Giving "fishing rods" to Son Thai women

Ms. Dao Thi Kim Loan (left) collects interest and deposits savings from members. Photo: MI NI

More than 10 years ago, Ms. Vo Thi Phuong got married and faced many difficulties in life. Thanks to her diligence and hard work, she and her husband worked for hire, saved up and bought 3 hectares of rice fields; rented another 50 hectares of land for rice production. “In 2022, thanks to the loan program for household economic development, I was able to borrow 50 million VND with preferential interest rates. From this loan, my husband and I bought rice seeds, fertilizers, improved the land... for production, without having to borrow at high interest rates from outside,” Ms. Phuong shared.

Coming from a poor family, Ms. Phuong now has enough to cover her living expenses and send her 3 children to school. Every month, she pays interest on time, saves money to gradually repay the loan, and is expected to pay it off in 2027. Previously, the Women's Union of Son Thai Hamlet considered lending Ms. Phuong's family 15 million VND from the clean water and rural environmental sanitation program. Up to now, her family has used the capital for the right purpose, completing the debt repayment in full and on time.

Thanks to preferential loans, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy's family has been able to expand their store. Thuy said that her family has two children and 15 hectares of rice fields. She and her husband opened a grocery store to earn more income. Due to lack of capital, she bought and sold small items to make ends meet. In 2022, the Son Thai Hamlet Women's Union considered her for a preferential loan of 50 million VND. "With capital, my husband and I expanded our area, imported more necessities and electrical and water equipment. Trading activities have developed more, and the family economy has gradually stabilized," Thuy said.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy effectively uses loan capital to expand business. Photo: MI NI

Currently, the Savings and Loan Group of the Women's Union of Son Thai Hamlet manages 35 borrowers, with a total outstanding debt of over 1.6 billion VND, focusing on programs to support poor, near-poor, and newly escaped-poverty households; loans to solve employment, clean water and rural environmental sanitation; and support students in difficult circumstances. Ms. Dao Thi Kim Loan - Head of the Women's Union, Head of the Savings and Loan Group of the Hamlet said: "Thanks to the right loan source for the right subjects and used for the right purposes, many members have expanded livestock farming, cultivation, small business, improved income, gradually escaped poverty, and some households have become well-off. Members have a sense of autonomy in financial management, 100% pay interest, save monthly, and there are no cases of overdue debt."

Through implementation, although the capital source has increased every year, it has not fully met the actual needs of members. According to Ms. Dao Thi Kim Loan, in order to continue supporting women members to effectively access loans from the Social Policy Bank, it is necessary to expand the loan recipients. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the propaganda of the State's preferential credit policy to each women member; provide training in livestock and crop breeding techniques, and guide appropriate economic models to help members use loans for the right purposes and achieve high efficiency.

In the coming time, the Women's Union of Son Thai Hamlet will continue to mobilize women members to build a mutual aid fund without interest, creating more revolving capital in the union, and adding more "fishing rods" to give to women in need of support.

MINI

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/trao-can-cau-cho-phu-nu-son-thai-a466648.html