The ethnic minority women, particularly the ones living in Northern mountainous region of Vietnam, are always involved in a hard work.
That work is to collect firewood mainly serving cooking purpose at home.
Averagely, they have to walk for miles to the forest and bear the loads weighing up to 30-40kg so that there are sufficient fuels to be used within 2 days. This quickly consumes half a day for every time of collecting and bringing wood back home. In the rainy days or during the monsoon season, this work even poses enormous threats on the human life safety, due to the remote and dangerous location.
Embracing an essential role in family structure, these women also take responsibility in caring the whole family, apart from “keeping fire in the kitchen”. There has been solely a minority of them who have opportunities to enjoy recreational activities or spend some time for themselves (for instance to improve literacy, participate in the Women’s Union often to learn the new knowledge about nutrition and health, etc).
“Since we have used the biogas cooking stove, the workload has decreased significantly, I don’t have to go and collect wood in the forest. The surrounding environment of the house gets cleaner, there’s no more odor from animal manure. Inside, smoke almost doesn’t exist, the smallest kid suffers less cough and grandmother feels happy for not getting hurt in her eyes. I have reckoned that this energy model frees women from hard work in the house and let them take care better the beloved. Look forward that many models will be set up in the ward and replicated in other areas” shared Mrs. Hanh (featured in above photo).
