Tea growers in Son La province’s Van Ho district. A new programme was launched on Tuesday in the northwestern province of Son La aimed at empowering women, creating jobs and improving incomes for local women. – Photo courtesy of Aus4Equality/GREAT program.(Photo: VNA) Son La (VNA) - The Australian Government on July 24 officiallykicked off its Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT)programme in northwest Vietnam, which aims to create jobs and improve incomesfor local women.
The 33.7 million AUD (24.9 million USD) programme, which began last year andwill end in 2021, will empower local women to engage in agriculture and tourismmarkets, and enhance women’s voices in economic decision-making.
It is expected to help 40,000 self-employed women to improve their incomes andcreate 4,000 jobs for women to drive economic growth in the provinces.
The programme will partner with a diverse range of actors, including privateand non-government sectors in agriculture and tourism, to improve theenvironment and stimulate inclusive and equitable growth in the mountainousnorthwestern region of Vietnam.
Justin Baguley, Counsellor at Economic and Development Cooperation at theAustralian Embassy, said: “Gender equality is a priority for both Australia andVietnam and a critical part of the Australian Government’s developmentcooperation in Vietnam.”
The programme aims to stimulate innovative solutions to enhance the lives ofwomen, their families and local communities in northwest Vietnam, and will alsocontribute to higher productivity and economic growth in the region, hesaid.-VNA
