Support ethnic minority women in business

To improve the role and status of ethnic minority women, the Women's Union at all levels in the province has implemented a movement to support economic development, helping women to become rich legitimately.

Red-fleshed dragon fruit - one of the economic development models of women in the Ba Che highlands.

Based on the province’s key economic programs and the economic situation of localities, the Women’s Union at all levels has mobilized cadres, members and women to focus on building effective economic models. In particular, connecting and supporting women to borrow capital for economic activities is considered an effective measure in recent years.

Chiu Thi Hoa's family in Dong Va village, Yen Than commune, Tien Yen district, has just been approved to borrow 100 million VND from the preferential credit program for job creation. With this money, Hoa has expanded the scale of her nursery, providing seedlings of various types (including cinnamon, pine, and giổi...) to households growing large timber forests in and outside the district.

This is the third time Ms. Hoa has been granted a loan from the preferential credit program for job creation, to gradually build and develop a model of afforestation and a nursery. Ms. Hoa said: With the help of the Women's Union of Yen Than commune, I was able to borrow capital for the first time to plant forests and build a nursery for tree varieties, the second time I borrowed capital to drill a well, provide irrigation water for the nursery, and now this is the third time I have borrowed capital to expand the model to a scale twice as large. I am very grateful to the women in the commune who encouraged and connected my family to borrow capital and develop the economy. In the future, when the model is expanded, I will also create jobs for some women in the village.

Implementing the movements "Women do good business", "Help poor women have addresses", in recent times, the Women's Union at all levels in the province has focused all resources to support poor women, women in difficult circumstances to develop the economy, increase income. Especially in ethnic minority areas, the Union at all levels has actively supported members to register to implement economic development models suitable to the characteristics of each locality, associated with economic restructuring in new rural construction, supporting plants, breeds, capital, transferring scientific and technological advances, and consuming products. Thereby, many models have been maintained and effectively implemented by women members, helping households stabilize their lives, creating many jobs for female workers in rural and mountainous areas.

Officials of the Women's Union of Yen Than commune (Tien Yen district) grasp the situation of using preferential loans for economic development of members. *Photo: Hoang Giang*

Not only creating conditions for ethnic minority women to borrow capital for investment and economic development. Women's Unions at all levels in the province also regularly grasp the needs and legitimate aspirations of women in converting and transferring economic models appropriately. For example, the red-fleshed dragon fruit growing model of Ms. Ngo Thi Thuan in Ward 1, Ba Che Town, Ba Che District, has been supported by the Women's Union since 2012. This model has brought efficiency, earning hundreds of millions of VND per year for Ms. Thuan's family. However, due to the fact that the quality of the trees is no longer guaranteed, from the beginning of 2024, Ms. Thuan continued to propose to the Women's Union to be supported in converting crops according to a new farming model.

In response to the legitimate wishes of member Ngo Thi Thuan, officials of the Women's Union of Ba Che district and town directly came to survey and grasp the current situation in the home garden; as a basis for initially supporting capital, seeds, and technical advice according to the needs and conditions of members.

It can be seen that the economic models implemented by ethnic minority women are much more diverse and richer than before. The highlight is that the models all promote household autonomy, in which women have clearly demonstrated their role and position, from changing their awareness in the way of doing things, to proactively mobilizing their husbands, children, and family members to actively and boldly invest capital, apply science and technology, and information technology in economic development activities.

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