Support for members, ethnic women

It was almost noon, the sun was starting to get harsh, the air was becoming sultry, in her outfit marked by time, Ms. Dieu Thi Bin (Choro ethnic), Head of the Women's Association of Suoi Dzui Hamlet (La Nga commune, Dong Nai province) still braved the sun to visit the families of members and women in the hamlet who had just received support to build a shelter.

Ms. Dieu Thi Bin (left cover), Head of the Women's Association of Suoi Dzui Hamlet, La Nga Commune, often visits and talks to grasp the thoughts and aspirations of members and women. Photo: Nguyen Tuyet

According to Mrs. Bin, thanks to being close, regularly visiting and understanding the situation, in her 30 years as the Head of the Women's Association of Suoi Dzui Hamlet, she knows every corner and every situation of the families of the members and women.

Strive to set an example

Born and raised in an ethnic minority area, Ms. Bin understands better than anyone the difficulties and hardships of members and women in ethnic minority areas.

Mrs. Bin said: In her time, life was difficult, people did not fully realize the importance of studying, so most of her peers only studied to learn to read and write and then quit, or even did not go to school. In her family of 6 brothers and sisters, only she was interested in studying, but she only finished 5th grade and had to quit. Limited education made it difficult for women in Suoi Dzui at that time to fly high and far.

“After dropping out of school, I followed some adults in the hamlet to learn how to tap rubber latex with the intention of working as a rubber worker to earn income to help my family, but because I was still at the age of eating and sleeping a lot, and could not stay up late or wake up early like adults, I applied to work in the rubber care department,” said Ms. Bin.

After working for a while, she quit, stayed home to help her parents with the farm work, got married, and had children. Not wanting to fall into difficult circumstances, especially not relying too much on the State's support policies, Mrs. Bin encouraged her husband to work hard, spend reasonably to be financially independent, and soon stabilize family life.

In addition to farming for the family, the couple also worked for hire to earn more income and it is noteworthy that at that time, Mrs. Bin had planned a reasonable spending plan for the family. The money her husband earned, she saved; and the money she earned would be used for family expenses. Thanks to hard work, thriftiness and support from the family, the couple quickly bought land, built their own house, and the family economy was stable. Mrs. Bin's will to rise up became an inspirational story that many women in the hamlet passed on to each other and from then on, Mrs. Bin was trusted by many members and women in the hamlet to be elected as the Head of the Women's Association of Suoi Dzui Hamlet.

The desire to help ethnic minority women progress and escape from difficulties and hardships has been burning in her for a long time, so when she was trusted by everyone, she did not hesitate to accept the task. Without skills or expertise, Ms. Bin runs the association with her heart, based on the wishes of the women. The area of ​​Suoi Dzui hamlet is large, if the activities are organized in one place, many women will certainly not be able to participate, so Ms. Bin has divided it into many places to organize activities. For members and women who do not participate in activities, she goes to every alley and knocks on every door. What she does is only to better understand the lives of members and women and listen to their thoughts and wishes. From there, she organizes models and activities that are suitable to the wishes of members and women.

The women-helping-each-other models of the Suoi Dzui Hamlet Women's Association are organized clearly, publicly, and transparently, so members and women feel secure when participating. Thanks to participating in the models, we feel more confident in life.

Ms. Dieu Thi Yen, member of the Women's Union of Suoi Dzui Hamlet, La Nga Commune

Many models of women helping each other

Having been the Head of the Suoi Dzui Hamlet Women's Association for many years, Ms. Bin knows by heart the conditions and circumstances of the women. Seeing that many women's lives are still lacking and difficult, sometimes having to "patch up"; many women do not have a house or live in temporary houses that are dilapidated..., Ms. Bin has propagated and encouraged members and women to rise up on their own, not to rely on the State by actively working and knowing how to save.

Not stopping at words, Mrs. Bin has had practical activities. To help women have money to participate in saving, from 2007-2008, Mrs. Bin connected with cashew processing units to receive goods and distribute them to members, women who need to earn extra income to work together. The recipients of cashew nuts are mainly older women or women who stay at home to do housework and take care of their children. Currently, this model is still maintained by Mrs. Bin, meeting the employment needs of about 40-50 people with an average income of about 1 million VND/person/month, helping women have more expenses to cover family life.

Since 2011, seeing many households having to live in temporary houses, Ms. Bin established the Mutual Support Group for Shelters. Initially, this model only had 10 members, but since 2018, the number of members of the Mutual Support Group for Shelters has increased and always maintained at 30 members. Members participating in the Mutual Support Group for Shelters will contribute a certain amount each month and from this amount will be rotated to support members in the group with a fund used to build or repair houses.

Not long ago, the family of Ms. Dieu Thi Yen (in Suoi Dzui hamlet, La Nga commune) was supported by the Provincial Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Union to build a house worth 80 million VND for October 15th. In addition to the house, the couple also built an additional corrugated iron room to expand the family's living space.

Ms. Yen said: Seeing the model of the Mutual Support Group for Warm Homes as meaningful and practical, since moving to Suoi Dzui to live, she has participated in the model. On the occasion of the Provincial Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Union of the province calling for support to build a house, she received 30 million VND from the Mutual Support Group for Warm Homes to expand her family's living space.

In addition to the model of the Mutual Support Group for the Shelter of Love, from 2014 to now, the Women's Union of Suoi Dzui Hamlet has been maintaining the model of Helping each other develop the economy with 120 participating members. Every month, each member contributes 1 million VND. This amount will be resolved by the union for 8 people to borrow (with an amount of 15 million VND/person) to invest in developing the family economy or to solve urgent matters. In particular, this model not only attracts members and women in the hamlet but also attracts members and women in neighboring hamlets to participate.

To help members and women solve difficulties when it comes to paying off bank loans, from 2018 until now, Ms. Bin has established a model to prevent risks when bank loans are due, attracting 60 members and women to participate. With this model, members will pay 50,000 VND every month and any member who has not yet paid off the bank loan will be able to borrow money to pay off the bank loan on time. Thanks to these models, members and women have more support when facing difficulties.

Nguyen Tuyet

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202510/diem-tua-cua-hoi-vien-phu-nu-dan-toc-0ae0428/