The love of Ban Cang

(Baonghean.vn) - At night in Cang village (Mon Son commune, Con Cuong), in the middle of the deep mountains and forests, by the flickering fire, we heard the happy stories of the villagers about the village chief Lo Thi Huong, a Thai ethnic woman who took care of both national affairs and housework, and was loved and admired by the villagers...

Ms. Lo Thi Huong, a Thai ethnic, is currently the only female village chief out of 124 villages in the mountainous district of Con Cuong. In 2004, while serving as the Vice President of the Women's Association of Cang village, she was elected village chief.

Before 2005, Ban Cang was always in the bottom group of Mon Son commune, the poverty rate was over 80%, the average income did not exceed 200,000 VND/person/month. Along with that, the consequences of backward customs and practices have made life here unable to escape the forest canopy. Taking on the task of "taking the lead" of a village with many difficulties like that, the challenge for Ms. Huong is very big. Many people say that being the village chief is "eating at home and carrying the prison and the whole village" for men is difficult, for Thai ethnic women like her it is even more difficult.

Not letting down the trust of the villagers, especially the encouragement of her loving husband and two filial children, she overcame obstacles to gradually bring Cang village out of the district's list of weak people. In the first year Lo Thi Huong became the village chief (2005), Cang village completed its budget collection and payment, which had always been a difficult problem for the locality. Currently, although the lives of Cang villagers are still difficult, they have improved a lot, with the poverty rate reduced to 30%. Notably, in 2008, Cang village was awarded the District-level Cultural Village certificate by Con Cuong district.

Before becoming the village chief, Ms. Lo Thi Huong participated in the Youth Union and was in charge of the Vice President of the Women's Union of the village, so she always cared about helping women members develop their family economy, gradually promoting gender equality. Currently, the Women's Union of Cang village has 98 members with regular activities. With the help of the Women's Union at all levels, many women members of the village have built many garden-pond-bell-forest models that bring high economic efficiency.

As a Thai ethnic woman, Lo Thi Huong understands better than anyone the hardships and difficulties of her gender. In addition to daily worries, ethnic minority women are also burdened by the customs and practices of the community. Ban Cang specializes in livestock production and forest planting, with very little rice acreage. Forestry is only for men, so women are therefore stuck with nameless household chores all year round. Along with these bad customs, the role of women is therefore not respected.

During the years of striving to help Cang village escape poverty, Ms. Huong has always been concerned about gender equality. She has coordinated with propaganda teams and committees to mobilize villagers to do a good job of population work to reduce pressure and burden on women. In recent years, in Cang village, no one has given birth to a third child. This is a huge change in the lives of ethnic minority communities in the highlands, who always believe that "having more children is better than having more wealth". In addition, village chief Lo Thi Huong has proactively integrated the implementation of economic development programs with propaganda and dissemination of legal education to the community. The paths in the village are surrounded by gardens and fish ponds, and the quiet stilt houses are cherished. The peace of Cang village also exists in the warm and friendly relationship between neighbors. Disputes and conflicts in the village and in families are successfully mediated by the mediation team, headed by village chief Lo Thi Huong, on the basis of reason and emotion.

During her third term as village chief (each term is 2.5 years), Ms. Lo Thi Huong has created trust and love from the villagers. The achievements of Cang village in recent years can draw valuable experiences in the work of appointing and assigning cadres. Talking to us, Ms. Huong affirmed that "Cang village is still poor, but I believe that with the right direction and support from all levels and sectors, Cang village will gradually develop". She also confided: "It is necessary to further enhance the role of women in society, recognizing them for their own abilities and enthusiasm".

Sy Hao