Micro-credit program in Vietnam targets women's poverty and social issues

Studies show that when a woman earns money the benefits go to the family. Throughout the world the success of micro-credit programs which target women's employment has proved an efficient tool for development, particularly in poor rural areas. The World Bank's US$298 million Second Vietnam Rural Finance Program is built on a successful partnership with the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Development and the Vietnam Women's Union. The program has created around 10,000 jobs with women accounting for 35% of borrowers. Nearly all the funds have been invested in agriculture or animal farming and have made an effective contribution to developing the economy in an area that has been traditionally backward.