Nghe An strives for the advancement of women in ethnic minority areas

Create conditions for women to confidently rise up

In Ca village, Chau Quang commune (Quy Hop), Ms. Luong Thi Ly has a rather difficult situation, originally a poor household in the village. Building a family from "two empty hands", when she had 2 more children, especially her first son who had anemia, had to go to the provincial hospital every month for treatment, family life became even more difficult.

Ms. Luong Thi Ly shared: Family life was "holding on" like that; until 2019, after participating in a training course on animal husbandry and receiving bank loans managed by the Women's Union, her family bought 2 breeding cows and built a barn. During that raising process, Women's Union officials often came to encourage and provide additional guidance on animal husbandry knowledge. On holidays, Tet, or any source of support, the Women's Union and the local political system always gave priority to the family, creating motivation for her family to rise up.

From 2 cows, after 5 years, Ms. Ly's family has a total of 12 cows; of which 6 were sold for more than 120 million VND to pay off bank loans and repair the house, buy TVs, refrigerators... Currently, in addition to the property and 6 cows, Ms. Ly and her husband work in the fields and gardens, along with the income from their second child who has gone to work, creating a stable family life and escaping poverty.

As for Ms. Luong Thi Hong, in Na Ty village, Chau Thon commune (Que Phong), from participating in communication and training sessions on livestock farming, cultivation, child rearing, building happy families and examples of women rising to be the masters of the family economy, she has gradually changed her awareness and thinking. Starting from 2020, Ms. Hong joined the cooperative group raising ducks.Women's UnionThe commune implemented and was supported with 50 ducklings and food. From the first profitable batch of ducks, she gradually increased the flock and after 1 year, she raised more than 300 ducks each batch and raised 4 batches each year, with a total of more than 1,200 ducks sold each year. After deducting expenses, the family earned about 60 - 70 million VND each year. When she had the knowledge and money to raise ducks, Ms. Hong's family also opened a grocery store, combined with renovating the vegetable garden, digging a pond to raise fish to improve their lives.

What is valuable about Ms. Luong Thi Hong, according to Ms. Luong Thi Ha - President of the Women's Union of Chau Thon commune: "Not only has the will to develop the family economy, but also from understanding her own previous difficulties due to lack of knowledge and capital, Ms. Hong has been very active with the Women's Union in participating in propaganda, sharing experiences and mobilizing women to do business, mobilizing women to deposit savings periodically to support members and poor women to do business and escape poverty."

Efforts for the advancement of women

The disadvantage of ethnic minority women is the limited access to information and knowledge in all aspects, along with gender ideology and psychology, which hinders their development. From that understanding, in recent times, the Women's Union at all levels in Nghe An has made efforts to implement many support and companion activities, creating changes in the thinking and working methods of ethnic minority women, helping them increasingly affirm their role and position in the family and society.

In Que Phong district, the focus of the Women's Union at all levels is communication, improving all aspects of knowledge for cadres, members, and women; associated with the organization of clubs, models, cooperatives, and cooperative groups to gather and attract cadres, members, and women to participate, such as the "Women with the Law" club; livelihood model for poor women; the "5 No, 3 Clean" model; the "Green-Clean-Beautiful Self-Managed Women's Road" model; the "Clean House, Beautiful Garden" model; building models to support women in developing family economy, rising out of poverty, and taking control of their lives...

Ms. Lang Thi Nhan - Member of the Standing Committee of the Women's Union of Que Phong district affirmed: Through the activities, it has contributed to creating a big change in awareness, thinking and action among cadres, members and women. Many ethnic minority women have known how to arrange their family life, develop the economy, and escape poverty (in the past 2 years, 82 families headed by women have escaped poverty); at the same time, they have actively participated in social movements, notably participating in environmental sanitation, preserving the cultural identity of their people, protecting border security...

In Quy Hop district, according to Ms. Truong Thi Bich Hiep - Vice President of the District Women's Union, to create changes in thinking and working methods, it is necessary to first provide information and raise awareness in all aspects for cadres, members, and women in ethnic minorities. Therefore, the dissemination of policies, knowledge and experience on production, restructuring of crops and livestock, developing household economy, ways to organize civilized life, building happy families, raising good children... is highly valued by all levels of the Women's Union in Quy Hop district.

In addition to organizing communication activities at the district and commune levels; Women's Unions at all levels in Quy Hop district coordinated with all levels and sectors to bring conferences to villages and hamlets; associated with the establishment of 72 "Community Communication Teams" to promote the role of people in villages and hamlets in propaganda and mobilization in the form of regular, continuous "slow and steady" to create changes in awareness, thereby creating actions among members and women.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hien - Permanent Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, said: In recent times, the Women's Union at all levels in the province has organized many communication activities, training, dialogues, forums, competitions, clubs, etc. Implementing Project 8, under the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas; the whole province has established 257 "Community Communication Teams"; 28 "Trusted Addresses"; 31 "Leaders of Change" Clubs; organized 30 policy dialogues... Through these activities, relationships are built, creating cohesion between Union officials at all levels with members and women, while also solving some common problems of ethnic minority women, especially gender prejudice; domestic violence; early marriage, incestuous marriage; violations of the law.

Many activities to mobilize and support ethnic minority women in economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction have been focused on by the Women's Union at all levels. Since 2022, 5 livelihood groups, cooperatives and cooperatives led by the Women's Union have been established; at the same time, many livelihood models have been supported and built to help women-led families escape poverty and near-poverty and support ethnic minority women to start businesses and develop their economies.

To continue to create positive and progressive changes in thinking and working methods, improving the material and spiritual life of ethnic minority women, the Standing Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union emphasized the need to continue to innovate the content and methods of operation of Women's Unions at all levels, focusing on the grassroots, taking care of difficult areas and ethnic minority women. To do so, the Union's staff at all levels must continue to thoroughly implement "3 together": listening to women, speaking for women to understand, doing for women to follow; focusing on building and spreading the core values ​​of the Union organization "Solidarity, humanity, creativity, aspiration, development".