Providing ethnic women with startup skills is a positive way to expand women’s empowerment and embed gender equality, heard a forum held by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE) and Canadian non-profit organisation Artistri Sud in Hanoi on October 21.

Providing ethnic women with startup skills is a positive
way to expand women’s empowerment.

According to Ha Viet Quan, deputy head of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs’ Department of International Cooperation, ethnic minority groups, which account for 14 percent of the Vietnamese population, are facing a wide range of structural inequalities in job, income, education, and health care access.

Gender inequality for ethnic minority women is also an issue for families and the community, he added.

If women are equipped with the necessary skills and receive sufficient support, they can create sustainable livelihoods for themselves while making significant contributions to their families and the community.

Sung Thi Lan, Chairwoman of the Muong Hoa Cooperative in Sapa town, Lao Cai province, said that at first she and many other ethnic women were reluctant to start a business due to barriers from family and society.

However, after taking part in a project run by the Center for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP), ethnic women realised their strengths, and decided to adopt several economic development models such as homestay tourism and brocade re-designing which have helped improve their incomes and escape poverty, she added.

At the event, participants discussed new initiatives and approaches with a view to further empowering ethnic women.