Empower Women Asia

Part 1

Starting background of the project/
initiative

The Empower Women Asia project, established in 2019 by the organization Keep It Beautiful Vietnam (KIBV), aims to support women from ethnic minority communities in traditional weaving villages in Vietnam. With its mission in mind, the project selected Ban Lac, Mai Chau, and Hoa Binh, as its pilot location. Since its inception, the project has focused on helping women enhance their skills and production infrastructure to create opportunities for improving livelihoods through the sustainable production of handmade products. Empower Women Asia places a high value on the importance of education and training, concentrating on providing free vocational training, English language instruction, and soft skills programs for women in the community. This not only helps them grasp new production techniques but also expands communication skills and builds a foundation for essential soft skills.

Through nationwide communication campaigns, the Empower Women Asia project has created opportunities for women to promote their products and spread the message of sustainable fashion. Their creativity and craftsmanship are showcased through advertising campaigns and collaborations with renowned designers and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), aiming to propagate positive values regarding the image of women from ethnic minority communities in the weaving industry.

In this way, Empower Women Asia not only generates new opportunities for women in traditional weaving but also promotes the sustainable development of the community. The project is a crucial step in building a bright and sustainable future for women, particularly those from ethnic minority groups, by connecting traditional values with the domestic and international markets.

Part 2

Goals and motivation for implementation of the project

The Empower Women Asia project, established in 2019 by the organization Keep It Beautiful Vietnam (KIBV), aims to support women from ethnic minority communities in traditional weaving villages in Vietnam. With its mission in mind, the project selected Ban Lac, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh, as its pilot location. Since its inception, the project has focused on helping women enhance their skills and production infrastructure to create opportunities for improving livelihoods through the sustainable production of handmade products.

Empower Women Asia places a high value on the importance of education and training, concentrating on providing free vocational training, English language instruction, and soft skills programs for women in the community. This not only helps them grasp new production techniques but also expands communication skills and builds a foundation for essential soft skills.

Through nationwide communication campaigns, the Empower Women Asia project has created opportunities for women to promote their products and spread the message of sustainable fashion. Their creativity and craftsmanship are showcased through advertising campaigns and collaborations with renowned designers and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), aiming to propagate positive values regarding the image of women from ethnic minority communities in the weaving industry.

In this way, Empower Women Asia not only generates new opportunities for women in traditional weaving but also promotes the sustainable development of the community. The project is a crucial step in building a bright and sustainable future for women, particularly those from ethnic minority groups, by connecting traditional values with the domestic and international markets.

Part 3

Activities and scope of implementation

The Empower Women Asia project focuses on its primary beneficiaries in Ban Lac, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh, a location renowned for its long-standing traditional weaving villages, where skilled women inherit their craftsmanship and benefit from supportive infrastructure provided by the Hoa Ban weaving workshop. Since its establishment, the project has conducted training activities to enhance the skills of women in this area. This enables the women not only to adapt to the challenges of the modern market but also to sustain and develop the art of traditional weaving.

Furthermore, the project has expanded its scope of activities both nationally and internationally. Through communication campaigns, Empower Women Asia collaborates with numerous organizations, businesses, celebrities, and a network of over a thousand volunteers within and outside the country. This helps spread the message about the strength and value of women in the art of traditional weaving to the international community.

Promotional activities and workshops occur not only in Ban Lac, Mai Chau, but also regularly focus on major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, creating opportunities for artisans from Ban Lac to participate and share their experiences. Additionally, the presence in Zurich, Switzerland, is an effort to connect with the international community and expand the market for traditional woven products from Mai Chau. This not only creates new market opportunities but also presents an international model for sustainable development in the traditional weaving industry in Vietnam.

Part 4

Project innovation/ invention

The Empower Women Asia project is at the forefront of applying core values of sustainable development to the fashion industry in Vietnam. From a technical and contextual perspective, the project introduces innovative initiatives to ensure that all activities adhere to standards in environmental, social, economic, and political aspects.

