Turning trash into start-up capital helps thousands women escape poverty in Cà Mau

Lâm Hằng Ny at her turmeric facility in Khánh Bình Commune, Trần Văn Thời District in the southern province of Cà Mau.— Photo baocamau.vn

CÀ MAU — The ‘Turning waste into capital to support women’s entrepreneurship’ model has, over the past three years, attracted and supported more than 21,000 local women in Trần Văn Thời District, in the southern province of Cà Mau.

It has not only successfully helped many local women start businesses, but also established a scholarship fund to ensure that many disadvantaged local children can attend school without worry.

Nguyễn Thùy Linh, chairwoman of the Women’s Union of the district, said the funds collected from waste recycling and selling, in addition to being saved to build capital to assist local women entrepreneurs, were also used to support additional activities such as caring for sick members.

So far, the model has saved VNĐ390 million (US$15,330) from the sale of scrap materials, supporting 71 women entrepreneurs in small-scale trading ventures, according to Linh.

Under the model, each member can borrow from VNĐ5 million ($197) to VNĐ35 million ($1,370), depending on the scale of their start-up, with an interest rate of 0.55 per cent per month. That interest is continuously reinvested into the capital to support other women starting businesses.

Nguyễn Cẩm Mè, from Tham Trơi B Hamlet, Khánh Bình Đông Commune, in the district, said that previously, in rural areas, people often buried or burned waste.

Since the launch of the model, plastic waste and other recyclable materials were now collected separately by residents.

“The waste is sorted by our members, if it is still usable, it will be handed to skilled members to create recycled items such as plastic pigs, baskets and flower pots,” she said.

Plastic waste that did not meet quality standards for recycling would be sold to accumulate funds to support start-up capital for disadvantaged women, she said.

Though the amount accumulated from selling waste by the members is not large, the innovative and practical approach integrated into daily life has contributed to changing awareness among women about waste classification and environmental protection.

Currently, the model has been applied by all 153 women’s unions in the district, collecting and recycling over 10,000 tonnes of waste and scrap materials so far.

Furthermore, thanks to the model, the union has given 863 financial grants and gifts to women in difficult circumstances as well as to outstanding young students.

Escaping poverty

Phạm Hồng Hận, head of the Women’s Union in Tham Trơi B Hamlet, said that in spite of being small, the model was highly practical and it received widespread approval because it was closely linked to the daily activities of each family.

It not only changed awareness about preventing plastic waste but also contributed to improving the economic lives of many women in rural areas.

Phạm Ngọc Ân, from the hamlet, said that thanks to the financial support from the model, she had lifted her family out of poverty.

“Previously, my family was classified as poor household, with no land for cultivation, so we faced many difficulties,” she said.

“Since the movement against plastic waste was established, my family had not only earned money from selling waste but also received over VNĐ1 million ($39) in loans from fellow members in the hamlet.”

As a result, she bought piglets for breeding and started a small grocery business at home. After two years, her family’s income was improved and they escaped poverty.

Starting a business with a turmeric starch model, Lâm Hằng Ny, of Khánh Bình Commune, in the district said that initially, due to a lack of capital, her family had to improvise a grinder to process turmeric.

Each day, her facility could only process a dozen kilogrammes of turmeric, resulting in limited effectiveness.

Then she received VNĐ35 million ($1,370) in support given by the union from selling plastic waste, which helped her purchase machinery and equipment to develop her products.

From a small-scale production base, she now has successfully established the Nhật Huy Turmeric Cooperative, where she serves as director.

On average, the cooperative annually supplies hundreds of kilogrammes of high-quality turmeric starch to the market.

“Even small-scale funding, when timely and well utilised, can yield significant results,” she said.

According to Nguyễn Thùy Linh, chairwoman of the Women’s Union of the district, the union will continue to maintain and promote effective models within the district.

At the same time, it hopes to intensify its dissemination efforts to raise awareness within the community about the harmful effects of plastic waste.

Alongside creating timely support funds for start-ups, the union hopes to make the women be more aware of the problems of plastic waste and get them to share the message throughout the community.

The union hopes to use officials in each hamlet to convince them to use biodegradable bags and environmentally-friendly items.— VNS