Project Background
Communities in rural Vietnam rely on their crops to feed their families and to an earn income. Changing weather patterns and traditional farming methods used in these villages means farmers are not as productive as they could be.
Project Details
The Helping Women Access Savings and Loans, Vietnam project, supported 1,125 women from the poorest communities in rural Vietnam to access loans to establish businesses in agriculture. Women also received training to manage their loans and income, and training in farming practices and climate change to help them become more productive.
Five new Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA’s) were established during 2015, with 125 new members. There are now 85 VSLA’s in Dien Bien and Bac Kan provinces, Northern Vietnam.
To help women grow more food, raise more livestock and adapt to climate change, 22 training sessions and village meetings were held, topics included:
- Fish, cattle and pig raising
- Livestock feeding
- Modern methods of rice cultivation
- Establishing and managing a village saving and loan association
- Training of teachers in climate change
- Identifying local needs and applying new business models
Project Challenges
The concept of climate change remains difficult for people to understand. Many of the technical terms and how they relate in a local context are difficult to explain and learning materials are not commonly available in minority ethnic languages. The project is addressing this challenge by using role play, games and story-telling to explain the effects of climate change.
Project Outcomes
Since receiving loans and participating in training, women are buying drought resistant seeds and applying modern agricultural and livestock practices. Women say their livestock yields are higher, at rates of up to 75 per cent. Women who grow rice are producing larger and better quality crops. This means women are able to save more money; most are saving up to $20 USD per month. With more food and money available, women can pay for their children’s school fees and provide healthier meals for their families.
Attending VSLA meetings, earning an income and providing for the family has also increased self-confidence in women. This has improved the way women interact with their husbands at work and at home. Many men are observed caring for children while their wives are at VSLA meetings and training sessions. Men are also cooking and cleaning more at home, sharing decisions in family finances and are supportive of their wives to continue and expand their businesses.
At a community level, VSLA models are recognised by local authorities, including local government as a successful model for supporting women in business and agriculture.
Success Story
Ms Lo Thi Duong has been a Village Saving and Loan Association leader since 2014. She lives in Phang village, Dien Bien province, she has two children.
Duong has attended a number of VSLA training sessions and activities and was recently selected to lead the Rice Cultivation interest group.
Duong spoke to CARE about her learnings and was excited to share her experiences:
“I use a lot less seedlings when I plant my rice paddy. Previously, I needed 20kgs of seed per 1,000 square meters, but now I only need 8kgs. I can harvest more rice on the same plot of land, and the quality is much better; the rice kernel is much firmer and tastier than before and I am spending much less time in the field. By spending less on rice seedlings and gaining higher rice yields, I now earn VND 1 million (AUD60) more than I ever have before. I will use this money to invest into my children’s education and buy pigs.”
What Next?
Until June 30, 2017, the project will continue to improve the lives of women from ethnic minority communities and to promote women at community and national levels to be involved in decision-making. The project will focus on building skills and knowledge for women in agricultural production and will continue to collaborate with local and national partners and livestock and veterinary departments to provide technical training and business opportunities.
Can I visit this project?
Yes.
Project Objective, Aims and Outcomes
The objective of the Supporting the Economic and Social participation of Rural Women in Vietnam project, is to ensure remote ethnic minority women in Vietnam actively participate in local social and economic planning and decision making, such as joining Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs).
One component of this project supports women from the poorest communities in rural Vietnam by providing access to financial education, training, and new opportunities to earn an income. The women form VSLAs where they save money each week, pool their savings and access loans with reasonable interest.
Two objectives support this component:
1. Women’s groups are recognised platforms for women’s empowerment.
Women, establish Village Savings and Loans Associations to increase their incomes, and learn and practice new financial and communication skills.
2. Remote ethnic minority women use climate resilient livelihood options.
The project provides ethnic minority women with information including agro-climate information, skills and other support to adopt new livelihood options – such as biologically safe chicken raising, bio-fertiliser and rice and corn cultivation techniques – that are resilient to changes in the climate. Women are then linked to markets to earn an income from these activities.
What’s covered in project cost
The funding CARE Australia receives through Footprints may contribute to activities such as:
- Supporting remote ethnic minority women to establish women’s Village Savings and Loans Associations and learn about their rights and access finance for income generation activities.
- Training project participants and partners on climate change and working with remote ethnic minority women to identify and implement new climate resilient livelihood options.
CARE values the relationship we have with our funding partners and assures you that 90 per cent of your investment will go to the project you have funded; 10 per cent will be used to support ongoing project costs.
CARE Australia is a partner in the Australian Government’s NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), which supports NGO activities.
Background on current situation
Over the past two decades, Vietnam has experienced extraordinary economic growth, with 30 million people being lifted out of poverty.
Yet in rural and remote areas, millions more are yet to escape the poverty cycle.
Isolated by geography, language and culture, ethnic minorities are especially affected. Despite making up less than 15 per cent of the population, today they account for nearly 50 per cent of the poor.
They experience high levels of poverty, unequal participation in economic opportunities, limited options to adapt to changes in the climate, and have a limited voice in decisions that affect them.
CARE’s project works with ethnic minority women to overcome these challenges.
This project will run from July 2013 – June 2017 and is implemented in Dien Bien and Bac Kan provinces, Northern Vietnam.
Project partners / community involvement
CARE implements the project with two national organisations to strengthen local capacity and ensure that project impact is sustainable:
The Vietnam Women’s Union
Promotes women’s affairs, voice, economic empowerment and the development of women’s groups. In Bac Kan, the Provincial Women’s Union leads the implementation of the project.
The Centre of Community Development
(CCD) is a local organisation with a strong track record in community mobilisation and promoting market-oriented livelihood options. CCD is the project’s implementing partner in Dien Bien.
Case study: Women’s savings improving lives
In a remote village of Bac Kan Province in northern Vietnam, Phay and other women used to face many difficulties. Phay dropped out of secondary school early, married when she was a teenager, and has since worked in the fields to support her family. Her agricultural production was not efficient, she had limited access to loans, and her heavy workload meant she rarely had time to relax. While life improved elsewhere in Vietnam, little changed in Phay’s village.
In 2010, Phay was voted as the Chair of the Vietnam Women’s Union in her village, the organisation through which CARE’s EMWE project introduces Village Savings and Loan Associations to remote ethnic minority women. Phay and other women in her village formed a group and learned new types of agricultural production that are resilient to Vietnam’s changing climate.
Now, women’s skills, knowledge and solidarity have increased. Importantly, their husbands have become more supportive and have started sharing the household work, giving women more time to undertake activities outside of the home.
“Everything is getting better. My dream is to save enough money for my children’s education. Whether it’s a son or daughter, as long as they wish to study my husband and I will try our best to send them to school so that they will have a better life than ours,” Phay says.