Trainings targeting women in Chung Trai, Sung Sang, Na Pan, and Suoi Thau villages on nutrition, agriculture and fertilization, animal husbandry, and bookkeeping are completed.

Courses on nutrition were held at the beginning of November, focusing on learning, both theoretically and practically, the nutritional values of foods, the construction of balanced meals for various age groups following the products grown. By the end of the course, all participants showed that they understood and were able to put into practice the knowledge they learned and grasped the importance of a balanced diet, especially for the growth of their children.

This course was followed between November and early December by modules on agriculture and fertilization and animal husbandry. Trainers for the agriculture course, from the Xin Man District Plant Breeding and Protection Center, focused the training on imparting knowledge about the proper use of fertilizers in order to improve and increase the cultivation of local produce and prevent plant diseases. This module, too, included practical application of methods for choosing products to grow in each season, preparing fields and using the correct fertilizers. As can be seen in the photos, the participants got to work with the hoe by tilling and preparing the soil for the different crops.

The course on animal husbandry then, was taught by experienced specialists from the Xin Man District Livestock and Veterinary Center. Learning proper animal husbandry techniques, from the selection of animals best suited for their growth, disease prevention to the use of vaccines for livestock and poultry were the focus of the course. The methodology adopted once again enabled the women to put into practice the knowledge they learned, which was useful in their daily lives, including methods for preparing, caring for and cleaning animal spaces.

The trainees showed great interest in the four topics, achieving, at the end of the four training modules, the knowledge and skills needed to improve agricultural and livestock production at the family level. The opportunity to apply the skills and techniques during the trainings, especially, enabled them to express and resolve immediately any doubts that might arise in the theoretical explanations.

For most of them, this experience was completely new: even being in social and educational settings, for some of them it was not at all expected. The initial shyness of some, made way with time for interest and practical skills that helped the exchange of information and skills within the groups, further enriching the formative moments. 

Three groups were organized for each module: one group of 22 women from Sung San village, one group of 23 from Chung Trai, and one group of 15 from Suoi Thau, for a total of 60 women participating in the project. All four modules were preceded and followed by tests to check prior knowledge and knowledge acquired during the courses, so as to monitor improvements. We collected data on the progress of the courses and the improvements achieved, compiling the results in the table below.