Award Winning Weaver

At first, Cay started weaving brocade with one loom. She now runs a brocade weaving workshop, generating jobs to nearly 30 ethnic minority women in Lang Chanh. Cay is among more than 7,000 clients of World Vision's microfinance unit (MFU) in Vietnam. Focusing on credit, the MFU has provided small loans for moderately poor people and entrepreneurs. Up to 90 per cent of the clients are women who mainly live in rural and mountainous areas.

When Cay, a Muong ethnic minority woman, initiated her idea of reviving the traditional brocade weaving, others in her remote village said the idea was odd and advised her not to follow the dream. Five year later, her strange idea has brought the empty-handed woman in the northern Thanh Hoa province a national award for outstanding micro-entrepreneurs. Cay was awarded for having escaped from desperate poverty and having made remarkable impact on their community. "I'm so touched by the award," says Cay.