Environment:

Sustainable Material Use: The project encourages the use of natural, recycled, and sustainably sourced materials in the fabric and fashion production processes. This helps reduce waste and minimize negative environmental impacts. Environmentally Friendly Production Processes: The project employs environmentally friendly production methods, such as using renewable energy sources and minimizing waste, to reduce the fashion industry's impact on the environment in terms of water treatment and waste disposal.

Social:

Training and Skill Enhancement Programs: The project focuses on training and enhancing skills for women, particularly those from vulnerable groups in society. This helps them become highly skilled producers who can efficiently integrate into the market value chain. Fair Income Policies: The project clearly outlines the goal of increasing income for women in the fashion fabric industry, especially those facing economic difficulties. This policy contributes to creating a fair and sustainable social community.

Economic:

Developing a Fair Trade Value Chain: The project concentrates on building a fair trade value chain, ensuring that participants receive fair value for their products. Simultaneously, it creates stability in the traditional weaving fabric industry.

Business and Organizational Collaboration: The project collaborates with businesses and organizations both domestically and internationally, combining forces to create new market opportunities and expand the project's influence.

Political:

Supportive Policies and Encouragement: Seeking political support to create a favorable environment and promote the development of a sustainable and fair fashion industry.

Shaping Political Expectations: The project contributes to shaping political expectations regarding economic and social models, setting new standards, and raising awareness of the importance of sustainable fashion in Vietnam's industry.

In summary, Empower Women Asia not only focuses on economic development but also extends its understanding and implementation of sustainable standards, aiming for a balance between environmental, social, and economic aspects in the fashion industry in Vietnam.

Part 5

Implementation and cost

Since its establishment, Empower Women Asia has closely collaborated with local authorities in Mai Châu district, Hòa Bình province, to ensure project licensing approved by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Additionally, the project has partnered with the production partner Hoa Ban to jointly achieve the outlined critical objectives. This collaboration not only enhances the effectiveness of the project but also demonstrates Empower Women Asia's commitment to consensus and positive interaction with the local community.

The project has attracted and received active support from a community of volunteers both within and outside the country. Direct skill enhancement activities, such as organizing classes on soft skills in sales, and inventory management, and workshops introducing to tourists, have created a positive learning and experience-sharing environment.

Furthermore, the project has made significant investments in research activities to improve the production techniques of traditional handwoven fabric products. This signifies that the project not only focuses on preserving traditional art but also makes substantial contributions to the technical aspects and quality of the products.

For the directly benefiting target group, the project has created new opportunities for women from ethnic minority communities in the Mai Châu weaving village to increase their income and enhance economic independence. This not only helps women gain additional income and stabilize their lives but also changes societal perceptions about the value of traditional handwoven fabric products.

For the general community target group, the project has brought about changes in the perceptions of young people and consumers regarding traditional handwoven fabric, including values related to the environment, humanity, and culture.

For businesses and designers, the project is not just a commercial opportunity but also a mission. It has encouraged innovation in how they perceive community value and environmental concerns. This not only helps them create community value but also broadens their vision to pursue sustainable values.

Part 7

Model expandation potential

Empower Women Asia, with its first project launched in Mai Châu in 2019, aims to expand the successful model to support women from ethnic minority communities in other weaving villages. The project not only focuses on enhancing knowledge and production techniques but also emphasizes the development of competitive capacity and market expansion for the products.

With over four years of operation and trust from various organizations, businesses, designers, and volunteer teams, Empower Women Asia has built channels and reputable media partners ready to replicate this model in other regions. The project has achieved impressive successes and has a solid foundation, showing potential for specific expansion, particularly in the province of Hà Giang in the near future. This expansion will involve close collaboration with local authorities, designers, and influential individuals to support women from ethnic minority communities in Khâu Vai commune, Hà Giang Province.

In addition, Empower Women Asia is actively expanding its international influence through promotional activities, collaborating with international organizations to bring products made from traditional handwoven fabric to the international market, extending to countries such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and France. This initiative continues to inspire communities both within and outside the country.