"Sharing food and clothing" to help the poor.

(Baonghean)During the recent Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake), border guards in Nghe An province, in addition to their duty of ensuring peace and security for the people to celebrate the New Year, also shared in the difficulties and hardships of people in remote areas with heartfelt gifts. The Nghe An Border Guard Command donated over 400 gift packages to poor households, families receiving preferential treatment, and families in difficult circumstances in border areas. The total value of the gifts, exceeding 120 million VND, was sourced from savings of the Border Guard Command and its subordinate units. Furthermore, it also relied on the generosity and willingness of officers and soldiers stationed in border regions to share the difficulties with the people.

Colonel Nguyen Viet Ha, Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard Command, shared: "In recent times, with the spirit of 'sharing food and clothing,' the officers and soldiers of the Provincial Border Guard Command have carried out many activities with practical significance for the people in border areas. Typical examples include programs and projects such as: 'Shelter for the poor in border and island areas,' 'Warm Tet in the border region,' 'Preservation and sustainable development of the Dan Lai ethnic minority in Bung and Co Phat villages, Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district,' 'model village' Huoi Son, and 'model commune' Tam Hop in terms of national defense, security, and economic development…

Officers and soldiers of Tung Huong Border Guard Post (Nghe An Border Guard Command) help local people harvest the rice crop.

In 2012, the units continued to promote and strengthen models for economic, cultural, and social development. Notably, they provided thousands of man-days of labor to assist the people in production. The units also repaired and expanded 97.5 km of rural roads and 76 km of irrigation canals; repaired and built 59 houses, constructed 3 wooden and concrete bridges; and renovated 40 classrooms in 14 schools. They helped 105 households overcome poverty and encouraged 120 households to settle down. They also visited and provided 152 gifts worth 49,050,000 VND to families in difficult circumstances.

In particular, the Provincial Border Guard Command has focused on assisting three impoverished communes: Tam Hop (Tuong Tuong district), Mon Son (Con Cuong district), and Bac Ly (Ky Son district), as assigned by the Provincial People's Committee. These soldiers, who have consistently worked alongside the local people, are now enthusiastically undertaking additional tasks to help them escape poverty sustainably. In Mon Son commune, to help the Dan Lai ethnic minority quickly escape poverty and backwardness and integrate into the community, the Provincial Border Guard soldiers have constructed 2km of concrete roads in Bung and Co Phat villages; one water dam and 392m of irrigation canals with a total cost of 6.8 billion VND. The Mon Son Border Guard Post has also provided hundreds of man-days of labor to help the people with planting: 512 kg of rice seeds per 13 hectares of land, increasing yields from 3 tons to 3.5 tons per hectare. 320 kg of corn seeds were planted per 7 hectares, increasing yield from 1.8 tons to 2.5 tons per hectare; 0.5 hectares of new land were reclaimed for rice cultivation, and 1.5 hectares of garden land were converted to rice cultivation. A donation drive was organized to provide 100 sets of clothing to the villagers; gifts worth 3.8 million VND were given to children during the Mid-Autumn Festival, along with 1,200 notebooks for students in the two villages of Bung and Co Phat.

According to Colonel Nguyen Viet Ha, in the coming period, the provincial Border Guard force will continue to consolidate and promote effective models of assisting the people. The focus will be on building many charitable houses and public works. In addition, they will seek suitable plant and animal breeds that meet the local climate and soil conditions, yielding high productivity to quickly help people overcome poverty and contribute to building an increasingly strong national border defense system.

Text and photos: Le Thach