EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF VILLAGE SAVINGS AND LOANS MODEL ON LIVING CONDITIONS OF RURAL WOMEN: A CASE STUDY IN QUANG BINH AND QUANG TRI PROVINCE

The study focused on the impact of the village savings and loan (VSL) model on living conditions of rural women as well as on the extension of the model, thereby proposing model development in the local conditions. The study used data from 453 respondents including member and non-member of village savings and loan models in five districts of Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces. Site observational methods combined with difference in difference (experiment methods) methods were the main methods used in the study. Research results show that the VSL model's unique impact on gender equity, in particular, is that women can move freely without a male companion (almost 90% respondent), the impact of the VSL model increased by 6%. In addition, members in the VSL model had a poverty rate of 27%, lower than the control group of 34%. The VSL model is able to replicate to other localities in the country. The Women's Union should enhance its role in communicating model replication through participatory study tours to model regions.