More Capital Access for Women

To have ready funds to assist local women, in the past 19 years, the Union has maintained the “Day of Saving for Poor Women” to raise money from its members, women and philanthropists. The Union’s cells raise VND3 billion a year (doubling the target). Besides, its units at all levels have stepped up movements to encourage women to help each other to develop their breadwinning sources. In the first half of the ninth term of the Union (2011-2013), its cells lent VND107.727 billion to 42,898 members and women to do business and increase sources of incomes for women. So far, the Union has 384 business development units with 6,172 members.

 

The Capital Aid Fund for Women's Economic Development (CWED) affiliated to the Vietnam Women’s Union of Ho Chi Minh City always follows its missions and functions and plays an increasingly important funding role. In 2012, the Fund was added VND50 billion from a trust fund of the city through a project called “Supporting women to do business and develop economy.” The Fund has lent VND172.132 billion to 35,993 members and women, of which 22,956 members escaped poverty and lead a comfortable life (accounting for 63.8 percent). Since 2009, the Union signed an agreement with the Vietnam Bank of Social Policies to provide guaranteed loans for local women. So far, the outstanding loan with the guarantee of the Union is VND748,318 billion, benefiting 36,955 households.

 

To help women use their loans more effectively, I think, apart from loans, women need more policy supports like tax incentives to develop new business models.

 

The Union always pays attention to improving expertise and knowledge, transferring science and technology to members and businesswomen; coordinating with economic departments, veterinary centres, farming extension centres and other professional units to organise training courses on sale skills, business start-ups, livestock and poultry farming, organic vegetable growing, horticulture, and disease prevention for animals and plants. Since 2011, the Union has organised 435 training courses for more than 23,000 members and women. It has also joined hands with the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, the Department of Industry and Trade and District Economic Committees to open 98 training courses on sales skills, service provision and business ethics for 12,498 members who did business.

 

To enhance the quality and effectiveness of supporting poor women, in the past years, the Union’s cells have mobilised its members to help each other to do business like pooling to set up new businesses, sharing business experience, and joining forces to withstand hardships.

 

The Union has upheld the fine tradition and informed all members of this fine tradition in order to raise their awareness, patriotism, revolutionary spirit and virtues of Vietnamese women. Typically, the Union organised anniversaries and public events in honour of women like the International Women’s Day (March 8), the Reunification Day (April 30), May Day, National Independence Day (September 2), and Vietnamese Women’s Day (October 20). The Union also organised back-to-roots trips to Duc Thanh School and Ho Chi Minh Museum in Binh Thuan province, visited Vo Thi Sau Monument in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Hung Temple in Phu Tho province and Uncle Ho's homeland in Nghe An province. It also hosted meetings with its former leaders. It also mobilised its members to observe State laws, regulations and policies and raise the legal knowledge to lead a better life. Propaganda activities reached 1,283,824 women (accounting for 97.8 percent).

 

The Union is actively and creatively carrying out the Scheme “Propagandising and educating virtues and morals of Vietnamese women in the time of industrialisation and modernisation in the 2010 - 2015 period.” Many contests and conferences concerning this scheme have been launched in the city at different levels.

 

The Women’s Union and its units have actively supported businesswomen in the past years. At present, Ho Chi Minh City has 25 women entrepreneur clubs where their members can seek experiences, promote brand names, seek and expand partnerships. The Union has also cooperated with enterprises to train and introduce jobs for women and purchase products from them. However, women need more than that. Apart from providing timely information and introducing State business support policies, particularly relating to tax, credit and female worker employment, I think, governments at all levels necessarily increase their contacts and meetings with businesspeople, particularly women, in the city to understand their thinking, feeling and sentiment as well as their hardships and grievances to have the most effective policies for their sake.