For more than 10 years, women in Da Nang’s Hai Chau District have actively got involved in turning littered waste into money to award scholarships to poor studious pupils.

Members of the Women's Union organisation in Tan Lap 1A residential area in Thach Thang Ward, Hai Chau District, are seen collecting resource waste. Photo: L.P

The meaningful activity is part of the model of collecting waste to raise funds for ‘Green Dreams’ scholarships for local poor students. Not only reducing plastic waste into the environment, the model also supports hundreds of millions of dong to poor students to maintain academic dream.

In the first 9 months of 2022, the Women’s Union of Hai Chau District and its chapters at all levels awarded 458 ‘Green Dreams’ scholarships, totalling VND248 million, to poor students, and donated means of livelihoods, worth VND360 million in total, to 45 poor women, from the sale of collected waste.

According to Chairwoman of the Women's Union organisation of Hai Chau District Ho Thi Hue, the model of ‘Collecting waste to raise funds for social welfare activities’ kicked off in 2010 in some residential areas. After the successful pilot period, the organisation has launched the model in 13 wards and named the scholarship fund ‘Green Dreams’.

Women's Unions at all levels in Hai Chau District present scholarships, valued at between VND500,000 and VND1 million each, to needy pupils to purchase school supplies ahead of the beginning of the new school year.

“The scholarships are not of great value, but they are a spiritual encouragement for students to strive to overcome difficulties to pursue their academic dreams, as well as help poor families partly reduce the financial burden” said Ms. Le Hoang Yen, President of the Women's Union organisation of Thuan Phuoc Ward.

Aside from poor pupils, local women provide means of livelihoods for poor women, and give gifts to the poor, the elderly, and children on holidays and Tet.

Reporting by LAM PHUONG - Translating by M.DUNG