After nearly 2 hours of riding a motorbike from Dong Ha City to Ta Lao Village, Ta Long Commune (Dakrong), we had the opportunity to meet Ms. Ho Thi Ngam, (42 years old), a Pa Ko ethnic, Head of the Ta Lao Village Women's Association, Head of the A Lao Stream Community Tourism Cooperative. She is a woman with many innovations, efforts in economic development, and dynamism in social activities, a typical example for many women in the highlands to follow.
Ms. Ho Thi Ngam (right) with President of the Women's Union of Ta Long commune Ho Thi Thuong at A Lao stream eco-tourism area - Photo: NV
The first woman to own a collective economic model
At 9:00 a.m. on a day in early August 2024, we arrived at the eco-tourism area where Ms. Ho Thi Ngam is the Head of the A Lao Stream Community Tourism Cooperative Group. These days, despite the rain, she is still busy with her work, preparing everything from food to arranging and decorating items to welcome visitors.
While working, she said: “In 2020, I was guided and mobilized by the Women's Union of Ta Long commune to participate in service activities of the A Lao stream community tourism cooperative. As the leader of the cooperative, I thought about what to do to develop this tourist area when it is located deep in the mountains, everything is still wild and few people know about it. From there, I and my sisters in the cooperative agreed to invest in expanding the huts, car and motorbike parking lots, kitchens, bathrooms, hammock hanging areas, decorations... in the area of the stream with cool, clear water in the summer to welcome tourists.
To meet the needs of tourists, along with the cuisine of local products, the cooperative also provides bathing suits, fishing tools and even brocade costumes of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people for tourists to wear and take pictures at reasonable prices. After completing the preparations, the cooperative promoted the image of the tourist area on social networks. Thanks to that, every summer, many tourists come here to experience. With that approach, the cooperative has created stable jobs for 20 women, with annual revenue of up to hundreds of millions of VND, income reaching 6 - 10 million VND/person/month".
Specialties prepared by Ms. Ho Thi Ngam to serve tourists - Photo: HT
Ms. Tam, a tourist in Quang Tri town, shared: “I have known about this tourist area through social networks for a long time. This summer, I brought my family here to experience it. Here, my whole family can immerse themselves in nature with cool, clear stream water, chirping birds, green trees and receive the warm smiles of the staff at this tourist area. When the opportunity arises, my family will return to this tourist area to enjoy the fresh air, the beauty of nature and the sincere feelings of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people on the Truong Son mountain range.”
When talking about Ms. Ho Thi Ngam, President of the Women's Union of Ta Long commune, Ho Thi Thuong, shared: "Ms. Ngam is a woman who knows how to learn and research, and once she thinks, she will do it, so the women in particular and the people here in general admire and respect her. Ms. Ngam often gets close to the women in the village to discuss and help them with ways to do business such as planting forests, growing rice, raising livestock, spending properly, keeping the environment clean, and building a happy family life, raising good children.
In order to have the opportunity to meet many women in the village, as the Head of the Women's Association of Ta Lao village, she always takes the lead in performing all the village's work well, and together with the village and women establish cultural and artistic clubs, physical education and sports clubs. Up to now, Ta Lao village has established 3 art teams, 1 core women's group in propaganda work, 1 Confident, self-respecting, loyal and responsible women's club, 1 Parenting Club, thereby helping women confidently build a better family life and make many contributions to society.
Ms. Ho Thi Thuong added that Ms. Ngam is the first woman to own a collective economic model in the locality, bringing a prosperous life to many women. In 2023, Ms. Ngam was admitted to the Party.
Know how to do online business early locally
Seeing the favorable conditions of land and climate, in addition to planting forests for timber and cultivating upland rice, Ms. Ngam and the Women's Union of Ta Long commune mobilized women to successfully test planting black sticky rice. This is a type of sticky rice that is not only used to cook fragrant sticky rice but also creates a very valuable wine that is favored by consumers. Up to now, Ta Lao village has developed more than 2 hectares of this type of sticky rice. When there was an abundant amount of sticky rice, Ms. Ngam learned how to do online business on the internet to help women sell black sticky rice products, then expanded to other products to sell on the market.
Ms. Ho Thi Ngam confided: “I am a Pa Ko from another locality. Not long after I came here as a daughter-in-law, I was introduced by the organization and was elected by the women to hold the position of Head of the Women's Association of Ta Lao village, so I was both happy and worried. However, after realizing my duties, I constantly tried to learn on my own with the help of the leaders of the Women's Union of the commune, the local Party Committee, the government, and the village, and I have successfully completed the assigned tasks.
Road leading to Ta Lao Eco-tourism Area - Photo: NV
During my duties, I often told my sisters that we are children of Uncle Ho, so we must learn from him to build a new life. From there, the Women's Union established the Women's Club following Uncle Ho's teachings, thereby mobilizing sisters to contribute their efforts and money to help single, elderly and weak women, and at the same time mobilizing 100% of members to participate in village savings and loan groups with a total of 6 groups, 82 members, and a total annual savings of 130 million VND to help sisters in difficulty with additional capital for production.
To ensure a clean food source, the Women's Union and the village built 15 family vegetable garden models, 5 free-range chicken farming models, 2 group pig farming models, 1 cooperative goat farming model... With that approach, many women have become good at business with incomes of hundreds of millions of dong from livestock and forest planting models.
In recognition of her achievements, Ms. Ho Thi Ngam was commended by all levels from the province to the grassroots.
Nguyen Vinh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-no-luc-vi-su-phat-trien-cua-cong-dong-187451.htm
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