Haruna Ishimaru arrives in Vietnam as a coordinator for Plan International. (Photo: NVCC).

These are the shares of Haruna Ishimaru, 30 years old from Japan. It is known that Haruna came to Vietnam from August 2022. As a coordinator of Plan International, Haruna hopes to improve the livelihoods of young ethnic minorities in the southern regions such as Ha Giang, Lai Chau...

Thoi Dai Magazine interviewed Haruna Ishimaru about improving the livelihoods of young ethnic minorities. According to Haruna, young ethnic minorities are truly optimistic and persistent in their efforts for gender equality.

- It is known that Haruna is the coordinator of the Project "Economic empowerment for ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau", so what do you hope to bring when participating in the project?

I hope to help strengthen women's empowerment, towards gender equality through livelihood activities.

- Is the job of a coordinator for the project “Economic empowerment of ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau” a new challenge for you?

Yes, this was my first project as a coordinator, and my first time in Vietnam, so I was very nervous. But thanks to the sincerity and warmth of my colleagues and Vietnamese partners, I adapted very quickly.

Haruna Ishimaru (second from left) is the project coordinator of the project "Enhancing economic empowerment for ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau regions" (Photo: NVCC).

- It is already very difficult for a foreigner to build a project in urban areas, plains or easily accessible areas. Why did Haruna choose Vietnam, Ha Giang, Lai Chau - mountainous provinces and not other localities?

Plan International Vietnam’s areas of operation are all in the most remote areas of Vietnam, including Ha Giang and Lai Chau provinces. We chose these two provinces because the rate of early marriage among young people there is very high, especially among ethnic minority youth. They also face difficulties in maintaining their livelihoods, as farming and raising livestock depend mostly on traditional experiences.

When I was young, I was often told that women don’t need to earn money, that the sooner you marry someone the better. I always questioned this view because they don’t say the same things to boys. Since this project is aimed at young people who are facing gender equality issues, I thought it was a project that I could do with great passion.

Her project focuses on improving the livelihoods of young ethnic minorities (Photo: NVCC).

- Are there any minorities in Japan? How do you compare it to your country?

There are also ethnic minority groups in Japan. I feel that there are more opportunities to learn about the culture of ethnic minorities in Vietnam than in Japan. This is really a great learning opportunity and I hope Japan can learn from Vietnam.

- In your opinion, what benefits will ethnic minority youths get from participating in the project?

The ethnic minority youth participating in the project are now inspiring many people around them. In these areas, women always take care of the family, so you can hardly imagine them having an income. Through this project, women and men of different ages are very excited to see these young people, especially women. They are the cores that are promoting the change of backward stereotypes from their own stories in the locality, being role models for ethnic minority children. For me, they are truly optimistic and persistent in their efforts for gender equality.

For Haruna, ethnic minority youth are truly optimistic and persistent in their efforts for gender equality. (Photo: NVCC).

- How do you see your project impacting the lives of ethnic minority youth in Ha Giang and Lai Chau?

Thanks to the dedication of local partners and the strong commitment of young people to participating in the project training courses, many people's incomes have increased significantly. We use indicators built into the project design phase to track the impact with specific numbers. In fact, 96% of young people who participated in the training courses increased their income by more than 10%. Only 4% did not think that the knowledge and methods of raising livestock and growing crops that they learned were more effective in terms of time/cost, as well as more friendly to the environment.

We also measured the impact of the project around women’s participation in household financial management. Only 46% of women reported participating in household financial management before the training, but this increased to 95% after the training. We saw a significant change in women’s practice of recording expenses, applying for bank loans, and generating income for their families.

- During your time participating in the project, what were the biggest difficulties and obstacles you encountered?

Communication was difficult at first. I had never had the chance to talk much with anyone from Vietnam before, so I was not very confident in how to communicate at first. Especially with the ethnic minority youth, some of them also needed to be interpreted into their local language, so I needed to make sure that I spoke in understandable words so that the interpreter could understand my point better. My interpreters and I also discussed the guiding questions in advance, so that the youth could understand the questions better. Despite all the preparation, I still sometimes received “off-topic” answers that were unexpected. But I found these experiences really interesting and memorable. Closing the gender gap is a long journey, but we will not stop until we all achieve gender equality.

Thanks to the dedication of local partners and the strong commitment of young people participating in the project's training courses, many people's incomes have increased significantly (Photo: NVCC).

- Which story impressed you the most during your time participating in the project?

All the stories I heard and knew were impressive, but there was one that really touched me, which was about a girl named Mai. I met her for the first time in November 2022. Not only was it difficult to communicate with her due to the language barrier, but she was also extremely shy and embarrassed, she didn't even smile once during the entire conversation. I went back and met her 6 months later (April 2023) and she had completely changed. She smiled confidently and answered all my questions in Vietnamese. When I said that she seemed like a different person (compared to the previous time we met), she said that thanks to participating in the project's training courses, she had gained confidence that she never had before. Now she is no longer afraid of talking to strangers, or standing up to speak in front of a crowd. I feel the change in her and many others, that is the truly meaningful result that this project has brought and is bringing. Luckily, I have witnessed these wonderful things firsthand.

- Do you plan to continue staying in Vietnam after the project ends?

I am about to leave Vietnam because my visa is about to expire. However, my Vietnamese and Japanese colleagues are working together on a new project. We will continue to accompany each other in this preparation process despite the geographical distance. When this project starts, I will return to Vietnam next year.

Thanks Haruna for this chat!