Four years is not a long period, but it is enough for YBA Ladies Club to assert its role as a solid fulcrum and a roof for young women entrepreneurs in Ho Chi Minh City. Here, businesswomen can share, support and assist each other in all production and business aspects to lead their businesses out of difficulties, have effective operations and contribute to the city’s socioeconomic development. In addition, the club is a place for women entrepreneurs to share ideas about gender issues, parenting and happy family, seek harmonious and balanced relationships between family, society and business. Vietnam Business Forum interviewed Chairwoman of YBA Ladies Club, Pham Thi My Le, who is also the President of the Board of Directors of Kingbee Company. My Chau reports.
Could you please tell us more about YBA Ladies Club? What are its typical activities in 2013 and orientations for 2014?
YBA Ladies Club was set up on March 18, 2010 and made a public introduction on April 9, 2010 with 50 original members. YBA Ladies Club aims to promote the connectivity of YBA women entrepreneurs, update information, broaden knowledge, and exchange experience and business cooperation. The club is also a place for women to share difficulties and seek solutions and advice for a happy family, and balance family, society and business interests. To date, the club has carried out many special, useful programmes for women entrepreneurs.
In 2013, besides regular activities like organising trade shows, conferences and trade promotion events, YBA Ladies Club also coordinated with Nhat Huong Bakery Training Centre to open the first course on March 9, 2013 and the second course on October 26, 2013. These events attracted not only women entrepreneurs but also their children and thus increased their meaning of women’s days, March 8 and October 20.
On July 27, 2013, YBA Ladies Club cooperated with the ASEAN Dental Centre to examine teeth for children and give advice on tooth care. Dentists informed of on jawbone system, tooth growth, good habits and bad habits to tooth development. Then, parents can track and detect abnormal expressions with their teeth. On September 14 and September 21, 2013, YBA Ladies Club also collaborated with the Stem Education Centre affiliated to ELI Co., Ltd to organise the class “Shining with STEM” for kids aged 6-16. With dedicated mentors, the class was full of joy and excitement for kids exploring the science and robotics. The programme is widely appreciated by parents. The club will continue to coordinate with ELI to organise more programmes for kids.
In 2014, in addition to appreciated events, the club will focus on small group exchanges to share and assist each other more effectively and practically.
How have the club’s members contributed to the city’s socioeconomic development?
Accounting for 27 percent of YBA memberships, YBA women entrepreneurs in general and YBA Ladies Club members in particular have many positive contributions to the city’s socioeconomic development. They registered to invest VND28.07 trillion (US$1.4 billion) and employed more than 42,400 workers. They also choose suitable businesses to their capacities and strengths. With their enormous efforts, they have enjoyed good growths year after year and contributed substantially to the city’s socioeconomic development.
Apart from business activities, they also actively take part in social, philanthropic and humanitarian activities.
What are current biggest obstacles against the club’s members? Do you have any proposals to the city’s leaders to deal with difficulties facing their members, thus helping improve the club’s operations?
We see that advantages or disadvantages that women-led businesses face are similar to those of men-led ones. However, our biggest obstacle is the "invisible wall" against women on the way to high positions in an organisation, regardless of in business or social organisation.
Besides, the development of women entrepreneur force is also very difficult because many leave because of excessive pressures from different sides and their different roles in family and society at the same time. Due to the limited capacity of a child caring system and services, a successful female entrepreneur must mobilise support from their parents, babysitters, and siblings to fulfil their roles as a mother, a wife and a business leader.
I think that the Government should accept reasonable expenses in addition to welfare funds to build facilities and services to help female workers and women entrepreneurs to spend more time and effort for business development.
To make YBA Ladies Club a useful playground that provides the opportunity for women entrepreneurs to gather, exchange and learn experience in business, and help each other overcome difficulties in work and life, what will the club focus on?
Our club will promote successful events and programmes concerning business operations and governance like doing business with South Africa, trade promotion event with Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI). We will also organise unique events like childcare and upbringing for businesswomen.
We believe that YBA Ladies Club with dynamic and progressive members will be a useful and interesting playground for YBA members in particular and women entrepreneurs in Ho Chi Minh City in general.
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