyen, developing the forest economy requires a lot of time to take care of, but when the trees grow, they will provide a stable source of income. Therefore, she always encourages the members to persevere in staying in the forest and on the land. "For generations, our people have lived thanks to the forest, so I and the households in the village always educate the children to plant and protect the forest to develop the economy," Ms. Nguyen said.

According to the Chairwoman of the Hoa Phu Commune Women's Union, Nguyen Thi Thu Nguyet, every year, 20% of women from poor and near-poor households are helped to escape poverty according to the local poverty reduction target. From the beginning of the year, the Commune Women's Union developed a poverty reduction plan, supported loans, and start-up activities; coordinated with the Commune People's Committee to organize dialogues with poor and near-poor households to review and summarize the needs of members who need loans for economic development. In 2023, the Commune Women's Union helped 5 members who are poor and near-poor households escape poverty.

Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Hoa Vang district Tran Thi Kim said that all levels of the union have promoted activities to support and help ethnic minority women implement socio-economic development and poverty reduction programs; effectively implemented policies to support ethnic minorities of the Central Government and the city, thereby helping many members and women in ethnic minority areas of the district to sustainably reduce poverty and stabilize their lives.

Not only innovating the work of mobilizing women to develop the economy, the District Women's Union also focuses on directing activities to the grassroots, linking the propaganda of the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws with the propaganda and mobilization of ethnic minority women to participate in the emulation movement "Women actively study, work creatively, build happy families" among ethnic minority women with many forms suitable to the living habits of the people.

In the past 2 years, the Women's Union of Hoa Phu and Hoa Bac communes has provided preferential loans to 54 ethnic minority women members from the Social Policy Bank to build sanitation facilities and livestock and poultry farms according to the criteria of the new rural construction program; supported women to participate in developing community tourism activities in Hoa Bac commune such as homestay. The District Women's Union took advantage of funding from non-governmental organizations to support the livelihood of raising goats for 2 disadvantaged members in Ta Lang village (Hoa Bac commune); introduced 19 women to work in Korea and at Nui Than Tai tourist area. The Women's Union of Hoa Phu and Hoa Bac communes mobilized benefactors to sponsor 9 Co Tu children, pledging to support them for 5 years with a total amount of 270 million VND.

NGOC PHUONG

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