MDG-F-supported Vietnamese businesswoman wins global UNCTAD award
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, a self-made businesswoman from Hoa Binh province, was proud to be selected as one of the ten finalists of UNCTAD’s global Empretec Women in Business Award. She travelled to Doha, Qatar, to take part in the award ceremony in April 2012.
There is ample evidence that enhanced opportunities for women lead to improvements in poverty reduction and to accelerated economic growth.
The Empretec Women in Business Award is presented to women who have excelled in developing innovative business ideas, providing jobs and increasing income in their communities. The prize honours businesswomen from developing countries who have founded successful firms, created jobs, and become role models in their communities. Many of the award finalists tell compelling stories of overcoming social and cultural obstacles to their business careers, as well as surmounting financial challenges.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu is no exception. Ms. Thu learned how to make handicrafts when she was a girl in primary school. Struggling to survive, she used to sell all her products in the village market once a week, already wondering how she could sell them abroad and offer income opportunities to her siblings. She is now a successful businesswoman. Her company SANDA produces and exports handcrafted products, including bamboo and rattan baskets and tiger grass brooms.
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