Mutual assistance in mending fishing nets in Pho Quang.

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - In Pho Quang ward (Duc Pho town), many women work as net menders, helping each other overcome difficulties and stabilize their lives.

On the last afternoon of the year, many women in Ban An residential area, Pho Quang ward, were busy tying ropes, attaching floats, and securing lead weights to new fishing nets before handing them over to boat owners for fishing at sea. "Even though we're busy working to deliver the nets on time, we're also preparing to ensure our families have a decent Tet holiday," confided Ms. Tran Thi Mai.

Women in Pho Quang ward (Duc Pho town) earn extra income from mending fishing nets.

Over 25 years ago, Ms. Nguyen Thi Suong, from Pho Quang ward, mobilized local women to focus on mending fishing nets for hire for owners of fishing boats at sea. They repaired torn nets, and for new nets, they attached lead weights, tied ropes to the nets, and completed all the necessary steps before handing them over to the boat owners. "Most of the women here have husbands who work at sea. They need work to help support their families. Mending nets isn't physically demanding, but it requires skill and carefulness to create durable nets," Ms. Suong explained.

Nearly five years ago, the Farmers' Association of Pho Quang ward mobilized the establishment of a professional net-mending group with 22 members. Ms. Suong was entrusted with the role of group leader. Each day they work 8 hours and earn 160,000 VND. Monthly, each worker earns between 3.2 and 4.8 million VND, depending on the time of year. During peak seasons, the women bring materials home to work overtime at night. The work doesn't have fixed hours, allowing them to take their children to school and attend to household chores. As group leader, Ms. Suong seeks orders, negotiates with boat owners, and creates jobs for the women. "I hope to receive preferential loans to buy more materials. This will create more jobs for women in the locality," Ms. Suong expressed.

Unable to do heavy labor, Mr. Vo Trai, from Pho Quang ward, helps his wife with light work to complete the fishing net.

Besides creating jobs for local women, the Farmers' Association for Net Repairing has provided many women with access to loans to support their families. Mr. Vo Trai, husband of Ms. Tran Thi Hoa, from Pho Quang ward, was once a courageous fisherman. Unfortunately, Mr. Trai fell seriously ill and is no longer able to work. The burden of the family fell on Ms. Hoa's shoulders. Ms. Hoa works as a net repairer to earn income to support her family and raise her two children. "The women in the association saw my difficult situation and helped me get a loan from the mutual aid fund with a low interest rate. That money helped me get by during difficult times and raise my two children. Now my eldest child has graduated from university, and the younger one is studying in Ho Chi Minh City...", Ms. Hoa shared.

The mutual aid fund is voluntarily contributed by members of the professional net-mending farmers' association. Each person contributes 100,000 VND per month. To date, the fund has reached approximately 60 million VND. Women facing difficulties can borrow at very low interest rates.

According to Tran Xuan Vu, Vice Chairman of the Pho Quang Ward Farmers' Association, the professional net-mending group operates very effectively, helping members, especially women, to find more jobs and income to stabilize their lives, contributing to reducing the poverty rate in the locality, and strengthening community bonds. The Ward Farmers' Association will propose to higher authorities to help members of the group access preferential loan capital to expand production, create more jobs, and increase income.

Text and photos: TRANG THY

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Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/kinh-te/202501/va-luoi-tuong-tro-o-pho-quang-ab71093/