Rural women start businesses

Ms. Vo Thi Tram's stainless steel ball processing facility (Phu Gia 2 village, Que Phuoc commune) creates jobs for many local workers. Photo: MINH THONG

Dare to think, dare to do

In 2009, after getting married and realizing that her income from farming was unstable, Ms. Vo Thi Tram (Phu Gia 2 village, Que Phuoc commune) decided to go to Da Nang to learn a trade to find a new direction.

Initially, she studied and worked on stainless steel ball processing at a friend’s workshop. After a year, with diligence and determination, her family opened their own workshop and introduced some relatives to learn the trade. However, processing at home and then sending the products to Da Nang was both costly in transportation costs and limited productivity.

At the end of 2019, after much thought, Ms. Tram boldly invested nearly 600 million VND to build a stainless steel processing workshop right in her hometown, with an area of 110m2, equipped with 23 stamping and turning machines. The main products are stainless steel balls used in the production of shelves, beds, cabinets, tables and chairs...

In 2020, she bought two more stamping machines worth 140 million VND to improve productivity and product quality. The products are supplied to household goods manufacturing facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and many northern provinces.

Up to now, Ms. Tram's factory has provided jobs for 4 regular workers, with a stable income of about 9 million VND/person/month. In addition, 9 households in the commune receive goods for processing, increasing their income during the off-season.

“In the coming time, I plan to expand production scale, link to more markets to create jobs, and bring sustainable livelihoods to local people,” Ms. Tram shared.

In Thu Bon commune, Ms. Tran Thi Tra My (Phu Lac village) is one of the typical women with the spirit of daring to think and daring to do. Realizing the increasing demand for decoration and souvenirs in My Son, she boldly invested in machinery and materials, starting a business with a plaster statue production model. After a period of effort, Ms. My's workshop not only brought a stable income to her family but also created regular jobs for 3-4 local women.

Ms. My said: "I am continuing to research and create many new designs, while aiming to expand the scale of production to better serve the needs of tourists, thereby contributing to promoting the image and typical products of my homeland."

Spread the movement

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hop, President of the Thu Bon Commune Women's Union, said that in recent years, the union has introduced 20 startup ideas to participate in district-level competitions, supporting dozens of women to start businesses with materials such as glass cabinets, carts, sewing machines, breeding chickens, etc.

At the same time, through the livelihood program, the association supported 42 poor and disadvantaged women's households with a total budget of hundreds of millions of VND, helping many families escape poverty sustainably.

"In the coming time, the association will continue to accompany and encourage women to boldly start businesses and effectively develop household economies ," said Ms. Hop.

Not only in Thu Bon, in Que Phuoc commune, the movement of women participating in economic development and new rural construction is also taking place vigorously.

With the female workforce accounting for nearly 50% in agricultural and forestry production, in recent times, women have boldly invested in transforming the structure of crops and livestock, developing comprehensive economic models such as forest gardens, livestock farming, and concentrated fruit tree planting.

Thereby, many advanced models in the good economic movement have contributed to improving life, creating jobs, and reducing the poverty rate of the whole commune to 8.62% by 2025.

According to Ms. Pham Thi Anh Tu, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Que Phuoc Commune, activities to support women are implemented synchronously, in conjunction with Project 939 "Supporting Women to Start a Business" and the New Rural Development Program. The Union prioritizes resources for poor, near-poor, and newly escaped-poverty households. To date, the total outstanding debt of entrusted capital sources has reached more than 31 billion VND with 557 borrowing households.

The Association also organizes many fundraising activities, calling on benefactors to support livelihoods such as giving cows, chickens, pigs, tables and chairs for business, building houses; effectively implementing Projects 938 and 939, organizing communication sessions, training on life skills, mental health care, prevention of domestic violence, abuse of women and children...

The Association also proactively applies information technology in management, operation, and propaganda via Zalo and Facebook; guides women in using online public services and selling on digital platforms. Many members have livestreamed, created fanpages, and opened electronic stores to introduce and sell products.

“In the coming time, the association will continue to promote local resources, care for members in difficulty, effectively manage entrusted capital, encourage women to practice savings, share experiences, and help each other develop a sustainable economy,” said Ms. Tu.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phu-nu-nong-thon-khoi-nghiep-3305703.html