300 million VND financial loans disbursed to support livelihoods for disadvantaged women in Son La province

On June 7, Ms. Tran Thi Nhu Trang, Chairwoman of the Management Board of For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, visited and had a working session with representatives of AraTay Coffee Cooperative (Mai Son district, Son La province) and  CARE in Vietnam (CARE) regarding the disbursement of capital to support women in difficult circumstances in Mai Son district.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current status of women participating in local economic development, particularly those involved in the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and the AraTay Coffee Cooperative.

Ms. Tran Thi Nhu Trang, on behalf of For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, and the representative of CARE presented 300 million VND to the AraTay Coffee Cooperative and the women participating in the VSLA groups in Muong Chanh and Chieng Chung communes. The loan capital was disbursed to 6 VSLA groups, with each group receiving about 40 million VND for livestock or farming livelihood activities.

According to the groups' suggestions, to enhance responsibility, the loan will have an interest rate of 0.5 - 1% per year (the interest rate is decided by the groups themselves). The interest will be used as circulating capital and maintain the group's operations.

Additionally, the loan will be rotated annually to support more women in difficult circumstances in the area. Livelihood activities for women's groups will be implemented by the AraTay Coffee Cooperative, with professional support from CARE in Vietnam. Up to 150 women participating in 6 VSLA groups in the area will receive loan support from this program.

“The capital means a lot to our family at this time. We will use this capital to buy food, breeds, and medicine to expand the number of poultry raised at home," shared Ms. Ha Thi Mon, a member of the Tien Len livelihood group, Pom San village, Muong Chanh commune, one of the women to receive a loan.

Funding to support livelihoods for disadvantaged ethnic women comes from the "Let’s Orange 2023 - End violence against women and girls" campaign. This campaign was jointly deployed by TH Group, Bac A Commercial Joint Stock Bank, and For Vietnamese Stature Foundation from November 15 - December 15, 2023, to raise community awareness on the issue of violence against women and children, and to promote practical actions to support victims of violence. For Vietnamese Stature Foundation contributed 301,673,718 VND through nearly 500,000 TH products sold, and BAC A BANK contributed 300,006,000 VND through 4,762 newly-opened "Home Builder" savings books.

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"Let’s Orange 2024 - End violence against women and girls" campaign is carried out by TH Group, BAC A BANK, UN Women, and For Vietnamese Stature Foundation with the aim of raising community awareness on the issue of violence against women and children, and to promote practical actions to support victims of violence.