Lighting the fire of entrepreneurship for women

Members of Thai Nguyen Tota Cooperative transport clean fuel to heating furnaces at tea production households in Dai Tu district.

Taking advantage of cheap, clean fuel from agricultural and forestry waste, the clean heat furnace product developed by Thai Nguyen Tota Cooperative is being used by many tea growers in Dai Tu because it saves costs and protects the environment.

Ms. Le Thi Huynh, in Phu Cuong commune: After nearly 1 year of using Tota kiln, my family has saved 4-5 million VND, helping to reduce labor and working time but still ensuring tea output and quality. Thanks to the closed combustion mechanism and two exhaust gas treatment cycles, Tota kiln not only reduces smoke and dust but also produces biochar, which can be used to fertilize plants.

This is a green economic model connecting many local women developed by Ms. Pham Thi Nhung, Director of Thai Nguyen Tota Cooperative. Ms. Nhung shared: With the encouragement and support of the Women's Union at all levels, the Cooperative's clean heat furnace production project won second prize in the "National Women's Startup 2024" competition. We strive to replicate the model into 30,000 clean heat furnaces to provide for people in the surrounding area by 2027. Thereby, reducing production costs and spreading the message of using renewable energy, contributing to the sustainable development of tea production.

The women's entrepreneurship movement in Dai Tu also left a strong impression through the story of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai, Director of La Bang Tea Cooperative. As a pioneer in gathering households to establish a cooperative specializing in local tea production, Ms. Hai has contributed to the development of the La Bang tea brand. This is the first unit in the district to produce tea according to VietGAP standards on an area of ​​about 10 hectares.

To date, La Bang tea products have achieved 4-star OCOP certification and are available in many large supermarkets and clean food stores nationwide. Ms. Hai confided: "The support of women's associations at all levels has motivated me to persevere and be creative, thereby producing safe, delicious tea products that meet consumer tastes."

Besides the success stories of Ms. Nhung and Ms. Hai, many women in Dai Tu district have risen up in economic development, contributing to the development of the locality and spreading the spirit of creative entrepreneurship to the community. This result is due to the efforts and initiative of the Dai Tu District Women's Union. Through close coordination with the District People's Committee and functional departments, the Union has strongly implemented propaganda activities, raised awareness and supported women from the stage of forming ideas to realizing production and business projects.

Over the past 5 years, the Association has organized 300 communication sessions, attracting nearly 30,000 participants. At the same time, it has organized 30 training courses to foster entrepreneurial knowledge for 2,300 officials and members. The Association has supported 29 typical entrepreneurial ideas of women in the area to participate in provincial and central level competitions. In particular, the Association directly advised and supported the establishment of 59 cooperatives, 4 cooperatives and 56 models of women-led linkage groups; launched 11 safe agricultural product sales points. In addition, the Association also advised and helped nearly 14,000 members access preferential credit capital with a total capital of 636 billion VND.

The Association also focuses on supporting safe and organic production models, connecting agricultural product consumption with businesses inside and outside the province; accompanying members in building brands, designs, traceability, developing OCOP products, etc.

Ms. Duong Thi Thanh Luyen, President of the Women's Union of Dai Tu District : Implementing the Project "Supporting Women to Start a Business in the 2018-2025 period", we do not stop at providing economic support but also gradually implement the goal of changing mindsets, arousing the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation among members. The project has become a driving force for many Dai Tu women to boldly break through, gradually build a sustainable economic model, rise up to take control of their lives, and at the same time spread positive values ​​in the community.

It can be affirmed that, after 5 years of implementation, the Project "Supporting women to start a business in the period of 2018-2025" in Dai Tu district, with the core being the District Women's Union, has clearly promoted its effectiveness, created a strong spread and made an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the locality.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202504/thap-lua-khoi-nghiep-cho-phu-nu-3bf0473/