Finally, after some delays caused by force majeure, the activities planned for the project "Support for women farmers" have begun with funds from Allitude and Comet Pelli.

The first project activities consist of a training program for 60 women in the Xin Man district who are already active in family subsistence farming with the aim of supporting their food production and consequently improving the nutrition of families.

GTV decided to create this project considering the context in which many ethnic minority women live in Xin Man. The district is located in one of the poorest regions of Vietnam, Ha Giang, where the population is part of ethnic groups (especially Nung and H'mong) who do not speak the Vietnamese language and live mainly from subsistence farming. The general illiteracy rate is very high, especially among women, who more often drop out of school, also due to early marriages.

Considering all this and the fact that most of the training offered in the area is in the Vietnamese language, GTV gave birth to this project for the empowerment of women farmers from ethnic minorities.

At the start of the project, our Vietnamese coordinator, Que, from Hanoi went up to Xin Man and attended the first activities held on October 15th and 16th. The first course, held simultaneously in three villages, focused on accounting and covered methods of running a family farm and how to make a profit by selling surpluses for wages.

Our solidarity travelers were also present on this occasion during their visit to the GTV projects in the region. The group of 12 people, who left Milan on 11 October to discover the most authentic Vietnam with curiosity and enthusiasm, also in the knowledge of GTV projects, joyfully welcomed the opportunity to attend one of the training sessions. An unexpected addition to their journey, as they moved from village to village to learn about the beneficiaries of water and education projects (FIABA) which led them to the classrooms, to sit next to these women and interact with them, learning about their stories and aspirations .

The training activities then continued the following week, on 22 and 23 October, when courses on the theme of nutrition were held. In this course, trainers talked about the general principles of nutrition, how to prepare a nutritious meal, food groups and their role in a healthy diet. Having basic knowledge about nutrition is essential for several reasons. The mountainous landscape does not allow easy cultivation of many products, which in any case depends on the rainy season, so it is not always possible to have a varied and balanced diet without paying attention to what you eat. It is therefore important that mothers are aware of the various nutrients, as they are primarily responsible for preparing meals for the whole family. Furthermore, proper nutrition is essential for children to grow up healthy and consequently also affects their education and future possibilities.

To better assimilate the knowledge, the methodology of the courses was participatory and inclusive, with a lot of space left for practice. This is to make learning more effective and above all because these women need immediately applicable skills to improve their lives, rather than abstract knowledge. The women actively participated and proved to be interested and willing to learn, immediately forming a group and also managing to have fun while learning. Some women have even overcome the obstacles related to care work by bringing their young children with them, which has created moments of sweetness and light-heartedness between one training session and another.

The next training courses will take place in November and will focus on topics related to breeding and agricultural improvement.

In the short term, the project promises to support women and feed their families, but in the long term, the goal is to go beyond mere subsistence production, stockpiling vegetables that can be sold on the market to create a safer income and greater opportunities to improve their lives and those of their children.