This is a part of support activities of the partnership between Mastercard and CARE International in Vietnam to support local female workers in the informal sector with considerable economic impact due to the pandemic.
The female house cleaners, who are working and partnering at JupViec.vn, a technology company connecting household service workers and customers via a mobile app in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, received the support at a symbolic cash transfer ceremony taking place in Hanoi on June 12.
Each of them received up to VND3 million via direct bank transfer. The support amounts differ, depending on the individual circumstances and financial damage caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Speaking at the ceremony, Le Kim Dung, Director of CARE International in Vietnam, said that women working in the informal sector are amongst most vulnerable population and have been most affected by the pandemic. “During this time of uncertainty, the economic crisis caused by the outbreak may hit harder than the coronavirus itself, so protecting and supporting the people have never been more critical. Our end goal is to empower and help them to overcome this difficult time,” Dung said.
“While social distancing is in place, female workers in informal employment have suffered from declining working hours, or even job losses. This has led to greater finance pressures for the women as they still have to pay for living expenses, energy bills, etc. while having either less or no income at all. In our case, there has been a significant decline in the number of orders on our platform in comparison to the same period last year and our working partners have also witnessed a drop in their earnings consequently,” said Phan Hong Minh, Director, JupViec.vn.
Winnie Wong, Country Manager of Mastercard, hailed Vietnam’s efforts against the pandemic, which have helped the country become one of the first few nations to open up, and the first in Southeast Asia to move forward to the post COVID-19 period. “To drive a robust recovery and financial inclusion, there is a need to include all participants of the economy and leave no one behind. Mastercard hopes that this financial support, as part of the ongoing partnership with CARE International in Vietnam, will help these women improve their conditions, recover from temporary financial hardships, and give them a safe return for them to work after the pandemic,” Wong said.
