STORY 4: The brocade traditional weaving model – Improving income for poorer households

In Quan Ba, the livelihood of local people is mainly rice and maize cultivation. However, due to harsh weather, the harvest is just enough food and some basic supplies. Annual income per household is only about €300. The minimum cost for school materials per child per year is about €40 and many households can’t afford it. As the result, about 8% children aged from 11 to 15 drop off school every year.

“Our family survive on a hectare of land. We worked all day in the field but we only earned about VND 9,000,000 (€320) per annum so sometimes it was not enough to buy foods for the 7 members of our family. I was sad when 2 out of my 5 children had to stay at home because we could not afford their books, uniforms or school materials. I thought of making extra income from our traditional weaving that I was taught when I was young but we did not have capital to start”, says Mrs. Quay (40)

In order to help people to make additional income in free time, in 2012 ActionAid has helped with non-interest funding for 17 people from ethnic communities in Quan Ba district to buy weaving looms and threads. A series of training courses on weaving skills and new patterns for products were provided. In addition, ActionAid in partnership with the cultural house of Quan Ba supported people to display products and sell to the tourists.

Mrs. Quay continues: “we are so happy to receive support from ActionAid, within 6 months many products were sold such as bags, scarves, wallets and clothes. Our annual income has increased from €320 to €395. We now have more income to buy books, clothes and school materials for our children to go to school. I will definitely encourage my relatives, friends and neighbours to join the brocade weaving model in order to have more income. Thank you very much for your help.”