Lenten Stories

Week 5: Better living conditions for ethnic women in Vietnam

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Y Re, 24 is from Kontum in the Central Highlands of Vietnam where she lives with her husband and extended family. She is a member of the Kontum Women's Union Credit Program which has been supported by Caritas Australia since 1998.

Like many other ethnic minority women Y Re received a low level of education, leaving school when she was ten years old to work in the fi elds, helping her family grow enough food to survive. She and her husband share 1.5 hectares of land with her extended family where they all work together to plant two crops per year. They grow rice, corn and cassava.

The aim of the credit program is to improve the living conditions of ethnic minority women in Kontum by providing them with loans for income generating activities. The program also offers workshops to help the women manage their fi nances. They are provided with basic book keeping skills and taught how to calculate, save and spend their money effectively.

One of the regulations of the program is that members must attend a monthly group meeting. These meetings allow women the opportunity to come together to exchange ideas and experiences. Women learn from each other on issues such as hygiene, health, agricultural techniques and animal husbandry. This interaction encourages solidarity among members as they share experiences and help each other during diffi cult times.

In October 2004 Y Re borrowed $83 (approx $1 million Vietnam dong). Although eligible for a loan of $167 (approx $2 million dong) Y Re only accessed this much as she was anxious about borrowing such a large sum of money.

Like the majority of women in her community, Y Re used her loan to buy pigs. She bought ten piglets for $83 (approx $1 million dong) which she then fattened for six months and sold for $418 (approx $5 million dong), gaining a profi t of $335 (approx $4 million dong). In October 2005 she repaid the loan.

Y Re felt very happy when she sold the pigs and made a profi t. She feels confi dent to take out further loans to buy pigs and fatten them up for sale so she and her husband can grow more crops and one day send their children to school.

At the time of writing, Y Re was three months pregnant with their fi rst child. Y Re's dream for her children is that they will be able to go to school to learn how to read, write and do basic mathematics in order to assert themselves and avoid being taken advantage of in the marketplace. She would like to have a baby girl for her fi rst child and a boy for her second - as Vietnam has a two child policy.

Y Re's hope for the future is to succeed in her business growing rice and cassava. In the future, she and her husband would like to have their own house for their new family.

Taking a loan with the Women's Union has changed Y Re's life for the better. She likes going to the group meetings as she can meet others who are also taking out loans and share business as well as personal experiences with them. She feels she can overcome the diffi culties in her life with help from others in the group.

Your donation to Project Compassion will allow communities like Y Re's to become self-reliant and look forward to a more productive future.