The "fire keeper" of the highland women's movement

Having been involved in the work of the Women's Union from the groundswell level, and having grown up from the women's movement in the highlands, Ms. Vang Thi Say - President of the Women's Union of Ho Quang Phin commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province is one of the typical Union officials, trusted by the people and loved by the women. In a place where there is fog all year round, Ms. Say is like a smoldering "fire", persistently lighting up awareness and arousing the will to rise up for each member of the Women's Union of her commune.

From youthful aspirations…

Born and raised on the Dong Van stone plateau, there are still many difficulties. The childhood years have planted in the heart of Mong girl Vang Thi Say the will to rise up, along with the aspiration to become a commune cadre to contribute to building and changing the village.

In 2010, after graduating from high school and getting married in Ho Quang Phin, Ms. Say continued to study Intermediate Agronomy at Ha Giang Economic - Technical College, then participate in the work of the local Association. Thanks to her enthusiasm and closeness to the people, she was elected as Vice President of the Ho Quang Phin Women's Union in 2012, and then President of the Association from 2015 to present. Since taking on the role of head of the Association, Ms. Say has always been aware of learning, improving skills, and improving qualifications to successfully complete the assigned tasks.

The Ho Quang Phin Women's Union currently has 599 members operating in 9 villages. Due to the large area, difficult transportation, and many hardships in the lives of members, Ms. Say determined: "If we want the movement to develop, the Union must be strong from the roots, must stick to the villages and hamlets, and do useful and effective things for people to see."

From that motto, she proactively innovated the content of the Association's activities, integrated communication on law, reproductive health care, domestic violence prevention, and mobilized members to participate in models such as: "Family of 5 no's, 3 clean's"; "Women studying, working creatively, building happy families"; "Warm home of love"... Thanks to that, the awareness and life of members gradually improved.

Under Ms. Say's leadership, many effective models have been maintained such as: Savings groups; Women's groups helping each other with workdays... She also works with groundswells Union officials to go to each house to encourage women to participate in Union activities, patiently explaining each situation, strengthening feelings and creating trust with the Union organization.

Imprints from Project 8

In 2023, Ho Quang Phin commune will implement Project 8 under the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, Phase I from 2021-2025 (National Target Program 1719) with the content: Implementing gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children. Ms. Vang Thi Say is the person who directly advises, develops plans, consults with Party committees and authorities, and coordinates the implementation of many practical activities.

Ms. Vang Thi Say, President of the Women's Union of Ho Quang Phin commune, instructs women on how to prevent and combat trafficking of women and children at the communication session.

Typically, the Commune Women's Union has established 02 "Trusted addresses in the community" in Phan Nhia Tung and Chin Tru Van villages; Organized delegations to study gender equality propaganda models in Sung La and Lung Cu communes; Built the Club: "Leader of change" at schools. In particular, 09 communication teams were established in 09 villages in the commune, led by Ms. Say yourself, to organize live communication sessions on: Prevention of domestic violence; Anti-trafficking in women and children; 06 dialogues with members to answer questions about policies related to women, attracting more than 2,000 participants.

Ms. Vang Thi Say also focuses on monitoring social security policies related to women such as: Supporting safe childbirth; Protecting children's rights; Preventing child marriage. The Association has successfully supported 02 cases of giving birth at the right age and in accordance with policies, contributing to spreading the message of reproductive health care to the villages.

Not only is she an active Association official, Ms. Vang Thi Say is also a responsible Party member, a two-term representative of the Commune People's Council, and a member of the Commune Party Committee. Her family is one of the typical households in economic development in the locality. Both husband and wife are communal officials, and despite being busy, they still take the time to raise cows and pigs, earning over 50 million VND each year.

Ms. Vang Thi Say received First Prize at the Contest to find creative solutions in communication to eliminate gender stereotypes, prevent domestic violence and child abuse organized by the Women's Union of Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province in September 2024.

With her persistent contributions, in 2024, Ms. Say was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the President of the Vietnam Women's Union: "Excellent groundswells union official" for the 13th Congress term. Previously, she won First Prize in the Contest for finding creative solutions in gender equality communication, preventing violence and child abuse organized by the District Women's Union. For 10 consecutive years, she has achieved the title of Advanced Worker.

Sharing about her journey of more than 10 years working for the Association, Ms. Say humbly said: “I have not done anything great, I just hope to contribute a small part to help women in the commune be confident and bold in changing their lives. The most valuable thing is to be trusted by the people and loved by the women, that is the motivation for me to continue trying.”

Vice President of the Women's Union of Dong Van District, Bui Thi Thanh Hai, commented: "President of the Women's Union of Ho Quang Phin Commune, Vang Thi Say, is a typical example of responsibility and dedication to the grassroots women's movement. She is a typical example in mobilizing, propagating and building a strong Women's Union organization from the grassroots level."

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/nguoi-giu-lua-phong-trao-phu-nu-vung-cao-1750134232222.htm