Lesson 1: Acts of Sharing

(Baonghean)Editor's Note:The assignment of agencies and units to provide support and assistance to poor communes in the western region of Nghe An province has created a vibrant emulation movement with many meaningful and practical actions aimed at helping impoverished communes. This is a major policy of the province to promote the "Learning and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh" movement, deepening the awareness of cadres, Party members, and the people, and reviving the national moral tradition and the spirit of sharing with the people.in disadvantaged areas.

For over a year, we have accompanied many delegations of officials to donate gifts to the poor in difficult mountainous regions. These included warm jackets and blankets for the cold winter, sound systems and loudspeakers for villages, and clean water projects… The material value of these gifts, however small, has warmed the hearts of the community with shared feelings. In the remote and impoverished Nam Giai (Que Phong) area bordering Vietnam and Laos, the image of the soldiers of Uncle Ho, already close and familiar to the local people, has become even more heartfelt and meaningful thanks to their practical actions for this land. For over a year, with the sincere assistance of the Provincial Military Command, the officials and people of Nam Giai seem to have more confidence in their path to poverty reduction.

The Nậm Giải commune health station is nestled beside a smooth asphalt road leading to Cáng village. When we arrived, Ms. Vi Thị Việt – the station chief – and the medical staff were busy examining patients. She confided: “Despite the difficult conditions, with the investment from the State and the support of the Provincial Military Command, the health station has achieved national standards for healthcare at level 1. Therefore, our working conditions and medical examination and treatment are much more favorable than before.” Implementing the program to assist Nậm Giải commune, the Provincial Military Command helped the station build a 50-meter-long fence, 6 hospital beds, 7 bedside cabinets, 3 blood pressure monitors, and 1 dental kit. In particular, doctors from the Provincial Military Command have twice traveled long distances to examine and provide free medicine to the people of the Nậm Giải highlands. Thanks to this, healthcare for the people has improved, and there have been no outbreaks of disease in the commune.

Colonel Nguyen Viet Ha - Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard Command, presents gifts to poor students.
Muong Ai commune (Ky Son district).

Not stopping at those actions, the Provincial Military Command also left many other lasting impressions, such as: supporting 5 poor households with 5 cows, and mobilizing people to donate land for the construction of new rural roads in Cang and Puc villages. These are areas where land clearance is still difficult. After listening to the soldiers' persuasion and explanation, the people jointly donated land to widen the roads for easier travel. Mr. Quang Van Tam – Chairman of the Commune People's Committee – remarked: “Because of prior discussion and agreement, the Provincial Military Command's assistance programs are truly closely aligned with the needs and actual situation of the locality, thus initially proving effective. The Party Committee, the government, and the people are very grateful for the soldiers' generosity. In the future, we will continue to coordinate more effectively to contribute to profound changes in all fields, helping the commune to eradicate poverty faster.”

In Chau Phong commune, one of the particularly disadvantaged communes in Quy Chau district, the poverty rate is high, infrastructure is underdeveloped, and the national power grid has not yet reached the commune. Therefore, the commune leaders determined that all investment projects, support, and assistance to the area, whether large or small, are valuable, and if used effectively, will contribute to alleviating the difficulties of the locality. In that spirit, when the Trung Do branch of the Foreign Trade Bank agreed to provide assistance according to the Provincial People's Committee's decision, the commune and the bank seriously and systematically engaged in the project, clearly demonstrated by the initial results. This included the commissioning of a 3km water supply project from the mountain on February 6, 2013, with a support amount of 101 million VND.

Following this project, the Trung Do branch of the Foreign Trade Bank is supporting the construction of a house worth 50 million VND for a poor household in Quang village. Mr. Nguyen Huu Chinh – Chairman of the commune – said: “Previously, 400 students and teachers at Chau Phong Semi-Boarding Secondary School had to carry water from streams and springs for use, which was unsanitary. Now, with the water project, parents are very reassured when their children attend school. In addition, it also provides water for the health station and the regional multi-specialty clinic; the headquarters of the Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee of the commune. In the coming time, the commune is surveying to build economic models, creating a highlight for people to learn and develop the economy. The bank strongly supports this direction and is committed to continuing to support us.”

