Opening up business opportunities for women.

Over the past eight years of implementing the "Supporting Women's Entrepreneurship" Project (Project 939), An Giang has developed many distinctive products and OCOP-certified products, contributing to poverty reduction, job creation, and the province's development.

The women's entrepreneurship movement has spread a spirit of innovation in the economic development of women, with many creative and practical solutions and approaches. Women's unions at all levels focus on disseminating information, mobilizing, and encouraging female cadres and members, especially poor women and women from ethnic minorities, to leverage their internal strengths and participate in the entrepreneurship movement through consultation, guidance, training, and access to preferential capital. This helps utilize local resources, create more products, and generate jobs for female workers in the locality.

An Giang Women's Entrepreneurship Day in Long Xuyen Ward. Photo: Hanh Chau

According to the Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, Nguyen Thi Quyen, the activities of Project 939 have supported 4,950 members in starting businesses; 8,082 women have received capacity-building training; 4,821 women have accessed capital to start and develop businesses, totaling over 124 billion VND; achieving and exceeding 5 out of 5 planned targets. At the same time, it has supported 1,558 women-owned businesses to successfully start up, creating many distinctive products and OCOP-certified products. The total allocated budget for Project 939 in the 2017-2025 period is over 8.4 billion VND; socialized funding is over 1.2 billion VND.

According to Huynh Cam Loan, Chairwoman of the Thoai Son Commune Women's Union: “Over the past 8 years of implementing Project 939, the Union has supported 130 members in starting businesses; 220 women have received capacity-building training; and 585 women have accessed startup capital to develop their businesses, totaling over 8.5 billion VND, to realize their entrepreneurial ideas. To ensure the project's widespread implementation and community impact, the Project Management Board and the Commune Women's Union have collaborated to establish production cooperatives, operating effectively, such as: garment manufacturing, broom making, rattan-look plastic chair weaving, conical hat making, and pig farming on biological bedding..., creating jobs for 293 workers with an income of 2.5 - 3 million VND/person/month.” With these results, the Thoai Son Commune Women's Union was awarded a certificate of merit by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union for its outstanding achievements in implementing Project 939 during the period 2017-2025.

Ms. Ngo Thi Tuyet Dung promotes products at the OCOP and regional specialty market. Photo: Hanh Chau.

Thoai Son commune currently has 5 products that meet OCOP standards: Centella asiatica wine, Centella asiatica tea, palm leaf paintings, dried snakehead fish, and Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms. Six products have been recognized as typical rural industrial products: fresh fermented pork sausage, voile fabric flowers, cordyceps, mulberry wine, stone mortars, and handbags. Among these, Centella asiatica wine, Centella asiatica tea, and dried snakehead fish are the commune's most representative and characteristic products. “Having been involved in this profession for over 40 years, since the product achieved OCOP 3-star certification, received promotional support at events, and was recognized as one of the “Top 100 Vietnamese Specialty Gifts,” the dried fish product has reached a wider market, contributing to maintaining the brand and elevating the status of local specialties,” shared Ms. Ngo Thi Tuyet Dung, owner of the Bay Chop dried snakehead fish production facility.

Project 939 has helped women access state support policies in entrepreneurship and economic development; transform the economic structure, and transfer science and technology for application in production and business. This has led to changes in mindset, innovation in production processes, and the application of advanced, environmentally friendly technologies to create green, clean, and safe products. Women's Unions at all levels have supported and advised over 4,950 members in realizing business ideas and developing enterprises; helping women members change their thinking and confidently apply technology and local resources to create new, high-quality products.

Project 939 helps preserve and promote national identity, traditional culture, and maintain traditional craft villages in the locality. Traditional crafts, combined with new technologies and machinery, have created many green, clean, safe, and environmentally friendly products, creating jobs and increasing income for local workers. The entrepreneurship movement has created conditions for many traditional craft villages to maintain and develop their products into valuable specialties and handicrafts such as: the palm sugar production village of the Khmer people; the brocade weaving and Mispok scarf making village of the Cham people; the sedge mat weaving village in Ba Chuc commune; the Uzu mat weaving village; the dried fish processing village in An Phu commune… The Kenh 10 Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative in U Minh Thuong commune produces handicrafts from banana fiber, and the Thuan Phat Handicraft Cooperative in Vinh Hoa Hung commune has received support for investment in facilities, machinery, equipment, and trademark registration, creating conditions for further development.

Project 939 not only provides opportunities for women entrepreneurs to receive advice, network, and realize their startup ideas, but it also helps many female entrepreneurs succeed. Products manufactured by women are increasingly improved and their quality enhanced, creating many jobs for female workers.

HANH CHAU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/mo-loi-kinh-doanh-cho-phu-nu-a471023.html