Motivating women to rise up

In recent times, the Women's Union at all levels has played an important role in bringing preferential capital from the State to poor women and other policy beneficiaries in Dak Lak province, helping them develop their economy, escape poverty and improve their lives.

Officers of VBSP Cu Kuin district and women's officers of Ea Tieu commune inspected the loan usage of borrowers in Kram village

A "bridge" bringing capital to members

The Women's Union of Ea Tieu commune, Cu Kuin district, currently has more than 3,000 members, with 21 sub-unions. In the commune, 531 members have taken loans through VBSP entrusted to the union, with a total outstanding loans of over VND 22.7 billion. According to Ms. Le Thi Tam - Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Ea Tieu commune, the union regularly promotes preferential loan policies, evaluates and selects eligible borrowers. The union also collaborates with local authorities to organize vocational training and technical training on farming and livestock for the women.

As a result, most borrowers have utilized the loans effectively. Many initially borrowed for coffee cultivation and farm improvement but, after generating profits, they expanded their economic activities by intercropping various crops on their farmland, establishing seedling nurseries, running grocery stores and raising livestock.

In Buon Tria commune, Lak district, there are currently 643 women members, of which 341 households have taken loans from VBSP, with a total outstanding loans of more than VND 18 billion. The Women's Union of Buon Tria has actively communicated and disseminated government policies on preferential credit to members and local people through various channels. Thanks to these efforts, many members have accessed timely preferential loans to escape poverty through effective economic models, such as coffee cultivation and breeding cows. Consequently, the number of impoverished households in the area has decreased by 3-4 households annually.

Dak Lak province currently has nearly 295,000 female members in 2,199 sub-unions. Over the years, the Provincial Women's Union has consistently urged the local unions to improve their operational quality. They have also ensured the monitoring of loan activities entrusted by VBSP, focusing on the proper use of loans by borrowers, enhancing the performance of savings and credit groups, organizing loan review meetings, and supervising the proper use of loans, timely repayment of principal and interest as required.

Additionally, the union has emphasized training and capacity-building for its staff and savings and credit group leaders. Specifically, in recent years, the Women's Union at all levels has coordinated with VBSP to organize 130 training sessions to enhance professional skills, disbursement procedures and provide guidance on new procedures in entrusted activities for 12,765 union staff and savings and credit group leaders.

Getting out of poverty thanks to preferential loans

The Provincial Women's Union currently manages 53,581 households borrowing capital, with a total outstanding loans of over VND 2,478 billion, an increase of more than VND 1,406 billion compared to 2014, with an average debt growth rate of 10% per year. Additionally, the savings and credit groups have mobilized over VND 130 billion to foster savings habits in daily expenses, helping poor women and women in difficult circumstances to rise up from poverty.

To help women use loans effectively and for the right purposes, the local unions in the province have coordinated with relevant sectors to organize 902 training courses and workshops on technology transfer in agriculture and livestock techniques, attracting 119,314 female borrowers to participate. At the same time, they have collaborated with the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to organize 426 vocational training courses for 15,024 rural women.

Thanks to access to funding, many female members have risen to develop their economies, improve their lives and reduce poverty. For example, Ms. H’Lac Nie’s family (in M’Suot hamlet, Krong Jing commune, M’Drak district) struggled due to having many children and a lack of production capital.

In 2007, she took a loan of VND 10 million from VBSP to buy two breeding cows. Thanks to following proper technical care processes, their cows developed well. After three years, the income from the cows helped her family repay the entire principal and interest to the bank and escape poverty.

Her family also saved enough to buy more farming land. To date, with income from livestock and growing rice, acacia and cassava, her family has become well-off in the hamlet. In addition, the credit loans for disadvantaged students helped her two children pursue higher education at college and university.

The policy capital also served as a "springboard" for Ms. H’Bren Knul’s family (in Kram hamlet, Ea Tieu commune, Cu Kuin district) to gradually prosper. Previously, her family had five hectares of intercropped coffee and pepper plants, but the soil had become depleted, leading to low yields. In 2020, through the Women’s Union of the commune, she took a loan of VND 50 million from VBSP’s program for production and business in difficult areas. She used the loans to buy fertilizer, improve the land and interplant additional crops such as areca nuts and durian.

She also attended training courses on crop care and agricultural techniques organized by the Women's Union, which she applied successfully. As a result, her family’s orchard brought yielding high productivity. This year, her family harvested two tons of durians, and they expect to collect an additional two tons of coffee, one ton of pepper, and about VND 70 million from selling fresh areca nuts. The total income from the intercropped orchard has exceeded VND 400 million, a threefold increase compared to previous years.

Minh Chi – Khanh Huyen