11 years with Tinh Thuong Microfinance Institution (TYM) are also 11 years that Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang has accompanied women, especially those in the border of mountainous areas of Nghe An province on the path of escaping poverty, gradually developing their family economy and asserting themselves.
A journey of commitment and compassion
Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang is a technical officer, who has been working at TYM for more than 11 years. She is currently working at Transaction Office No. 02 of TYM – Do Luong Branch, Nghe An.
Ms. Trang was born and raised in an agricultural family in a poor countryside of Ha Tinh. Her father passed away early when she was only 15 years old. Ms. Trang always thought: “My mother raised four of us alone, growing up in difficult circumstances, so we always loved each other and told ourselves to try our best in life”. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she decided to choose TYM as the place to give wings to her dreams.
Ms. Trang said that the longer she worked at TYM, the more she realized the good values behind every action of the organization. She was determined to stick with it and devote all her enthusiasm to her work. Over more than a decade working at TYM, Ms. Trang has travelled to many different rural areas of Nghe An province. She realizes that there are still many women who need support.
“When I began working in Anh Son, a mountainous district in the west of Nghe An province and bordering Laos, being in daily contact with local people helped me understand their hardships. Being attached to TYM, I understand the good meanings that TYM brings to people in difficult areas,” Ms. Trang shared.
Up to now, Ms. Trang oversees 690 customers, of which more than 200 are ethnic minority women.
During the years of engaging with women, Ms. Trang shares that she herself has countless memorable memories. Those were the first days when she first moved to work in the highlands. Every day she had to travel through dozens of kilometers of winding, bumpy dirt roads. When it rained heavily, it was muddy and flooded, making it almost impossible to get into people’s houses. Luckily, people in Anh Son district (Nghe An) enthusiastically showed her the passing way. At times like these, Ms. Trang feels happy with her job.
In 2022, Ms. Trang emerged as the top-performing officer at the branch, contributing significantly to the disbursement of funds crucial for women to develop their businesses and improve quality of life. To achieve such achievements, according to Ms. Trang, in addition to loving their job, TYM staff need to put their heart into their work.
“The areas where I work include many ethnic minorities with limited ability to communicate in Kinh language. In particular, there are women who do not know how to write, so it is very difficult for them to apply for loans. Surely this also causes them to encounter many other obstacles, especially the ability to access information and work. Therefore, I have spent a lot of time guiding and teaching literacy to them. Up to now, seeing the bright smiles of the women during their repayment meetings, being confident when making transactions, reading and signing the documents themselves, I feel very happy.” Ms. Trang confided.
“The “sweet fruit” of Ms. Trang’s constant efforts is that the majority of local women effectively use TYM’s loans to gradually escape poverty, improve their lives, and contribute to local economic development. Ms. Trang shared: “our jobs are not just about providing loans; it’s about accompanying and supporting customers, sharing economic experiences, and aiding them in marketing their products.”
“In addition, training courses are also conducted for TYM members to learn and share economic experiences, thereby enabled them to escape poverty.” Ms. Trang added.
| In 2023, in recognition of her outstanding efforts, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang excellently won the Field Officer Appreciation Award in the Asia-Pacific region by the Whole Planet Foundation. This is an annual award to honor outstanding credit officers of microfinance institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. As of 2023, there have been 9 TYM technical officers honored with this Award.. |
People’s lives have changed thanks to TYM’s loans
Ms. Trang’s impact resonates in the stories of women like Tran Thi Mai, a Thai ethnic woman (born 1981, residing in Phuc Son commune, Anh Son district, Nghe An). Ms. Mai’s family has 4 children, the economy depends mainly on agriculture, so their life is difficult. Born and raised in a poor village of Phuc Son commune, Mai and her husband both have the same goals of getting rich in their homeland.
Ms. Mai shared that there have been many economic development plans thought up by the couple, but to realize them, the biggest obstacle is still capital. “When there’s a drought, there’s a shower”, Ms. Mai learned about TYM thanks to the advice and introduction of Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang. Mai and her husband’s plans of getting rich in their homeland had the opportunity to come true.
“TYM officers guided and completed loan procedures very quickly. The repayment method is also very flexible and simple. Trusting TYM was the key,” Ms. Mai said.
With TYM’s loans, Ms. Mai and her husband focused on building homestays to serve the accommodation of tourists. In addition, Ms. Mai and her husband do business of selling hometown specialties such as buffalo and beef meat, raising pigs and chickens to sell directly to tourists. Thanks to TYM’s loans as well as creative business methods, Ms. Mai’s family’s current life has developed much more than before. Her family has savings, and her four children are all well educated.
“One thing that not only me but other TYM members also noticed is that we can participate in TYM’s free training, understand the market and orient our business development,” Ms. Mai shared.
Ms. Luong Thi Tuyet (born 1983, residing in village 1, Linh Son commune, Anh Son, Nghe An) is also one of the exceptional examples of using TYM’s loans to develop her business and change her life.
Because of the geographical characteristics, Tuyet’s family has long been attached to tea trees. Although she really wants to expand production methods in the direction of farming combined with livestock, Ms. Tuyet’s family is in a shortage of capital for development. Like many other customers, Ms. Tuyet also found a “lifesaver” from TYM’s loans. Thanks to that, Ms. Tuyet’s family was able to diversify into cattle and poultry, contributing to her family’s economic growth. In addition, through TYM’s customer groups, she can also promote and introduce her family’s products to many others.
Source: Phụ nữ Việt Nam