To escape poverty

(Baonghean) - Binh Chuan is a commune in the "lowland" area in terms of socio-economic development of the mountainous district of Con Cuong. And Que village is a village in the "lowland" area of ​​Binh Chuan commune.

For generations, the people of Que village have lived on slash-and-burn farming and raising cattle and poultry. Because the terrain here is mainly steep hills and mountains, the area of ​​​​wet fields is insignificant. Therefore, life is often in a precarious state, completely dependent on the weather. Along with that, the intellectual level of the people is still low, so the ability to apply scientific and technological advances to production is very limited. This is the cause of stagnation in increasing productivity and output of crops and livestock. Not to mention the lack of knowledge about science and technology, leading to unfortunate losses. Typically, in 2011, an epidemic (anthrax) occurred, causing the Que village herd to die of up to 53 buffaloes and cows, of which some families lost 5, causing losses of up to tens of millions of dong. In addition, not to mention the free-range farming is the cause of cattle dying of cold or being stolen, which still occurs frequently.

Road to Que village - Binh Chuan commune - Con Cuong

Normally, to ensure social security for a community, it is necessary to ensure at least 4 factors: electricity, roads, schools, and stations. However, in Que village, all 4 of the above factors are not yet available. Because, up to now, the people of Que village in particular and the whole Binh Chuan commune in general have not yet used grid electricity. People here mainly use oil lamps or mini turbines for lighting. The inter-commune road from Con Cuong town to Binh Chuan has been under construction since 2006, and has been under construction for nearly 6 years, causing many obstacles and frustrations for the people of Mau Duc, Don Phuc and Binh Chuan communes. Most of the road sections have only been leveled by contractors, not paved or asphalted. Therefore, every time it rains, this road becomes muddy and slippery, making it almost impossible for vehicles to circulate. During these days, many villages, including Que village, are isolated and become "oases".

During the flood in September 2011, Que village alone was isolated for more than 10 days, many families were facing hunger. Relief rice reached the commune center but there was no way to transport it over 8 km of muddy, landslide-ridden roads to the people of Que village. No electricity, muddy and remote roads were obstacles for the children of Que village to go to school. Mr. Vi Van Huan, the village chief, said: "Because of the difficult life and long distance, many students had to drop out of school, mostly after finishing junior high school. In Que village, any family with a child in high school is like a family in the lowlands with a child in university". And of course, with the difficulties in transportation, the health care of the people of Que village inevitably has limitations.

The above difficulties are the cause of poverty among the people of Que village. Currently, the poverty rate of Que village is 78/86. Of the remaining 8 households, 7 are near-poor. In particular, more than 50% of the households in the village often suffer from hunger.

Talking to us, village chief Vi Van Huan affirmed: “In order for Que village to rise above poverty, it is necessary to invest in land reclamation, expand the area of ​​rice fields and build an irrigation system, and increase training in science and technology. At the same time, it is necessary to soon complete the traffic route and power line to expand economic and social exchanges, raise awareness, and gradually improve material and spiritual life.”

Tuong Anh