Better care for women and children

With many effective methods, Can Tho City has brought Project 8 “Implementing gender equality and solving urgent problems for women and children” into life, creating clear changes right from the grassroots. The project not only contributes to improving the status of women but also provides practical care for children, especially in ethnic minority areas.

Good signs

One of the important highlights of Project 8 Phase I (2021-2025) is creating livelihoods for women. In Luong Tam Commune, Can Tho City, the Cooperative Group "Raising eels for meat, breeding without mud" in Hamlet 11, led by women, has helped many women have stable jobs. Ms. Thi Cuc - a member of the cooperative group, shared: "I joined the eel farming group and was supported by the Women's Union to start a bread cart. Thanks to my diligence in learning, my family now has a more stable life. I realize that when women have a stable economy , they will take better care of their families; their position and role are equal to men's."

Participating in Project 8, women members of Xa Phien commune are trained in skills and confident in giving opinions to protect women's legitimate rights at conferences.

In phase I, Can Tho City established two livelihood groups: "Eel farming and water hyacinth weaving cooperative group" (formerly Hau Giang province) and "Co Do craft village cooperative group" (formerly Can Tho City), creating regular jobs for 138 women, with an average income of 2-2.5 million VND/month. This is the right direction: "handing over fishing rods" so that women can confidently rise up and assert their role in the household economy.

Along with livelihood support, the network of 88 "Community Trusted Addresses" has become a safe haven for women and children.

For more than 3 years in operation, the community safe address located at the house of Mr. Danh Muoi, Head of Hamlet 10, Luong Tam Commune has always been a trusted place for women to share and raise awareness of gender equality, building a prosperous, equal, progressive and happy family. Mr. Danh Muoi said: "Since the safe address was established, in the past 3 years, we have not recorded any cases of domestic violence. This is a positive sign from Project 8".

Bright spots from practice

The “Leaders of Change” Club model at Xa Phien Secondary School is operating quite effectively. Through it, students are trained in life skills, learn how to behave civilly, and say no to violence. Mai Thi Tien, a 9th grade student at Xa Phien Secondary School, shared: “Thanks to participating in the Club, I learned how to handle situations, know how to protect myself and my friends from school violence.”

Diverse forms of activities such as: democratic flower picking contest, skits, painting, public speaking... The club has spread the message of gender equality and self-affirmation among young people. This is a vivid demonstration of the correct approach of Project 8: sowing the seeds of change from school and family to form a new generation of confident and responsible citizens.

After more than 3 years of implementation, Can Tho City has achieved and exceeded 8/8 targets of Project 8. Notably, the establishment of 151 community media teams (116% higher than the plan), 27 gender equality monitoring training courses (2.25 times higher than the target) and 49 "Leaders of Change" Clubs (163% higher than the plan).

Despite many positive results, the implementation of Project 8 still faces difficulties, such as: more than 3.3 billion VND of Phase I funding has not been disbursed, affecting the progress of some activities. In addition, the application of digital technology in supporting ethnic minority women is still limited; livelihood models in each locality need to continue to be associated with regional characteristics to ensure sustainability...

At the working session with the Can Tho City Women's Union, Ms. Do Thi Thu Thao, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union, suggested: "Entering phase II (2026-2030), the City Women's Union needs to proactively coordinate with relevant sectors and units, selecting content suitable to the reality and characteristics of the locality".

Ms. Do Thi Thu Thao encouraged: “All levels of the association need to focus on developing sustainable livelihood models for ethnic minority women, associated with the production of clean products and OCOP products. At the same time, the association should promote the application of information technology in management and operation, creating a new step in the association's activities”. According to her, the movement "Building Vietnamese women in the new era" needs to be integrated with digital transformation and green startups so that women are not only beneficiaries but also the subjects of development.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, Vice Chairwoman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Chairwoman of the Can Tho City Women's Union, affirmed: "The results achieved from Project 8 are an important premise for the association to continue to innovate its methods and improve the effectiveness of caring for women and children. In Phase II of Project 8, we will continue to make new strides in the journey of caring for women and children, contributing to building happy families, progressive communities and sustainable social development."

Article and photos: CAO OANH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/cham-lo-tot-hon-cho-phu-nu-tre-em-a190508.html