Weaving the Way out of Poverty

Nestled in the mountains about 240 km from Hanoi and 75 km from Bac Kan town in Quang Khe commune, the village of Na Hai in Ba Be district is home to 700 Dao ethnic residents who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. In this village, situated 800 m above sea level, harvests fluctuate wildly, as do people’s incomes and food supplies. The poorest family might go without rice for several months of the year, eating only corn soup and tubers.

 

Women here lead difficult lives. They bear a huge share of the workload — from farming and collecting water to running the household and caring for the children, who typically don’t attend school because they’re needed in the fields. Yet, women traditionally have little or no say in family and community life.

 

This is starting to change.

 

In late 2011, a village project began rejuvenating the long dormant tradition of brocading. This craft combines threading with a small loom and hand-embroidery to produce scarves, bags, wallets and paintings for tourists. Based on previous models tested by the Vietnam Red Cross and implemented by 3PAD in Bac Kan, the project focuses on the poorest women, who most need a steady, sustainable income. in Bac Kan, the project focuses on the poorest women, who most need a steady, sustainable income.

With support from 3PAD, the commune’s Women’s Union set up an embroidery group. Its group leader, Ly Thi Thai, recalls she had to personally visit each family to persuade women to join. “Brocading has long existed in my family as it has for other older village people,” she said. “But the women had never participated in a Common Interest Group before and didn’t fully understand its potential benefits.” 

 

The group began with 26 members, each given an initial investment of VND 600,000 (US $50) to purchase needles and materials. The women attended a 10-day Vietnam Red Cross training course on design, sewing and art led by experts in the textile industry. Participants also received training in small group strengthening and basic “train the trainer” skills.

 

“It was the first time that we had ever received support to preserve and continue the tradition of brocade,” Mrs Thai says. “Everyone was so happy and excited.” After the workshop, women continued weaving brocade in their spare time, during lunch breaks or at home. Project experts visited homes to answer any questions.

 

“Their biggest challenges were raising the quality of their weaving, learning what Vietnamese and Western tourists wanted to buy and learning how to bring their products to the market,” said Ha Nhu Hoi, 3PAD Programme Advisor. “With their progress to date, it’s expected that, starting in 2013, each member will have an additional monthly income of VND700,000 just from handicraft embroidery.”

 

In a small village like Na Hai, a few hundred thousand Dong goes a long way towards purchasing embroidery supplies and other needed materials. It also provides a healthy incentive for women to work effectively together in a group. Within two months, Mrs Thai learned 10 new designs and 60 ways of using the needle to decorate her product.

 

“Once finished, products can be sold to Ba Be visitors, and any that remain are purchased by the Vietnam Red Cross for handicraft shops in Hanoi and other major cities,” said Do Van Son, a senior artist from the Red Cross, who provided group training on new patterns and textile designs.

 

About one-third of village families now have at least one woman in the embroidery group. Items sold will increase the incomes of about 150 households. Families feel the future is brighter; that embroidery could be a way out of poverty for them. Not surprisingly, the number of villagers wanting to join the embroidery group is steadily increasing.

 

Aside from helping to create stable jobs that generate income for Dao ethnic women, 3PAD is proud that these traditional customs are being preserved, and that local women are better able to provide “niche” products to the market. 

 

“Weaving and embroidery aren’t easy, but luckily several of us want to continue with our traditional handicrafts,” said Mrs Thai. “This skill should not be lost.” Having done her part in continuing the tradition, Mrs Thai is now transferring her business to other villagers and to the younger generation, including her 20-year old daughter. In the future, she wants to lead embroidery workshops in neighbouring areas such as Na Mam and Pac Ngoi, where other women aspire to overcome poverty.