Nowadays, along with the development of society, many women in Hai Duong have stepped out of their comfort zone, overcome difficulties to start a business, assert themselves on the economic front and contribute to society.
Overcoming difficulties to succeed
In 2008, Ms. Ngo Thi Thanh Nghin in Bo Duong village, Hong Phong commune (Ninh Giang) opened a handicraft workshop. Ms. Nghin shared that at that time, she was facing many difficulties: her husband was sick, her mother was old, and her children were still young. After an acquaintance introduced her to opening a handicraft workshop, she had to think for 2 months before making a decision because Ms. Nghin knew that with the current situation, the road ahead would be full of hardships.
After borrowing money to open the workshop, she worked hard every day, her hands aching. The first batches of goods had very low profits, many times making Ms. Nghin depressed and wanting to give up. But after that, she kept trying every day, overcoming all difficulties to build a business like today when she established the Nam Nghin Cooperative for Processing Handicrafts, Sewing Packaging, and Handbags.
Currently, Ms. Nghin's cooperative is creating jobs for about 100 local workers with an income of 2.5 - 6 million VND/person/month. The growth of the cooperative has also helped Ms. Nghin's family have "food and savings", making her one of the successful women in the locality.
In 1996, Ms. Trinh Thi Huong became a daughter-in-law in Thuan My village, Vinh Cuong commune (Thanh Ha). Coming to her husband's house with nothing but her bare hands on a low-lying land, Ms. Huong began her difficult journey of starting a business.
At first, Ms. Huong sold groceries, then tried many different businesses to make a living. Finally, she opened a small clothing store and persistently practiced her skills for 4 consecutive years. When she had accumulated enough experience and solid skills, she decided to open a sewing workshop at home called Anh Duc Tailor.
In the early years of business, the couple had to wait for customers in vain many times. However, with perseverance, Ms. Huong was determined not to give up her passion. Up to now, her tailor shop has connected with nearly 90 schools to make uniforms, creating stable jobs for more than 20 workers in the village. Ms. Huong opened another sewing workshop in Hai Phong, attracting many schools to sign uniform making contracts.
Sharing about the difficult journey she has gone through, Ms. Huong expressed: “Doing business is difficult, and it is even more difficult for women. In the low-lying rice fields, I told myself to find a way for myself and to succeed with my own strength.”
To be successful, the most important factor is certainly the capacity, will and aspiration of each woman. In addition, women in Hai Duong always have the encouragement and support of the organization. "The Women's Union in Hai Duong always accompanies and cares about supporting women with entrepreneurial spirit by connecting loans, training in business development skills, connecting to expand the distribution network of goods...", said Ms. Trinh Ngoc Anh, Vice President of the Women's Union of Hai Duong province.
For the community
In many sharings about the economic development model of local women, Ms. Nguyen Thi Diep, President of the Women's Union of Tan Dan Ward (Chi Linh) said that she is always concerned about waste classification for people, helping to protect the sustainable environment. Therefore, she and the Executive Committee of the Women's Union of the ward are at the forefront of implementing the "Green House" movement, mobilizing members to classify waste at source...
Realizing that providing a stable source of probiotics, ensuring quality and reasonable prices to serve people is very necessary, with the desire to spread IMO probiotic products to everyone, contributing to reducing the amount of waste released into the environment, Ms. Diep established the IMO Ngan Nguyen Probiotic Production and Trading Cooperative Group.
The cooperative has created jobs for 15 local women, producing 1,000 - 2,000 kg of finished yeast each month, ensuring a source of quality yeast to supply to units inside and outside the city.
Currently, among the approximately 100 workers meeting the production needs of the Nam Ngin handicraft, packaging and handbag processing cooperative, there are many elderly, disabled and disadvantaged people... "I work here, the work is easy, and I have an income to cover my living expenses, less hard work. If I only cultivate a few fields, it will only be enough to eat. Here, there is a case of a family of 2 disabled sisters who were also accepted by Ms. Ngin", said Ms. Le Thi Tuan (65 years old) in Bo Duong village, Hong Phong commune (Ninh Giang).
To spread her kindness, Ms. Do Thanh Thuy, Director of Gia Loc Production and Trading Company Limited, sponsored 5 orphans for 5 years with a total amount of 150 million VND. In the past 5 years, Ms. Thuy also spent more than 1.5 billion VND on charity activities such as building charity houses for poor women, supporting women affected by natural disasters and floods in and outside the province.
These are just a few of the many women in Hai Duong who have been confident, bold and overcome difficulties to succeed on the path of starting a business. And from there, they spread the spirit for society with noble deeds.
In December 2024, the Hai Duong Provincial Women's Union honored 35 collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements, representing thousands of typical women in production, business, and women starting a business in the whole province in 2024. The team of female entrepreneurs, women who own production and business establishments, farms, cooperatives, and women's clubs with good economic performance is increasingly growing in both quantity and quality, making positive contributions to socio-economic development.