In Xieng My commune (Tuong Duong district), a locality where Nghe An Newspaper has provided assistance, the activities of giving gifts to particularly disadvantaged families and donating cows to four poor households for rotational breeding have yielded positive results. In addition to providing native breed cows, the households also received financial support for building barns to ensure the cows thrive in all weather conditions. The commune People's Committee committed to closely monitoring the households receiving the cows; after breeding, the cows will be transferred to other families for breeding. After more than a year, Mr. Lo Van Tinh, Chairman of the commune People's Committee, happily stated: "Two cows have given birth, and two more are about to give birth; the people are very happy…". Furthermore, fulfilling its function and nhiệm vụ as a propaganda agency, Nghe An Newspaper has promptly reflected the difficulties and obstacles faced by the people of Xieng My in the process of socio-economic development. Thanks to this, several issues have been resolved through the joint efforts of the government and various departments and organizations, such as addressing obstacles in constructing the electricity grid in the commune, and combating various types of crime, especially drug-related crimes.

Nghe An Newspaper presents gifts to poor but academically excellent students.
Xieng My commune (Tuong Duong district).

These commendable acts stem from a major policy of Nghe An province – the program to support and assist poor communes in the western region of Nghe An, as stipulated in Decision No. 1310/QD-UBND dated April 20, 2012, and Decision No. 4903/QD-UBND dated December 5, 2012, of the Provincial People's Committee. This program assigns 85 agencies and units in the province to provide support and assistance to 89 poor communes. This policy originated in 2007, when the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee of State Agencies issued Resolution 01-NQ/DU directing subordinate Party organizations to directly assist particularly disadvantaged mountainous communes in Tuong Duong and Ky Son districts.

After more than a year of implementation, the program's effectiveness is only in its initial stages, but it has clearly demonstrated the close and loyal bond between the lowlands and the highlands. This is even more significant as this initiative is linked to the major campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh." Through this, officials from various departments and agencies have been brought to the grassroots level to understand the practical situation, helping them to better grasp the lives of the people and develop plans to advise the Party committees that are more aligned with the actual situation.

For the people in the assisted areas, awareness of community life has been raised, old ways of thinking and outdated customs have been eliminated, and the self-sufficient way of doing business has gradually changed to commodity production in line with market mechanisms. As Ms. Truong Thi Tuyet Mai – Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Que Phong district shared: “We highly appreciate the assistance from agencies and departments to the district. Besides the State's investment programs, this assistance is a great driving force contributing to poverty reduction and sustainable development in Que Phong in particular and Western Nghe An in general.”

After being assigned, many agencies and units sent officials to the communes to be assisted to survey and understand the situation, needs, and aspirations of each commune. Based on this, they developed plans to provide assistance in specific stages, tailored to the circumstances and conditions of their respective units. These plans focused on helping local communities build strong Party organizations, government bodies, and mass organizations; developing economic development models combined with organizing technical training courses, etc. As a result, in 2012, the units provided assistance worth nearly 29 billion VND. While this amount may not be large, it represents the heartfelt sharing and support of tens of thousands of officials, Party members, agencies, units, and businesses in the province towards the poor, in line with the spirit of the program.

Comrade Ho Duc Phoc, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, once emphasized: “Many localities in the province still face numerous difficulties. We need to further promote activities to care for the poor and improve the living standards of impoverished people in mountainous, remote, and disadvantaged areas. Departments, agencies, and mass organizations should continue to mobilize units, organizations, businesses, individuals both domestically and internationally, and all sectors of the population to wholeheartedly care for and assist poor households, poor communes, and poor districts. We must develop programs, mobilize resources, and implement support activities effectively. The goal is to mobilize all material and spiritual resources to help the poor.”

The Nghe An Provincial Treasury donated breeding pigs to help poor households in Ha Son commune, Quy Hop district.

Many models of assistance to poor communes have been effective, but much of the support remains modest. However, looking back at the activities supporting and assisting poor communes in Western Nghe An, we are further convinced that, in times of difficulty, the meaning of the word "compatriots" is about mutual support and sharing, love and assistance. This is a concrete manifestation of the Party and State's policies towards the people of particularly disadvantaged communes. This assistance, along with state investment and the efforts of poor households and communes to improve their lives, has created a combined strength contributing to the effective implementation of the poverty reduction program in the area.

Text and photos: PVTS team