Green house connects love

Small actions, big meanings

Arriving at the Cultural House of Hung Nghia Hamlet, Dau Giay Commune, Dong Nai Province, I was welcomed with a warm smile by Ms. Le Thi Xuan, Head of the Women's Association of Hung Nghia Hamlet (Dau Giay Commune, Dong Nai Province).

While talking to me, I saw a woman in the hamlet carrying a large bag of cans and bottles to put in the Green House (a model for collecting recycled waste), Ms. Xuan quickly ran out to help her, holding her bike so she could easily get out. Ms. Xuan carefully sorted the trash: she put the cans in a separate compartment, and the cardboard boxes in a separate compartment. Before putting them away, she folded the cardboard boxes neatly to make them less bulky. She smiled and praised: "Today, Ms. Tu collected a lot. I am very grateful to you for accompanying our association." Ms. Tu, with her tanned skin, shyly waved her hand and said: "It's nothing. Doing useful work not only protects the environment but also helps the children, I am also very happy."

Ngôi nhà xanh, gắn kết tình yêu thương - Ảnh 1. — Women in Hung Nghia hamlet respond to the green house model

Ms. Xuan shared: "The green house that classifies waste at source is a clever mass mobilization model launched by the Women's Union of Dong Nai province, responding to the implementation of the model of the Women's Union of Hung Loc commune (now Dau Giay commune), assigned to the branch to implement in order to mobilize and guide women to create the habit of classifying waste at source, raising awareness of the role of women in disposing of waste in the right place to protect the landscape and environment."

Through the story, she added: "This is a rural area. A few years ago, the women wanted to save money, so they often left trash in their gardens, burned it, and buried it, causing the water to flow into the sewers during the rainy season, carrying the trash along, causing sewers to become clogged and flooded over large areas. Realizing that this was not good, the association tried to 'go to every alley, knock on every door' to mobilize the women in the hamlet to change their awareness. To mobilize the women, first of all, the women in the association had to set an example. With partial support from the Commune Women's Union, the hamlet association built a green house with a steel frame, 1.7 m high, 1 m wide, 1.5 m long, with a lightweight, easy-to-move corrugated iron roof. The green house is located right at the hamlet cultural house, where many people pass by. Every week we check it, when it is full, we open it to sort the scrap, sell it to raise funds to help women and children in the hamlet with difficult circumstances."

Ngôi nhà xanh, gắn kết tình yêu thương - Ảnh 2. — Green house and exchange waste for gifts

"Responding to the call from Ms. Xuan and the Women's Union of Hung Nghia Hamlet, I see this as a small action but contributes to doing meaningful work, so every weekend after sorting the trash at home, I bring it to the Green House. As for toxic waste such as batteries, I keep it separate for the trash-for-gifts exchange program," said Ms. Pham Thi Lan, in Hung Nghia Hamlet:

Ms. Lan added that, not only the Green House, for many years, the Head of the Women's Union has mobilized women in the hamlet to implement the "charity rice jar" model, every month on behalf of the union, giving hundreds of gifts to poor households in the hamlet with the spirit of helping each other.

Actively contribute to the local Association movement

Ms. Tran Thi Diep - Member of the Commune Women's Union - said that the Green House model of waste classification at source in Hung Nghia hamlet has been operating since September 10, 2024 and has been maintained and achieved high efficiency. After one year of operation, the green house has collected 1,711 kg of recyclable solid waste, earning 12 million VND, all of which was used by the association to give gifts to women in difficult circumstances and help poor students buy books.

Ngôi nhà xanh, gắn kết tình yêu thương - Ảnh 3. — Ms. Xuan gives rice to families in difficult circumstances.

Ms. Phan Thi Thanh Tuyen, President of the Women's Union of Dau Giay Commune, added: "From the evaluation of the effectiveness of the green house that sorts waste at source in Hung Nghia Hamlet, with the motto 'small work, big impact', the Women's Union of the commune has continued to replicate the Green House model throughout the commune. Up to now, 6 models have been built in 6 residential areas. Currently, 535 women have committed to regularly implementing the model to maintain the model. The Women's Union of the commune regularly coordinates with relevant agencies to implement the program of exchanging waste for gifts (sedge bags for shopping, fertilizers, clothes, cloth bags). The model also contributes to promoting and raising awareness among women in reducing plastic waste in the environment to protect the living environment, creating the habit of sorting waste in households".

"Ms. Xuan is one of the typical branch presidents, a prestigious person at the grassroots level, always enthusiastic and taking the lead in participating in movement activities launched by the Commune Women's Union. She has mobilized members, women and people from all walks of life to participate in building advanced new rural areas and model new rural areas through environmental cleaning activities, tree planting, etc. Ms. Xuan herself has also maintained activities to care for members, women, children and people in difficult circumstances," the Chairman of the Commune Women's Union acknowledged.

With the efforts of Ms. Xuan and the women in Hung Nghia hamlet, in 2023, Ms. Le Thi Xuan was honored to receive a certificate of merit from the Provincial Women's Union for being an exemplary Branch President and a typical example of advanced women in Thong Nhat district; in 2025, she was awarded a certificate of merit by the People's Committee of Dau Giay commune for being a good person and doing good deeds.