Women and ethnic minority communities "Strengthening themselves" together...

After three years of implementation, the “She Thrives” project sponsored by Cargill Group, CARE in Vietnam in coordination with the Center for Community Development (CDC) and the People's Committee of Buon Ho town (old), Dak Lak province has improved the efficiency of livelihood activities, promoting economic development of women and ethnic minority communities in the area.

Launched in late 2022, the “She Thrives” project aims to support more than 15,000 people, mostly women and ethnic minorities, to improve their production capacity, financial management and market access through technical training, capital support, seeds, production materials and group models. However, after three years of implementation, the project has exceeded its target by directly and indirectly supporting more than 16,000 women and ethnic minority communities to practice sustainable agricultural production and improve their livelihoods.

At the project closing ceremony held recently in Buon Ma Thuot ward, Mr. Nguyen Ba Luan, Chief Representative of Cargill Group in Vietnam shared: “The cooperation between Cargill and CARE in Vietnam and partners has brought about very encouraging results. We are proud that the “She Thrives” project has contributed to promoting sustainable livelihoods and creating conditions for women and ethnic minorities to be more confident in developing their household economy”. Mr. Bach Thanh Tuan, Director of the Community Development Center (CDC) said: “Through the implementation of the “She Thrives” project, it has been shown that when local communities, especially women, are fully equipped with the right knowledge and tools, they can create positive and sustainable changes. We are proud to accompany CARE and Cargill on the journey to build sustainable livelihoods in Buon Ho”.

Ms. Vuong Thai Nga, Program Director of CARE in Vietnam, excitedly said: In three years of implementation, “She Thrives” has organized dozens of training courses on livestock and poultry farming, coffee processing and handicraft production; directly supporting 5,260 people, of whom 60% are women, to significantly improve their income. Participating households have invested in expanding production scale, upgrading barns and connecting effectively with the market, thereby helping to increase income and improve living conditions, including paying school fees and health care for their children.

The project has established 31 capital support groups, with a total of 366 members, mostly women, who have mobilized and circulated more than 1.4 billion VND in capital to serve production, business and essential consumption goals. In addition, the project supports traditional production groups to improve their market access capacity through technical improvement, product diversification and connecting with consumption partners. In Cu Bao ward, in addition to establishing a capital support group, Ms. H'Den Nie and other women in the village also established a pig farming group to share knowledge and have additional income.

In May 2023, the "She Thrives" project supported 30 households in two ethnic minority villages with 60 sows and two boars for breeding. With her many years of experience in pig raising, Ms. H'Den Nie took on the responsibility of taking care of two sows and two boars to help breed in 14 other households. Worried that other households could not take care of their pigs like hers, every week, Ms. H'Den Nie went to each household in the group to support and check the health of the pigs. She instructed those who did not raise pigs properly, and those whose pigs were sick were instructed to buy veterinary medicine for treatment. In cases where members were in especially difficult circumstances, she was willing to spend her own money to buy veterinary medicine even though her family did not have much money. She also regularly coordinated with veterinary stations and local authorities to promote disease prevention in livestock farming to the people.

Ms. H'Den Nie confided: “I am very happy and surprised that the pig raising group has been able to operate as it is today. Because not all ethnic minority women have experience in pig raising. However, that worry gradually disappeared when most households that received support for pig raising proactively learned from other members of the group and all had piglets to rotate. With an average selling price of 1,000,000 VND/piglet, the group members earned tens of millions of VND. The women also gained more knowledge and skills in raising pigs, and most importantly, through the project, the women in the group became more united and proactive.”

Ms. H'Tlúi Nie used to raise pigs but had to sell them early because she did not have money to buy food when the pigs gave birth. When she received pigs from the project, she tried to sell her family's agricultural products or borrow money from the project's capital support group to take care of the mother pigs. Thanks to her efforts, four litters of pigs were born, each with about 9-11 piglets. She also received financial support to renovate the barn, creating better living conditions for the growing herd. Although she has rotated two pigs according to the group principle, she continues to support pigs for people in difficult circumstances in the village.

“Thanks to the training courses and support from the She Thrives project, I have gained more confidence and knowledge to expand my livestock farming. For the first time, I feel that I can really contribute to increasing my income and proactively make decisions for the future of my family,” said Ms. T'Lúi Nie.

The “She Thrives” project is part of Cargill’s commitment to supporting the sustainable development of the agricultural community in Vietnam, through capacity building, creating access to finance and markets, contributing to building a sustainable and inclusive future for everyone. During its 30 years of operation in Vietnam, Cargill has continuously supported rural communities in general and the Central Highlands region in particular. The Cargill Cares charity has sponsored the construction of 121 schools nationwide, of which 14 projects are in remote areas in the Central Highlands, including five schools in Dak Lak province.

Article and photos: Nguyen Cong Ly

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/phu-nu-va-cong-dong-dan-toc-thieu-so-cung-vuon-minh-she-thrives-389991.html