Accompanying women in Entrepreneurship

– On June 30, 2017, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 939/QD-TTg approving the Project “Supporting Women in Entrepreneurship in the period of 2017-2025” (project). After more than 4 years of implementing the project, women’s unions at all levels in the province have many practical activities to support women in production, business and start-up.

Implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision, the Provincial People’s Committee has issued Plan No. 157/KH – People’s Committee, dated September 12, 2017 “Supporting women in Lang Son province in Entrepreneurship in the period of 2017 – 2025”. Mrs. Vu Thi Huyen Trang, Standing Vice President of the Provincial Women’s Union said: “Assigned by the Provincial People’s Committee to be the agency to lead and implement the contents of the plan to support women in entrepreneurship, every year, we have built up implementation plan in the union system. At the same time, we also direct unions at all levels to survey women’s needs and guide members to develop ideas and plans to start a business. Unions at all levels have implemented many practical solutions such as strengthening propaganda on economic development and entrepreneurship; organize women’s entrepreneurship day; training and improving business knowledge and capacity for women with start-up ideas; Advocating and guiding the establishment of female-owned collective economic models…

Delegates visit the booth displaying women’s startup products at the Provincial Women’s Congress for the term 2021 – 2026

In order to attract women to participate in starting a business, entrepreneurship, from 2018 to now, every year, the Provincial Women’s Union has successfully maintained and organized women’s entrepreneurship day with an increasing scale, quantity and quality of ideas. For example, in 2021, the whole province has 37 ideas to participate in the Provincial Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (an increase of 18 ideas compared to 2018); in which 12 ideas won prizes at the Provincial Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (an increase of 6 ideas compared to 2018). Typically, there is the idea of heartleaf tea of Ms. Vi Thi Lua, member of the Women’s Union of Mu Cai Pha village, Quan Son commune, Chi Lang district, which won the award “Enhancing OCOP product brand” at the Central level Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, this is the highest prize in the competition.

Ms. Lua said: “Thanks to the introduction and support of the Commune Women’s Union, I participated in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Contest at all levels. Through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day at the provincial and central levels, I have gained more knowledge about business, brand development, exchange and learning with entrepreneurs and businesses. This is also an opportunity for me to promote, connect the products inside and outside the province. Through the contest, I gained more confidence, continued to innovate and improve product quality. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the profit of our heartleaf tea business in 2021 still reached over VND 500 million (up 15% compared to 2020).”

Along with that, the women’s unions at all levels have strengthened scientific and technical training and vocational training for members. From 2017 to now, unions at all levels have coordinated to organize more than 600 scientific and technical training courses and vocational training for more than 28,000 female members. The training and vocational training courses are increasingly innovative, the content meets the needs of members. Especially, every year, the Provincial Women’s Union invites lecturers and economic experts from the central government to teach directly at the training course on entrepreneurship and business start-up for 30 to 40 students. During the training period, the trainees researched and learned in-depth knowledge about entrepreneurship, starting a business, and exchanged, discussed, presented and advised on startup ideas.

After the union realize the benefits of the collective economy under the model of association, production in chains and participating in the production of OCOP products of the province. Unions at all levels support women to establish cooperative groups and cooperatives. Up to now, the whole province has 65 cooperative groups, 14 cooperatives managed by women. Most models maintain and operate effectively. In which, many models create jobs and stable income for members such as Cooperative group for nursery seedling in Van Mieu village, Minh Son commune, Huu Lung district; Huu Hieu Sugar Cooperative, Cao Minh Commune, Trang Dinh District; The cooperative group for growing clean vegetables in Binh Gia town, Binh Gia district…

In addition, unions at all levels regularly create conditions for members to access preferential loans to develop production and business, such as capital from the National Fund for Job Creation, managed by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women’s Union, and allocated to the Women’s Union of Lang Son province with a total capital of 850 million VND. From 2017 to now, the province has more than 25,000 member households who have been able to borrow more than 1,000 billion VND from the Bank for Social Policies. Loans are used by members for the right purposes, contributing to helping women get out of poverty and get rich legitimately. From 2017 to now, unions at all levels have helped more than 3,000 poor women-owned households get out of poverty.

With many practical solutions, every year, all levels of unions exceed the set targets on supporting women in economic development, entrepreneurship, and starting a business. Specifically, from 2017 to now, unions at all levels have propagated, mobilized and supported more than 1,000 women to start businesses (the annual target is to support from 120 to 150 members to start a business). Thereby, contributing to helping women rise up and affirm their position in all fields of social life.

According to Plan 157/KH of the Provincial People’s Committee dated September 12, 2017 “Supporting women in Lang Son province in Entrepreneurship in the period of 2017 – 2025, the implementation content includes: propaganda to raise women’s awareness of the topic the Party’s policy, the State’s policies and laws on entrepreneurship and business development; supporting women to innovate, develop business and start a business (organize Women’s Entrepreneurship Day; support to develop business ideas, start a business; support to improve business capacity, legal advice; credit access; support for business development).