Advancing women's economic empowerment in Vietnam

This project aims to improve the economic well-being of poor rural women particularly ethnic minorities in Vietnam by increasing their participation in paid economic activities. This project aims to influence the provision of public services infrastructure childcare and social protection policies. This helps to reduce and redistribute the unpaid care work disproportionately shouldered by women and girls. This project targets a total of 4 885 participants (3 050 women/1 835 men) in 15 communes of Ha Giang and Lai Chau provinces. This project is supporting 1 550 EM women predominantly tea and ginger farmers along with 150 women identified for women-led grassroots social enterprises (GSEs). Additionally the project seeks to support 1 085 EM men to participate in activities such as agricultural training and gender-responsive dialogues. AWEEV indirectly benefits 12 000 household members of EM beneficiaries. Project activities include: (1) providing technical assistance for gender-responsive and inclusive governance with duty bearers particularly village chiefs and communal officers; (2) providing technical assistance on organizing production and sustainable climate-smart agricultural practices to rural and ethnic minorities particularly women; and (3) facilitating policy dialogues by studying the benefits of reducing unpaid care work to encourage government authorities to focus on investments in infrastructure.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) enhanced promotion of economic rights for poor rural and ethnic minority women in Vietnam including in terms of unpaid work responsibilities; and (2) increased participation by poor rural and ethnic minority women in paid economic activities.