Promoting Women’s Roles in Economic Development

With many practical movements and many innovative models, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Union has actively supported its members to develop their families’ economy, alleviate poverty, make their families more prosperous, progressive and happier, and contribute more to the city’s socioeconomic development tasks. The following is the interview granted by Ms Dinh Thi Bach Mai, Chairwoman of HCM City Women’s Union. Bich Thuy reports.

Defining that "Supporting women to develop family economy and reduce poverty in a sustainable manner” is an important task to help its members to have more jobs, increase incomes, improve livelihoods and reduce poverty, the HCM City Women’s Union and its grassroots units to have coordinated with local governments to guide district-level chapters to maintain the task of assisting each other to develop family economies. On the Savings Day for the Poor in 2014, the union mobilised VND3.593 billion for the poor, 79.7 percent in excess of the initial target of VND2 billion. The movement, initiated over 20 years ago, has helped the union’s chapters to borrow money to develop economy, stabilise livelihoods, escape poverty and earn more money. In 2014, each member donated VND10,000 for the union’s savings fund.

 

In addition, the union’s district-level units have actively established many credit savings groups to mobilise support funds for poor women. From the capital from the Centre for Women’s Economic Development (CWED) and from district-level units, the union annually supports more than VND120 billion to over 40,000 poor members, particularly poor unmarried members. In 2014, the union supported all 12,230 unmarried women. And, 9,259 of them escaped poverty, reaching 75.7 percent.

 

Besides, the union advises, teaches occupations and introduce jobs for its members. The union has enlisted funds from Scheme 1956 on "Vocational training for rural labourers to 2020" and Scheme 295 on "Supporting training and employment for women in 2010-2015 period.” It has also surveyed to know its members’ employment demands to advise them on employment opportunities or organise suitable training courses for them. Every year, its job placement centre advises and provides vocational training for more than 15,000 members, with 72 percent of them seeking and seasonal or permanent jobs.

On December 29, 2011, the HCM City Women’s Union signed a joint agreement with the Department of Industry and Trade, the HCM City Youth Union, the Saigon Trading Corporation (SATRA) and (Saigon Co.op) to take part in the market stabilisation programme. To date, 95 associated shops have been set up, mainly focused in residential zones in suburban districts. This has helped many families to improve economic conditions and escape poverty.

 

Its branches and members are also actively seeking new measures to support each other to develop the economy. To date, the union has built 391 business groups with 7,311 members and three cooperatives with 80 members.

 

The “5-no, 3-clean family construction” movement was launched nationwide by the Vietnam Women’s Union in 2010. The Resolution of the 11^th National Women’s Congress (2012-2017 term) defined the movement as a crosscutting important content of the term in order to mobilise and guide women to build the rural area. The movement targets at family and community development. With more than 70 percent of women living in rural areas, the successful implementation of the movement in the rural area will help improve new construction countryside criteria.

 

In HCM City, the movement has received the active response of officials, union members, and the community. Particularly, by applying the 3-clean criterion, families in HCM City are more aware of keeping the house tidy, keeping the kitchen logical and tidy, and keeping the life healthy. Each member is a key communicator in mobilising and propagandising people to keep the environment clean, green and beautiful and building the city civilised, clean and secure".

 

In the past four years, the implementation of Directive 03 has directly contributed to carrying out political tasks of the union. Its member units have itemised implementation contents of Directive 03 in annual working programmes, integrated it with the "5-no, 3-clean family construction” movement, and mobilised women to exercise women’s moral qualities: Confidence - self-esteem - diligence. At the same time, they actively adhere to directions of Party committees, local authorities and the union to maintain and upgrade movements and models in studying and working to the morale of Uncle Ho concerning the exercise of thrift and mutual assistance. Most union officials have expressed their exemplary morals and working responsibilities as well as improved their working manners and attitudes.

 

To create strong effects of the campaign in the society, in 2015, the HCM City Women's Union has stepped up the propaganda of the thematic content set for 2015: Honest, responsible and attached to the people, united for strong and clean Party", related its political tasks to the city’s works, and informed the Party Congress at all tiers and major celebrations in the year. The union has also actively changed its operating contents and methods while praising members and women with outstanding activities in ongoing movements.

 

The union requires its member units to overcome weaknesses and advance the implementation of the Resolution of the 9^th Central Congress on “Building and developing culture and people of Vietnam to meet national development requirements.” At the same time, it will focus on fostering political qualities, behaviours and manners of union, officials and Party members

 

In the past years, the HCM City Women’s Union has actively and creatively applied guidance of the Vietnam Women’s Union and the HCM City Party Committee on deployment and implementation of emulation movements, thus attracting positive responses and participation of women. During the emulation programme in 2010-2014, the union launched many practical movements like “Women doing business well,” “Excellent union members,” “Food of love” and “Savings”. The union also granted Nguyen Thi Dinh Award and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai scholarships for women and their children.