To bring livelihood to women in border areas

Phu Giao District Women's Union (WU) held a program themed "To support border women in border areas" to bring livelihood, which are couples of goat to ethnic women in Bu Gia Map district, Binh Phuoc province.

 Phu Giao District Women's Union gives gifts to poor and disadvantaged women in Bu Gia Map commune.

 After more than 3 hours and nearly 200km of mountainous roads, a delegation of Phu Giao District Women's Union reached the center of Bu Gia Map commune, one of the most remote and difficult communes of Binh Phuoc province. An early morning rain did not prevent the steps of local ethnic minority people from coming to the commune People’s Committee to receive both livelihood support and gifts.

Dieu Truong, Permanent Deputy Secretary of Bu Gia Map Commune Party Committee, said that people had come here very early, especially those who received livelihoods and gifts in this program. He was very touched by valuable gifts that Phu Giao Women's Union offered to people here. Bu Gia Map Commune is one of the communes with the most ethnic minorities in Bu Gia Map District, with over 73% of the population being ethnic minorities such as Stieng, Mnong, Khmer ... and also one of the poorest communes in Binh Phuoc, the average income per capita in 2018 was only VND 24.8 million. Mostly, people live on upland fields. The terrain of the mountains and forests unsmooth, so people's lives are still in difficulties.

Thi Long (Bu Nga village, Bu Gia Map commune), one disadvantaged women in the commune, received livelihood support of this program, said: “My family has 5 people, including my husband, 3 children, and me. The oldest child is 17, the youngest is 7. My husband is sick all year round, our land for farming is only 2 acres. Our family life was mainly based on hired work, which was unstable. It was too difficult, so I let my older son quit school to look for work, while my husband stays at home to look after the two younger children”. Thanks to this program, she received a pair of goats as a livelihood. She said happily: "I promise to take good care of the goats so they can multiply, to have money for my children to go to school, so that the two children do not have to miss schooling".

Hoang Thi Kim is also one of 5 households receiving a pair of goats from this program "To support border women in border areas" by Women's Union of Phu Giao District. Ms. Kim said: “My family has 5 people, our couple, and 3 children. My family does not have land for production, so my husband and I are hired laborers, but it is not enough to take care of our lives, especially for our children to go to school. When I received this support, I told my husband and children that my family has had a chance to eliminate poverty!”

Pham Thi Hong Tham, Chairwoman of Phu Giao District Women's Union, said that this program was the second time of giving livelihoods to women in Bu Gia Map commune. This program was launched by Vietnam Women's Union Central Committee to encourage the participation of all levels and border guards to help extremely difficult border communes and ethnic minorities, contributing to building strong border areas. To carry out this program, the district Women's Union encouraged members to donate at least VND 5,000 / member to women and children in border areas.

In addition to the program "To support border women in border areas", in recent years, Phu Giao District Women's Union also organized visits, encouraged cadres and soldiers to give gifts to disadvantaged households in Bu Gia Map commune, with over 300 gifts with a total value of over VND 200 million; gave free medical examination and medicine distribution to 100 ethnic minority households; contributed to fund "Border soldiers' home"...

“In the coming time, the district Women's Union will continue to support women in border areas and islands through practical activities, creating a motivation for women to rise up, improve their family lives, show good qualities of women; build prosperous, equal, progressive and happy families”, Ms. Tham said.

In the livelihood support program for women in border areas, Phu Giao District Women's Union gave livelihoods, namely, 10 breeding goats, to 5 poor member households in Bu Gia Map commune, with a total value of VND30 million. At the same time, Phu Giao District Women's Union gave 35 gifts to 35 poor women worth VND10.5 million; 30 gifts to poor studious children, with total value of VND6 million. Total amount for this program in Bu Gia Map commune, Bu Gia Map District, Binh Phuoc Province was VND46.5 million.

Reported by Hoai Phuong – Translated by Ngoc Huynh