Focus on the grassroots, paying attention to the lives and employment of women.
In the current trend, those working in women's associations not only focus on superficial activities, but with their abilities and qualities, many women's association officials have been dynamic and creative in bringing women's association activities to a more substantive and effective level, making an impact on the community, thereby spreading the image of the women's association more widely and deeply, bringing association activities to a deeper level through specific actions and models.
Understanding members through a "Visit Log"
“Loving the association, being responsible, enthusiastic, and dedicated to its members and women,” that is the motto of Ms. Tran Thi Ha, President of the Women's Union of Quynh Luu District. Having started as a propaganda officer, she transferred to work at the District Women's Union in 2018. Now, after six years of dedication to the association's work, she is always concerned about how to promote the movement and protect the legitimate rights and interests of women. The idea for the “Household Visit Diary” program was born as one way to contribute to achieving the goals of her association's activities.
During countless visits to families, Ms. Ha and other association officials shed tears at the plight of the members. She shared: “Each family has a different story. And these lives desperately need the companionship and help of the community and society. I remember one time visiting a single mother in Quynh Chau commune; her child was only two years old. She had a severe heart condition, her husband had left, and her relatives were far away, leaving her with no one to rely on. We arrived just as the child was crying uncontrollably while the mother was struggling in pain. Witnessing that scene, none of us could hold back our tears. Some rushed her to the hospital, while others stayed to care for the child. Afterwards, we planned to support a livelihood model and mobilized resources to build a charitable house for the family, and we regularly visited and encouraged the mother and child.”
The Women's Union of Quynh Luu district has maintained the "Household Visit Diary" program for nearly 5 years now. During that time, Ms. Ha, along with other female members and union officials, regularly visited and encouraged women in difficult circumstances or those who were ill. According to Ms. Ha, this is a way to get closer to the members, thereby promptly addressing their concerns and proposing solutions related to women's rights. Through household visits, the Women's Union at all levels has helped 4,858 women in difficult circumstances, with a total value of over 3.8 billion VND to support livelihood models, house construction, and provide assistance.
To help those in difficult circumstances, despite limited resources, Ms. Ha, along with other association officials, has been thoughtfully and creatively developing innovative ways to solicit support from members, philanthropists, and those living away from home. Over the past period, through various forms such as car wash fundraising, scrap collection, organizing rural markets to raise funds, free stalls, and the "Saving for oneself to help those in need" campaign, the women's associations at all levels in Quynh Luu district have raised over 12 billion VND to provide gifts, support livelihood models, living necessities, and house repairs for poor women and women in difficult circumstances.
For Ms. Ha, the motivation to strive every day and develop the women's association movement is to always care for and protect the rights of its members. She shared: "Thanks to the large, enthusiastic, and responsible membership, I feel empowered to continue accompanying women facing difficulties and misfortunes in life. Based on the actual situation in the area, we try to choose and implement appropriate activities, while also learning from the experiences of other districts and studying models on social media. Through this, we hope that Vietnamese women in the new era will be knowledgeable, healthy, dynamic, creative, compassionate, and responsible to themselves, their families, and society."
Helping ethnic minority women confidently develop economically.
As both the Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Con Cuong District People's Council and the President of the District Women's Union, Ms. Lu Thi Khuyen has always been concerned about the female members of the Women's Union from ethnic minority groups.
Ms. Khuyen shared: “Previously, many women from ethnic minority groups, especially the Dan Lai people, were very hesitant and not yet confident enough to participate in the association. Therefore, association officials at all levels always pay attention and spread awareness to help them become more confident. The good news is that these women have changed day by day, boldly developing their businesses and receiving support in obtaining loans. Thanks to this, many women have proactively submitted applications to escape poverty, including women from the Dan Lai ethnic group.”
Recognizing the reality that many women members, especially those involved in collective economic activities like cooperatives, still face difficulties in economic development, unemployment, lack of knowledge, and insufficient capital for production and business, Ms. Lu Thi Khuyen initiated a program to promote, mobilize, and support women cadres in economic development. This initiative has been implemented by women's associations at all levels, contributing to the Women's Poverty Reduction Program in the district.
After a period of implementation, the "Women Helping Each Other Develop Economically" cooperative groups have been established in all 13 communes and towns in Con Cuong district, including models such as handicraft cooperatives, herbal wine production cooperatives, safe vegetable farming models, community tourism catering models, and biomass corn farming cooperatives. In addition, the program has supported 56 women entrepreneurs, with 3 ideas ranking among the top 5 at the provincial level.
“In the early stages of implementation, I and the association's officials have always been closely involved, working alongside the women to help them develop their economic activities. In addition, we have also called on the local Party committee and government to provide support from the district's economic development programs to help women with livestock farming resources. To date, we have supported 664 households with livestock, creating additional livelihoods for them. Seeing the women's lives changing day by day is the greatest happiness for me in my work with the association.”
In addition to raising awareness and mobilizing support, Ms. Khuyen also called on the Women's Union Party Branch to join hands in sponsoring a disadvantaged child to help the child have better learning opportunities.
It can be said that, depending on the specific circumstances of each locality, the women's association leaders have adopted appropriate approaches to meet the needs of their members, thereby contributing to improving the material and spiritual lives of women, overcoming difficulties in life, and becoming more confident in themselves in developing their family economies. This is one of the important factors contributing to the success of women's association movements at the grassroots level. Among the many "leaders" of women's associations at all levels in the province, the two aforementioned "leaders" of the women's association movement, with their methods, have affirmed their role, capabilities, and spirit of community service. These are practical actions that members need, serving as a bridge to strengthen women's ties with the association and contributing to building an increasingly strong women's association organization.