Ms. Minh Phuong presents gifts to the elderly at the facility.

Building solidarity

Having been involved in women's association work since 2006, Ms. Hoang Thi Minh Phuong (born in 1982), President of the Women's Union of Quang Thai commune, Quang Dien district, understands that to build a strong and sustainable women's association movement, it is necessary to constantly innovate in methods and create consensus from each official and member; especially in developing models and activities that support disadvantaged women and children.

On the day her husband passed away, Nguyen Thi Ly, from Tay Hoang village, Quang Thai commune, the women's association members in the village and commune gathered together, carefully saving every can of rice to share with their sister in her time of hardship. Holding the frail woman's hand during this difficult time, these women, who were not related to her, gave Ly strength and resilience through their affection, care, and sharing, both spiritually and materially, so that she could continue to shoulder the burden of raising her children.

That is the sentiment and solidarity that the Women's Union of Quang Thai commune and Ms. Minh Phuong have built through meaningful and practical models and movements.

Recognizing that studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and style is a crucial task and a driving force for effectively implementing the Association's programs and tasks, contributing to building a strong organization, Ms. Phuong proactively developed a plan for implementation, focusing on promoting propaganda and mobilization activities to encourage female cadres and members to register and choose to follow President Ho Chi Minh's example, linking it with the emulation movement "Women actively studying, working creatively, and building happy families," and "Skilled mass mobilization" models through specific, practical, meaningful, and relatable actions suitable for each family and village. The association has established and maintained voluntary savings models for poor women, such as: "Rice of Compassion," "Charity Fund," and a "Waste-to-Money" model linked to "Green Houses" to help poor women and children. Over the past three years, through the "One Action Per Month" program, the association has awarded 76 Nguyen Thi Dinh scholarships, each worth 300,000 VND, totaling 22,800,000 VND; and provided monthly support of 300,000-500,000 VND to 5 impoverished households through the "Waste-to-Money" model. Through the "Godmother - Sunflower Welcoming the Sun" program, the association has provided sponsorship to 17 orphaned children in difficult circumstances, each receiving 300,000-500,000 VND per month.

Dedicated to the work of the Association

Braving storms to deliver gifts to the elderly, the lonely, and children in times of crisis and hardship, or rolling up her sleeves to clean up the environment and plant trees... kindly encouraging and helping orphaned and underprivileged children – these are the things that Ms. Ha Thi Mai Hien, born in 1975, President of the Women's Union of An Cuu Ward, Hue City, has been doing. This is not just the responsibility of a local women's union leader, but also the affection and sharing of a woman towards her neighborhood and fellow villagers.

As a gateway ward to the city, the Women's Union paid close attention to the "Building a Family with 5 No's and 3 Cleanliness Standards" campaign. She directed the branch leaders to actively promote and encourage cadres, members, and women to maintain and expand "Streets Free of Garbage and Wastewater," effectively implement the "Building a Civilized Urban Lifestyle" project, conduct general cleaning campaigns, and display the national flag to celebrate major national holidays. She also encouraged residents to neatly arrange household items in front of their houses, regularly sweep, prevent stagnant water, avoid dumping wastewater onto the streets and sidewalks, and dispose of garbage at the designated times and locations. After 5 years of implementation, 4,016 out of 4,298 households met the 8 criteria of the "5 No's and 3 Cleanliness Standards."

Not only does she connect people, but she is also a generous benefactor, having donated 176 gift packages worth nearly 40 million VND to poor, disadvantaged, and lonely households on "Sunday for the Community".

With a kind and compassionate heart, she often helps and financially supports the neighborhood's relief efforts, providing rice and instant noodles to those in need or suffering from illness, and assisting with the installation of two double exercise machines worth 15 million VND in the residential area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she did not hesitate to dedicate her family's rental rooms to accommodate dozens of F0, F1, and F2 cases (those not eligible for home isolation).

To build a strong Women's Union and help women develop economically, she, along with the Standing Committee of the Women's Union of the ward, directed the branches to establish voluntary savings groups. Currently, all 13 branches have savings groups with a total capital of 529,457,000 VND, providing interest-free or low-interest loans to 133 members. Through these loan sources, many families have developed economically, provided their children with a good education, and some families have overcome difficulties, escaped poverty, and accumulated savings, significantly contributing to the stability of political security and social order in the locality.

“The area is large, the population is dense, and the members come from diverse backgrounds, educational levels, and life circumstances. However, thanks to the unity, consensus, and active participation of the branches and members, the Women's Union's activities are constantly developing and strengthening. The An Cuu Ward Women's Union consistently ranks among the top-performing units in the province. This is not just my own effort or anyone's individual contribution, but the strength of the collective. I have a passion for the Union's work. This passion motivates me to strive to do my best in the tasks that everyone has entrusted to me,” Mai Hien humbly stated.

Each leader at the grassroots level of the Women's Union has different circumstances and characteristics, but they all share a common passion for their chosen work: to be "inspirers," contributing to the advancement of the local women's movement and activities. Therefore, Ms. Hoang Thi Minh Phuong and Ms. Ha Thi Mai Hien are two of the four outstanding grassroots Women's Union chairpersons in the province who were honored at the 2023 National Program for Commending Excellent Grassroots Women's Union Chairpersons.

Text and photos: Thao Vy